timely

student activities had an event this past friday called "back to tha basicks." it was a hip hop 101 thing with lots of breakdancing, a graffiti contest, and an open mic night. to kick things off e the poet-emcee held a conversation on "the hip hop cultural revolution." timely is all i can say. i had met e back at the black panther symposium, and knew that i needed to connect with him.

emailing him had been on my back burner for the longest time. things happened, i never go around to it. so for me to see him again, after the week i've had, was just what i needed.

he does this open mic night called "the art of conversation" at the yabba pot every saturday. (yabba pot = delicious vegetarian food. i could totally become a vegetarian if i knew i could have that food for ever meal.) it's basically like the critique process for visual artists. a poet would perform, and then e would open up the floor for questions, comments, etc. the discussions the poetry prompted were pretty profound.

i didn't realize until e mentioned it, that the art of conversation is lost in america. we forget the power of words to bring controversial issues and questions up to hash out. i have a lot to hash out myself. but it's reassuring to know i'm not the only one thinking these things.

"they danced down the streets... and i shambled after as i've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn..."
-jack kerouac, from "on the road"