A stage is a place to question things, to take BIG concepts like death and masculinity and racism and make them entry points for educational purposes.
I learned that last night when I got to attend Guante‘s re-release of his book of poems, lyrics, and essays at Icehouse last night. And for $15 a ticket, it was a steal. His dynamic expression infused me with hope, awe, and drive, even though he jokingly commented that he doesn’t always get to perform for audiences who choose to be there willingly.
I’m going to share a few videos of his spoken word poems here that really speak to me and cause me to pause and reflect. I hope you will do the same!
There are so many more amazing, thoughtful works of art penned by this man. I would encourage anyone to scroll his YouTube channel or buy his book one day instead of scrolling social media.
I’m so excited to have his book in my classroom library and to embed some of his spoken word into lesson plans.
P.S.: Saymoukda “Refugenius” Vongsay opened for Guante, and her work is worth checking out too. Before she read her first piece, she offered a disclaimer that she might cry because she likes her own shit. I completely relate.
bekah noble 
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