Friday, November 1, 1996
POETRY:
Group of adults, children perform today at Kerckhoff Art GalleryBy Nerissa Pacio
Daily Bruin Contributor
Gumbo ain't just for southerners anymore. In fact, that tasty, hot and simmering mixture is for everyone, especially those with a hearty appetite for ... poetry? That's right, Roni'z Bakstreet Poetri is, according to Roni herself, a "poetic gumbo pot with all kinds of flava', from jazz, to hip-hop, to classic and R&B."
So those starved for a unique recipe of literary juices should think twice about putting that food in their mouths. Roni'z Bakstreet Poetri, performing Friday at the UCLA Kerckhoff Art Gallery, will satisfy hungry minds.
Roni Walters' performance features a wide age-range of poets, from 4-year-olds to adults. Her inspiration to not only write her own poetry but bring others into the poetic world stems from the work of such poets as Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, the Watts Prophets, and her very own mother "Hazel Pearl Moody," who, according to Walters is "the greatest poet of all." This spirited ex-cheerleader-turned professional poet also receives inspiration for her urban-themed poetry from experiences on the bus and at the bus-stop. "I love meeting people on the street. The bus is my role model for poetry!" says Walters.
Featured at the House of Blues, Borders Bookstore, various college campuses, many coffee houses in the L.A. area and the television show "Moesha," Roni'z Bakstreet Poetri is on the move. "My goal is to prepare kids to be future writers, and for adults, to let them see the importance of the business of poetry. I'm taking them away from that strict 'coffee house mentality' and showing them that this is also a way to pay the bills," Walters says. While she emphasizes the entrepreneurial side of poetry, she still maintains that "successful marriage between the entertainment business and the art of poetry, because first and foremost I am a poet/writer."
Although bringing Roni'z Bakstreet Poetri to the UCLA campus as part of Walters' campus tour is part of "the business," Walters also hopes to give students a taste of her multicultural program and to show them the sincerity and dedication of the poets. "I also want the audience to have a good time and to see that they can relate to the variety of poetic topics from the break-up of a boyfriend to their relationship with their grandmother," Walters says.
In bringing Walter's poetry performance to UCLA, Alex Papanicolopoulos, poetry events director of UCLA's Cultural Affairs Commission, hopes to "expose the campus to poets in the L.A. area who are not from the standard group of nationally renowned 'Best American Poets,' but poets who are unique and not nationally exposed," he says. This quarter, Papanicolopoulos' focus is on poets outside the UCLA campus, whereas last quarter the majority of featured poets were from the campus community.
Walters refers to her own community of Bakstreet poets as "the Waltons of poetry." Tonight's line-up of Roni'z tightly-knit family of poets include 4-year-old Hanna, 7-year-olds Meghan and Sasha, 9-year-olds Joi and Sinamon, 12-year-old Jody and 15-year-old Jamilla. Papanicolopoulos observes the uniqueness of Roni'z "Bakstreet kidz" as children poets who speak "unrestricted truth."
Adult poets include Valerie A. Dawson, Uncle Freeze, Jennifer Bowens, Harley Searchy, Shehon, and "Alexandria the poet." They will also be accompanied by base guitarist, "Lobase."
So who are these poets anyway? While they are all a part of Roni'z Bakstreet Poetri, they are also "part of you," according to Walters, because "if you have a feeling or thought, or emotion, you are a poet. Whether you choose to put them on paper or not, you are still a poet."
POETRY: Roni'z Bakstreet Poetri takes place 8:15 pm Friday at the Kerckhoff Art Gallery. For more info about the Kerckhoff series of readings, call Cultural Affairs at 825-6564.
Poet Roni Walters encourages youth to pursue poetry as a career.