15 Poets Battle, 3 Move on to the Grand Slam

Saturday, May 11th was the last opportunity for youth poets to become a part of the 2013 Hampton Roads Youth Poets Slam Team and qualify to represent all of Hampton Roads during Brave New Voices 2013!  The Southside Qualifying Slam was hosted in collaboration Tidewater Community College, Roper Performing Arts Center on Granby Street in Downtown Norfolk.  The event started with a special message from Al Roker, board of Director Member of Teens With a Purpose. The Southside Qualifying Slam took the audience on a lyrical journey with 15 young poets all fighting to get heard. The competition was fierce and a tough job for the judges. The event was hosted by local artist Seven Pierces and TWP member DaVine Chavez. The event was also recorded by Cox Communications.

The Slam had three tough rounds with music by DJ Precise in between the bouts, as well as special performances by Caitlin Messer of the Governor's School of the Arts, group poetry piece by the Teens With a Purpose and Testimony and Maria from SoulStice Reb'L.

Deirdre A. Love, Executive Director said "This was a taste of heaven....the most powerful slam since we started having these events four years ago." Sylvantria "Boobie" Hawkins attended to scope out her competition and said "The Finals will be like Hunger Games."  Per Wikipedia, The Hunger Games is a 2008 science fiction novel by American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the voice of a 16-year-old , who lives in the post-apocalyptic, where the countries of North America once existed. The Capitol,a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12-18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death. Of course, Hawkins was not referring to a physical death but the poets will bring their best to the stage and give the audience everything they have as if their lives depended upon it!

Pictures from the Slam can be viewed on the Teens With a Purpose Facebook page.

Ladies and gentlemen, please meet our finalists:

Emily "Em" Allison, Chesapeake

Matthew St. Clair, Hampton
Ayanna Florence, Chesapeake

Raevaughn "Rae of Hope" Johnson, Norfolk

Emeka "S.O.U.L" Onyirimba, Norfolk

Khayla "Cuyjet" Walker, Virginia Beach

ShaJhea Wilson, Norfolk

 

Alternates/4th placers will battle to determine which of them will be competing for the Alternate spot on the 2013 HRYP Slam Team will determine who will compete at the Grand Slam Finals.

 

Get your free tickets 

2013HRYPSlamFestival.eventbrite.com

 

Don't miss the Grand Slam Finals on June 1st 5-7pm

Norfolk State University, 700 Parks Ave, Norfolk, VA

There will be a free college tour 4-5pm

Brave New Voices is presented by Youth Speaks and is the largest international Youth Poetry Festival in the world.

Trailer to Brave New Voices

 

Find out More about Brave New Voices 

at http://youthspeaks.org/bravenewvoices/

Listen 2 The Lyrics

Listen 2 The Lyrics, held April 4th, 2013, was the kick-start to a four part series titled 'I am Hear" that celebrates Youth & Poetry Month. TWP is collaborating with Norfolk Recreation Parks & Open Space to present this four part community events that celebrate the power of words and really HEARING what they mean.

  

The first part of the series tackled Hip-Hop. Through Listen 2 The Lyrics, youth were empowered to be active listeners. They participated in a cool listening session which put local rappers on the hot seat, across from them were three young listeners that carefully pulled apart the lyrics of the selected song. Grace Wiggins of Listen 2 The Lyrics, facilitated an open forum where young listeners, attentively and actively listened to artists Double XL, Brandeesh and Focus songs and clearly analyzed the lyrics through questions.

 

The evening started with a concert by Teens With a Purpose members which was open to the community, young people performed their own positive and original music. Listen 2 the Lyrics is based out of Baltimore and uses hip-hop as a tool to develop positive attitudes towards education through critical thinking and problem solving skills in order to increase high school graduation rates of at risk male students and to create  positive self image among them. Youth will work together to learn how to make a conscious effort to effectively listen to music of their choice, in order to give serious consideration of how it relates to their lives.

 

Special thanks to: Art Thatcher of Norfolk Recreation Parks & Open Space (NRPOS), Grace Wiggins of Listen 2 The Lyrics, DJ Kira and of course the brave artists: Brandeesh, Double XL and Focus
 

 

 

Hampton Roads Hear the Future Now! 2013 HRYP Slam Fest Sweeps the Region

Hear the future as young spoken word artists  take the stage this spring. The 2013 HRYP Slam Festival joins young writers, emcees, spoken word artists & performers from the Hampton Roads area.
 
Through qualifying slams and a grand final slam, poets compete for the chance to join the HRYP Slam Team the elite group of the Hampton Roads Youth Poets that represent and compete at various Slam's throughout the country. It also makes them eligible for a chance to represent at Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival in Chicago this summer. 
 

Brave New Voices, as seen on HBO, is committed to building safe spaces that challenge young people to develop and present the power of their voices. Carla Crane wrote: 'Besides offering young people the chance for true transformation, it excels at community building, mentoring, and improving literacy and communication skills'

Teens With a Purpose is proud to be a part of a network that reflects our values and mirrors our mission. 

 

The 2013 HRYP Slam Festival kicked off at the First Qualifying Slam on March 30th at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Arts. Rhonda Arrington, Face of Fox 43 hosted the event alongside Quayshaun Moore, a youth leader of Teens With a Purpose. Sylvantria Hawkins, Emme Rose and Khayla Walker will be moving on to the Grand Slam in June.

 



Sylvantria 'Boobie' Hawkins, 1st Place



Emily 'Em' Allison, 2nd Place





Khayla 'Cuyjet' Walker, 3rd Place

 

Emeka "S.o.u.l' Onyirimba

 

Nicole 'Sageflo' Peeples

 

Richard 'Testimony' Love

 

Rhonda Arrington, Face of Fox 43
& Deirdre Love, Executive Director of Teens With a Purpose

 

Nathanial 'Rasahn' Lovell, HRYP Coach

 

 2013 HRYP SLAM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:

 

PENINSULA QUALIFYING SLAM

Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, April 20th, 5-7p


SOUTHSIDE QUALIFYING SLAM 
TCC Roper Performing Arts Center, May 11th, 5-7p

GRAND SLAM!
NSU Student Center Theatre, June 1st, 5-7p

      

Youth ages 13-19 can register online at

TWPTheMovement.org or by completing the 2013
HRYP Slam Festival Registration Form.

 

Order a free 2013 HRYP Slam Festival Poster & Flyer Bundle for your organization or school by emailing, Michelle Sims twpmichelle@gmail.com.

 

Download the official press release here.

 GET YOUR FREE ONLINE TICKETS! 2013HRYPSLAMFestival.eventbrite.com

 

HRYP JOINS PEERS WITH INTERNATIONAL STAGE

Hampton Roads Youth Poets joined forces with spoken word youth activists from around the globe to tackle the hard-core and heavy: political inequities, abuse, racial strife, cancer. And they don't just speak they artfully and  strategically, of course, performing profoundly - starting low and slow then rising in volume and intensity until their words are heard.

HRYP is a division of Teens With a Purpose, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to empowering Hampton Roads youth by providing young people with a platform to empower their peers to use their voices, their energy, and their abilities to demonstrate the power to effect personal change, improve the lives of others, and foster a more knowledgeable community that is more invested in both themselves and each other using the arts and through peer-led programs and events.

Started in 2007, Hampton Roads Youth Poets uses their energy, ideas and VOICE to be a change in their community. Member of HRYP cultivate and present Open Mics, attend workshops preparing young writers to address critical issues facing the world, the community, youth and the individuals. Their voice is an honest look into our youth, they address serious issues such as Hunger, Poverty, Violence, Rape, Bullying, War, and HIV/AIDS awareness. HRYP hosts a monthly open-mic night, VIBES is held on the Second Saturday of every month at BEAN THERE Cafe. The upcoming VIBES will showcase the 2012 HRYP 2012 Slam Team and the pieces they performed recently at BNV.