Poetry blooms at conference

Evin Shoap / senior photographer Former New Jersey poet laureate Amiri Baraka presents a poem as part of the Furious Flower II Conference.

Slavery, war and political leadership were among the heated topics addressed by poets of the Laureates’ Circle last Friday.

The event was part of the Furious Flower II poetry conference, a dedication to great black poets throughout history, said Joanne Gabbin, an English professor and coordinator of the Furious Flower II Conference.

Gabbin named performing poets Sonia Sanchez and Amiri Baraka as the mother and father of the black arts movement.

"Sonia Sanchez encircles the world with her love … she teaches us how to be human," Gabbin said.

Through a humming melody, Sanchez urged people to "get out and vote … people died for you to vote" during her performance. She spoke of war, justice and peace within her works.

Amiri Baraka recited poetry through speech and singing. He posed questions within one of his poems asking who is responsible for certain contentious subjects. "Who made guns … who runs the army … who kills … who invented AIDS?" he recited.

Other poets also confronted social and political issues of the past and present in their poetry. Askia Toure recited a poem about patriotism in America. "There is a lot of blasphemous noise about patriotism," Askia Toure said in his poem. He incorporated current topics such as HIV and drugs into his poem, and comments on the political leadership in America.

Many of the performers revealed their own poetic idols, dedicating their poems to specific people.

Dolores Hendrick explained how Gwendolyn Brooks, an internationally renowned black poet, has been an inspiration in her work. The conference is named after a Brooks poem.

Omekongo Dibinga, a poet and presenter in the Cross Pollination Workshop of the conference was excited to watch the Laureates’ Circle presentation. "It’s a transforming experience … to sit down and listen to them live and experience this as a poet," Dibinga said.

Junior Deanna Yuille said, "I think [Furious Flower] fulfilled everyone’s expectations. [The poets] really spoke to the audience. Rita Dove is my favorite, and it’s really great seeing someone live."

Anne Ford, principal of Windsor High School in Windsor, Conn., attended the conference because of her love for poetry. "These poets remember the people that came before them," she said. Ford said when she goes back to her high school on Monday, she is going to start a poetry club for students.