Foundations Slam Thursday Aug 13th 6pm-8pm Pacific

Everything has a foundation that sets the ground for what is to come. This country was founded in 1776 on the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with no women, black people, LGBTQ people, or non-property owners at the table to give input.

This slam is about addressing the history of our country from founding to today, and to recognize how the past affects current issues. This slam is also about building a new foundation for future years to come, and how we want to (re)shape our nation.

Rules:

• This online slam is multi-generational (ages 9 - adult).

• Write a poem and share it live during the event, or upload it to YouTube to share it during the event.

• Uploaded poems may use cuts, but can have no editing effects, no b-roll, no music, and no props.

• 3 min time limit (10 sec grace period)

Register

Watch link (to come)

Participant Link (to come)

Food, Clothes, and Poems

In our efforts to respond to the impact that COVID-19 has had on under-served communities, Bay Area Creative has begun The Staff of Life project with the objective of distributing packets of poems written by our students and staff to organizations like

White Pony Express that are providing clothing and food during these difficult times. We are delivering 100 packets of poems per month to any interested org doing its part on the front lines. We believe that in times like this poetry fills a special need to connect us to the core experiences of humanity - to remind us that we are not alone in this struggle.

Upward Bound Program Holds SPARC Poetry Workshops all summer.

For the third year in a row Bay Area Creative is providing service at Upward Bound UC Berkeley through our flagship program SPARC poetry. Students who participate in Upward Bound have worked as hard as can be imagined to earn a spot in the Upward Bound college preparatory program which serves first generation college applicants. Our poetry workshops are guided by the students’ writing in order to be as culturally relevant as possible. Each year these courageous young writers leap beyond their comfort zones in order to expand and grow as scholars, writers and leaders of their generation. This year due to closures we are leading these workshops via zoom and are excited to push this human connective art form into the digital world.

America

By: Anonymous Upward Bound Student

America is the land that many fled to

The land that many fought for

America’s that one girl that everyone knows

With her loud and joyous laughs and happy celebrations

She doesn’t know who she is

She’s the epitome of freedom

America isn’t who people think she is

America isn’t free

Hell, America is hardly ever herself

America’s not that innocent girl

America is what others make her out to be

But America is made of land and people that were robbed, stolen, and killed.

And more, but I dare not to say it out loud,

For the one nation,

That was indivisible

It will always be divided

by the opinions of the nation

Her past has been paved with the blood of many innocent victims

But America doesn’t want to be that girl that everybody hates

Because of her past

So, she put her mask on

And acts as if nothing has happened

As if her scars are just as invisible as the justice she tries to give for all

Because what does all mean if America can’t even speak for herself?

With her “family” acting as dictators to her life

Don’t do this,

Don’t ignore her

Make friends with her, and especially do speak for those people

Because if she does, she’ll know and be reminded of the people that have paved way for her life

People that have worked so hard to only achieve nothing.

For those people