FORWARDEVER MEDIA CENTER
Writer Alex
Haley writing The Autobiography of Malcolm X with Brother Malcolm.
"The
media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make
the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power.
Because they control the minds of the masses."
- Malcolm X
Mission
The Forwardever Media Center is 100% committed to providing unconventional writing workshops and media literacy training to "at-risk" Black youth, particularly males, ages 14 through 24. Working in partnership with The Mentoring Center in Oakland, CA., the Center's writing workshops, website internship, and film forums, help students develop critical thinking skills and discover their creative talents. We recruit youth for our programs from the California Youth Authority (the state's largest prison for youth) as well as from universities and high schools. This cross-pollination of young minds creates dynamic shared experiences.
Programs
Whatchusay Cinema–A monthly film forum hosted at schools or community centers in Northern California that explores issues such as race, class, gender, and society. Students are joined by a panel of activists, educators, athletes, entrepreneurs, etc. to rate the films and convene roundtable discussions about corresponding relevant issues in society. For info about film screenings and schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Writing Workshops–We offer intensive seminars in journalism, creative writing, cultural criticism, new media, film production, etc. These seminars are taught at the center, located at 1224 Preservation Park, Oakland, CA, 94612. They are also available on location, at schools, community and detention centers, churches, etc. For info about class schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Internships–Whatchusay.com offers competitive internships to young writers who have clearly demonstrated a passion for the craft of writing or media production. The 3-month internship covers news writing and reporting, feature writing, creative writing, media literacy and new media. Working in partnership with community based organizations, universities and international and national media outlets, we produce a pipeline of informed journalists of color who will go on to create their own independent media organizations or work for major media organizations.
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Dancing with Language: The Poems of Quincy Troupe
By Kwan Booth
For the over 30 years, the poet, professor, biographer and memoirist Quincy Troupe has been fooling around with words. From 1972's "Embry" to the 1996's "Avalanche" and up through his current volume, Troupe has made a career of reinterpreting the musicality in language. His 1989 biography of Miles Davis, took those interpretations a step further as he chronicled the life of one of the most important figures in jazz history.
"The Architecture of Language," released in October 2006, finds the poet at a creative crossroads. Since the 1999 collection "Choruses", Troupe has been hinting at a new direction in his work. One poem from that collection, "Song," promises "words & sounds that build bridges toward a new tongue" and "Architecture" is Troupe's attempt to make good on that promise. In this collection, newer, more experimental poems share space with Troupe's classic jazz styles.
About a third of the book shows the poet stomping around his old poetic home. Poems like "Eggplants" and "In Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe" find waxing lyrical on fable and friendship, while pieces like "Vichyssoise" display why he's revered for his ability to turn a phrase.
Another third is dedicated to poems grappling with the modern world. In addition to tributes like "For Richard Pryor" and "Lucille (for Lucille Clifton)" addressing personal relationships, poems like "Shared Poem" speak to the current political climate.
The remaining poems, where Troupe dives headfirst into the now, are where things get interesting. Troupe has said he's no longer challenged by his old linear style and that he could write these poems "in his sleep." Beginning with "What is that Poetry Seeks" the poems begin to jump and move in a more chaotic way, jumping between ideas and imagery in ways that resemble the work of newer poets like Harryette Mullen more so than Ishmael Reed, a Troupe's contemporary.
"Switchin in the Kitchen" is probably the best example of this new direction. The work shifts from "the sick war, invented by chicken hawk cheney-bush wags" to "pigology" and "filo-plumes." At times it's obvious that the writer is still finding his legs, but the majority of the new work is saved by Troupe's skilled control of the form. Reading "Architecture," you get to see the transformation of a great writer as he stretches for new ideas, new sounds and new tongues.
Kwan Booth is a contributing writer for Whatchusay.com
Posted on April 15, 2007 7:56 AM
Comments (1)
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Posted by ecgiswv xesfh | August 18, 2007 2:00 PM
Posted on August 18, 2007 14:00