Images by Madeline Garcia, C.J. X. Pression; flyer design by: Stephanie Lask
Last Friday night (April 26th), in celebration of Poet Fest 757, which was a multiple day event created by Jorge Mendez, at The Venue on 35th, Norfolk, VA., Tim Seibles delivered a powerful keynote address that will surely be remembered for an extremely long time and will be etched on the minds of every individual that sat in those chairs, in that slightly dim room, with its multi-colored interior, deep humility, community, and local history. The Venue on 35th has been a pillar of creativity and literary output for many years. A place where poets and writers of all skill levels hurl themselves into a whirlwind of exploration, creativity, resources, support, and community. The Venue is literally an incubator for young poets, as well as a great space for veteran poets.
Seibles is the former Poet Laureate of Virginia (2016-2018), and his numerous accolades and achievements do not weigh as much as his ability to connect with poets and writers of every skill level. Even though he is the author of numerous collections of poetry and has received several awards and honors, such as the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize, the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, and a nomination for the Nation Book Award in 2012, he is a man of the people and can be found frequenting the local hot spots for poetry and spoken word in Hampton Roads VA. To see him contributing his perspective, his work, and his experience to Poet Fest 757 was an extremely special occasion.
On a relatively warm night in Norfolk, Seibles offered the audience light, like a humble master demonstrating his ability or a DJ searching for the perfect record in a crate. His pace. His jazz-like storytelling. His insights. His raspy phrases. His connections, ideas, revelations, metaphors, and moments. His poem about a first kiss that violently and pleasantly shook his sensibilities as a fifteen-year-old boy. These impressions raced across mind. Seibles stealthily and patiently weaved through poems about personal reflection, self-awareness, childhood crushes, and even resistance. Yes, this was a master class in performance poetry. It was also the keynote address for Poet Fest 757.
I have been performing poetry for more than twenty years. However, I still pulled insights and techniques from Seibles’ powerful reading, but his pace was the element that stood out for me, like Miles Davis blowing his trumpet through a vast soundscape. Seibles worked in that room, like he was a skilled musician, finding that divine balance, that sweet pocket of sound, embracing the heat of stage lights and the smiles of attendees. His workspace was a smoky nightclub. His pace, combined with his insights, had that kind of impression. I have seen many poets deliver keynote speeches, and the two poets that stand out in my mind are Saul Williams and Tim Seibles.
Even as a young poet in college, I was very familiar with Tim Seibles’ name. I attended Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont (2000) and spent six years there, studying the craft of poetry, furiously writing, and performing everywhere I could in Central Vermont. Nora Mitchell was my first creative writing professor. She was a tall, influential figure in Vermont poetry. Her poems played on many Amtrak rides that I took in those days, travelling back and forth from Virginia to Vermont. I remember studying Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Tim Seibles. Mitchell once said to me, “You live in Virginia? You should get to know the poet, Tim Seibles.”
I did not travel home much in those days, like other college students. I did not have the chance to explore the Hampton Roads area between 2000 and 2006. I spent a lot of time in the recording studio of Goddard College, working on my craft, performing, and planning for different projects.
After graduating from Goddard’s M.F.A. in Creative Writing Program (2006), I officially moved to Virginia. When I initially moved here, our paths had not crossed, yet. We floated in similar circles, and I knew that Seibles taught at Old Dominion University. It took a few years, and then I believe our paths crossed at a poetry open mic that I used to host in Norfolk and Portsmouth. I cannot remember the year, but I called it “The Prime-Time Poetry Show.” The open mic was located at Bean There Cafe, which was directly across from MacArthur Center, Norfolk, VA. For a few weeks, I had been recording those open mics, and one evening, Seibles stopped by with a few friends. Most of that night is a blur. I do not recall our interaction or conversation. It was another night of poets and artists, passing each other in the poetry nightlife.
Over the years, our paths have crossed more frequently. We have mutual friends in percussionist, Greg Lee, poet and musician, Daniel Pravda, The Dunes, and many other talented poets, writers, musicians, and educators. Recently, we sat down at a local café, traded stories about the poetry-life, our different paths, the urgency of now, and the fundamental need to embrace the moment. Seibles even gave me a copy of This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets, which was edited by Kwame Alexander. His poem “Delores Jepps” appears in the anthology.
Fast forward to the current moment of the keynote address, Poet Fest 757, the creation of veteran poet and spoken word performer, Mr. Jorge Mendez, with Stephanie Lask sharing the hosting duties. I sat in the welcoming environment of The Venue on 35th, absorbing the infectious energy of the people. I believe Seibles understood the power of the moment. He understood his assignment. He understood his audience. He inspired, he entertained, he played with words and images, and he offered the audience a mixtape of themes and emotions. He demonstrated that the power of experiences is probably the most important part of developing poems.
Behind those experiences—I believe—poems tend to grow and become these gentle creatures that carry messages and stories to uncertain futures, and along the way, they inspire, enlighten, disturb, and disrupt. Seibles definitely brought “more light than shadow” to his keynote address, allowing everyone in the building to feed and nourish their bodies with the complexities, nuances, and power of poetry.
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