National Poetry Month
Crail C and Zoom
Join St. David’s at 10 am on Sundays during April as we celebrate National Poetry Month and explore how poetry is connected to spirituality, creativity, social action, and discernment.
Chucky BLK
Tuesday • April 7
Sunday, April 7, take I-35 to 8th Street to avoid road closures.
Local rap artist, Chucky BLK, will start off our series for National Poetry Month by performing some of his work and talking about the power of rap as a poetic form.
ART RAP WARLOCK Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Charles Dwain Stephens began recording music as Chucky Blk with his first EP, “A Prequel To” released in 2018. Being the son of a pastor, it only makes sense that Chucky has turned stage to pulpit, preaching honesty before all else through thoughtful & discerning examinations of himself and the world around him. With influences from Outkast to Noname, Blk’s verses carry a sense of urgency -this especially evident in his 2020 album A Scathing Critique of Current Affairs as he mixes jazz influenced beats from international jazz group Slug with sampled speeches of Civil Rights pioneers such as James Baldwin and William Haden. In these tracks he narrates the torrential downpour of terror in America, confronting systemic racism & the reverberations and effects of Capitalism on Black Americans. In his newest release A Tower and Thereafter, Blk turns inward as he reconciles with the wreckage left after a long term relationship ends. Turning to the art of Tarot, Chucky uses the Tower card as a metaphor for his circumstances - the Tower representing chaos & a sudden change while also opening a door to a possible revelation or breakthrough. Blk says in his own words the album is about “descaling the dragon” & learning how to rebuild oneself after a change that brings destruction. Through his lyrical verse, we see Chucky Blk finding power in destruction and turning the shards into little revelations on A Tower and Thereafter.
Cathey Capers and Sharon Lowe
Tuesday • April 14
Join local poets Cathey Capers and Sharon Lowe for Can You Feel It? Poetry as a Tool for Discernment as we make connections between the poetic/creative process and discernment.
We will explore such questions as: How can poetry and the creative process surface the deeper currents of your life? What qualities can be cultivated to nurture both a poetic voice and a discerning heart? Where is God, the Holy Spirit in this process?
Claire Colombo
Tuesday • April 21
Dr. Claire Miller Colombo, assistant professor of writing, theology, and the arts at Seminary of the Southwest, will help us explore the somatic nature of the writing process. Writing happens in the body, and when we are creatively blocked, energy may be trapped somewhere in our physical form. This session will explore simple grounding practices that can free up creative energy and open our hearts, minds, and senses to receive wisdom from within and without.
2024 Texas Poet Laureate Amanda Johnston
Tuesday • April 28
Amanda Johnston, the 2024 Texas Poet Laureate, will read some of her poetry and invite reflection on the power of poetry to engage us in ways that challenge us, provoke us to action, and help us access our deeper wisdom as individuals and as a community.
Login To Leave Comment