EVENT: Acclaimed poet Jessica Care Moore Poole and a Poetry Slam
Crystal Good talks about acclaimed poet Jessica Care Moore Poole, the poetry slam described below and reads two poems in the podcast link above. I also asked Good to share a couple of her own short poems: one called “Walking in the Zoo” from her archive, and “Poette,” a more recent one. If you hear children in the background of the podcast, know that she brought her three sons when she came to talk with me.
Internationally acclaimed spoken-word artist Jessica Care Moore Poole will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Capitol Center Theater, 123 Summers St.
“Jessica is a legend. Not only is she an Apollo legend but in the spoken-word world,” said Charleston poet Crystal Good, who helped arrange this event. Care Moore has performed her rapid-fire poetry for audiences in South Africa, France, England, Scotland, Germany and Holland. She’s a slam poet, founder and CEO of Moore Black Press, publisher and recording artist extraordinaire.
She was in the movie “SlamNation” and delivers poems like “Black Statue of Liberty.” (Look for it on YouTube, and you’ll discover her depth and the intelligence. You’ll hear her hot abhorrence of injustice.) She’s been on “Showtime at the Apollo,” HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” series, BET’s “The Ed Gordon Show,” “Teen Summit,” and NBC’s “Today” show.
This is the Charleston area’s first poetry slam in years. All local poets are encouraged to participate in the competition, which begins at 6 p.m. (sign-up at 5:30 p.m.). There will be first- and second-place prizes. Good said this is a chance for poets to say what’s on their minds, what with all the things like the tragic torture incident in Logan recently.
Monday’s event is sponsored by Art Space and Mason & Moore Attorneys at Law. It’s free and open to the public — just bring a book for the Charleston Job Corps Library. Also, on Monday, Moore will sign copies of her books from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St.
For more information, call Good at 553-6787 or the Capitol Center Theater at 342-6522.
Jessica Care Moore Poole books:
“The Alphabet Verses: The Ghetto”
“The Words Don’t Fit in My Mouth”
In the spring, Moore Black Press will also release Jessica Care Moore Poole’s anticipated third book, “God is Not an American.”
