Not All Who Wander are Lost...
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Featured Poets
BEAU SIA BUDDY WAKEFIELD SAUL WILLIAMS
BEAU SIA
Sia was born in the Philippines of Chinese Filipino descent. He has said that moving to New York made him conscious of his identity as an Asian American, something that he denied often in Oklahoma City. His cultural identity became a common theme in his poems.
Sia began performing at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, eventually earning himself a place on the 1996 Nuyorican National Poetry Slam team. That same year, he would be filmed for the documentary SlamNation. The film followed Sia and his Nuyorican teammates (Saul Williams, Jessica Care Moore and Mums da Schemer) as the competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam. The team would go on to place third in the nation, and have a lasting impact on how people would view slam poetry.
Sia's relationship with the Poetry Slam community continued. He eventually earned two National Poetry Slam Championships in 1997 and 2000 while competing on the NYC-Urbana national poetry slam team. He would also reach second place in the Individual Poetry Slam competition in 2001.
Sia's appearances on television were on Def Poetry; he later appeared in the Broadway version, Def Poetry Jam.
He appeared in Slam in 1998 as Jimmy Huang. The same year, he participated in the documentary SlamNation as himself. Later appearances include The Manchurian Candidate (2004) as a late-night comedian on television and Hitch (2005) as Duane Reade Clerk.
What is your favorite movie of all time?
Beau: I don't think I have one of those. There are some movies I can watch at any time. I think people should at least
try out: Me, and You, and Everyone we know
How long have you been writing poetry?
Beau: Consciously began writing at 15.
Where do you stand politically?
Beau: For the continue internal evolution of human beings towards the fulfillment of their true potential.
Define Poetry:
Beau: I believe a core component of poetry is the inability to truly give it a fixed definition.
What do you think of the slam scene?
Beau: I don't think about it very much these days. I seem to be consumed by other matters. I'm sure, on occassion, I
wonder what gossip I miss by not going to all the national events anymore.
What is your favorite topic to write about?
Beau: Myself.
Do you want to see more poets traveling? More poets slamming? Or more poets jumping off bridges?
Beau: If i had to choose between those three, traveling. but not in the buses way. perhaps more of the exploration of the
self kind of way.
What has poetry done for your life?
Beau: Provided me with the opportunity to dig deeper into who i am, and to continue going to those painful places within
myself in order to grow, so that my fears don't consume me.
When your time is up, how would you like people to remember you?
Beau: My ego cares about this, but i really don't. these days,i enjoy being with my parents while i can.
You can check Beau out on his Myspace page here
BUDDY WAKEFIELD
BUDDY WAKEFIELD is the two-time Individual World Poetry Slam Champion featured on NPR, the BBC, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and signed to Strange Famous Records. In 2004 he won the Individual World Poetry Slam Finals thanks to the support of anthropologist and producer Norman Lear then successfully defended that [arbitrary] title at the International Poetry Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands against the national champions of seven European countries with works translated into Dutch.
SAUL WILLIAMS
By 1995, he had become a talented open mic poet and in 1996 he won the title of Nuyorican Poets Cafe's Grand Slam Champion. The documentary film SlamNation follows Williams and the other members of the 1996 Nuyorican Poets Slam team (Beau Sia, Mums da Schemer and Jessica Care Moore) as they compete in the 1996 National Poetry Slam held in Portland, OR.
The following year, Williams landed the lead role in the 1998 feature film Slam. Williams served as both a writer and actor on the film, which would win both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D'Or (Golden Camera) and serve to introduce Williams to international audiences.
Williams was at this time breaking into music. He had performed with such artists as Nas, The Fugees, Christian Alvarez, Blackalicious, Erykah Badu, KRS-One, Zack De La Rocha, De La Soul, and DJ Krust, as well as legendary poets Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez. After releasing a string of EPs, in 2001 he released the much-hyped Amethyst Rock Star with producer Rick Rubin and in September 2004 his self-titled album to much acclaim. He played several shows supporting Nine Inch Nails on their European tour in summer 2005, and has also supported The Mars Volta.
Williams was also invited to the Lollapalooza music festival in Summer 2005. The Chicago stage allowed Williams to attract a wider audience. He also appeared on NIN's album Year Zero, and supported the group on their 2006 North American tour, during which Williams announced that Trent Reznor would co-produce his next album.
This collaboration resulted in 2007's The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!. This album was available only at the website niggytardust.com until a physical CD of the album was issued. The physical release included new tracks and extended album artwork. The first 100,000 customers on the website had the option to download a free lower-quality audio version of the album. The other option was for users to pay $5 to support the artist directly and be given the choice of downloading the higher-quality MP3 version or the lossless FLAC version. The material has been produced by Trent Reznor and mixed by Alan Moulder. It was Reznor who said that, after his own recent dealings with record labels, they should release it directly.
As a writer, Williams has been published in The New York Times, Esquire, Bomb Magazine and African Voices, as well as having released four collections of poetry. As a poet and musician, Williams has toured and lectured across the world, appearing at many universities and colleges. In his interview in the book, Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, Williams explained why he creates within so many genres, saying:
“ It's not that I balance [those arts] out, all the different arts balance me out. So, that there is a certain type of emotion that is more easily accessible through music than poetry... Some things are meant to be written, some are meant to be sung, some things are meant to be hummed, some things are made to be yelled, and so that's just how life works ”
Williams is a vocal critic of the Bush administration, the War on Terrorism, and the Iraq War; among his more well-known works are the anti-war anthems "Not In My Name" and "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)". In early 2008, a Nike Sparq Training commercial featured Williams' song "List of Demands (Reparations)."
In a November 2008 interview with Wired.com, Williams talked about his forthcoming projects:
"I'm working on a few, but there's one album that I'm waist-deep into. I'm aiming to finish it up next month. Trent wants to work on a sequel for Niggy that I think would be cool and I also have an album and new songs demoed at home that I'm ready to go into the studio and lay down. It’s a complete reflection of how I feel in this country; it's a very transformative time."
He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
www.SaulWilliams.com
Check out our exclusive interviews below!
BEAU SIA
Sia was born in the Philippines of Chinese Filipino descent. He has said that moving to New York made him conscious of his identity as an Asian American, something that he denied often in Oklahoma City. His cultural identity became a common theme in his poems.Sia began performing at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, eventually earning himself a place on the 1996 Nuyorican National Poetry Slam team. That same year, he would be filmed for the documentary SlamNation. The film followed Sia and his Nuyorican teammates (Saul Williams, Jessica Care Moore and Mums da Schemer) as the competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam. The team would go on to place third in the nation, and have a lasting impact on how people would view slam poetry.
Sia's relationship with the Poetry Slam community continued. He eventually earned two National Poetry Slam Championships in 1997 and 2000 while competing on the NYC-Urbana national poetry slam team. He would also reach second place in the Individual Poetry Slam competition in 2001.
Sia's appearances on television were on Def Poetry; he later appeared in the Broadway version, Def Poetry Jam.
He appeared in Slam in 1998 as Jimmy Huang. The same year, he participated in the documentary SlamNation as himself. Later appearances include The Manchurian Candidate (2004) as a late-night comedian on television and Hitch (2005) as Duane Reade Clerk.
What is your favorite movie of all time?
Beau: I don't think I have one of those. There are some movies I can watch at any time. I think people should at least
try out: Me, and You, and Everyone we know
How long have you been writing poetry?
Beau: Consciously began writing at 15.
Where do you stand politically?
Beau: For the continue internal evolution of human beings towards the fulfillment of their true potential.
Define Poetry:
Beau: I believe a core component of poetry is the inability to truly give it a fixed definition.
What do you think of the slam scene?
Beau: I don't think about it very much these days. I seem to be consumed by other matters. I'm sure, on occassion, I
wonder what gossip I miss by not going to all the national events anymore.
What is your favorite topic to write about?
Beau: Myself.
Do you want to see more poets traveling? More poets slamming? Or more poets jumping off bridges?
Beau: If i had to choose between those three, traveling. but not in the buses way. perhaps more of the exploration of the
self kind of way.
What has poetry done for your life?
Beau: Provided me with the opportunity to dig deeper into who i am, and to continue going to those painful places within
myself in order to grow, so that my fears don't consume me.
When your time is up, how would you like people to remember you?
Beau: My ego cares about this, but i really don't. these days,i enjoy being with my parents while i can.
You can check Beau out on his Myspace page here
BUDDY WAKEFIELD
BUDDY WAKEFIELD is the two-time Individual World Poetry Slam Champion featured on NPR, the BBC, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and signed to Strange Famous Records. In 2004 he won the Individual World Poetry Slam Finals thanks to the support of anthropologist and producer Norman Lear then successfully defended that [arbitrary] title at the International Poetry Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands against the national champions of seven European countries with works translated into Dutch.
In 2005 he won the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship again and has gone on to share the stage with nearly every notable performance poet in the world in hundreds of venues internationally from The Fillmore in San Francisco and Scotland’s Oran Moore to San Quentin State Penitentiary, House of Blues New Orleans and CBGB’s.
EXCLUSIVE HALF PHONE/HALF EMAIL INTERVIEW WITH BUDDY WAKEFIELD! *
Hi Buddy, Thank you for taking the time out for this interview.
Can you tell us about your upcoming tour and the inspiration behind it?
Buddy: The Elephant Engine High Drive Revival Tour. We just thought of some nutty name so that people can feel good in the.....Wait, are we recording this on the radio right now?
No, This will be translated to text.
Buddy: Oh ok, because I didn't know if I was talking to a million people while I'm hung over. That wouldn't be good. I would have to kill your family.
(Nervous Laugh)
Buddy: So yeah, from September to November, we're going on tour. Anis Mojgani, Derrick Brown, Shira Erlichman, and a rotating 5th member. We'll be in the van for 10 weeks doing colleges and shows and spreading the love, and dancin our words across peoples faces and laughin' and gettin' it all out.
And where did this concept come from?
Buddy: It was an accident. It just keeps evolving. We kept sticking to the aspect of revival. We all got together for another tour 3 years ago thanks to Dan Leamen and Mike McGee and we just decided to keep certain elements of it alive cause we've had so much fun playing games and sharing our work and learning about each other and doing what we love for a living... feeling plenty of gratitude and being blessed too. And uhh... playing creepy touch... and sandwich karate.
How do you feel about being the inspiration to other traveling poets and how did you start?
Buddy: Well, I first saw how possible it was from those who came before me like Marty McConnel and Andy Strickland on the Wandering Uterus Tour in 98. I knew a few others were touring too like Talaam Acey and Big Poppa E. So I just went crazy with it and kicked it up a notch at one point and made this stupid boastful announcement on the Slam listserve that I was going to move into my car for 2 years. After the first week on the road, I kicked myself in the gems wondering what the hell I was thinkin'.
Uh oh. I just made that announcement that I'll be doing that in a van.
Buddy: At least you got a van! I had a Honda Civic and had to find comfortable sleeping patterns in the drivers seat. I ended up staying on the road for 2 years and 4 months in that thing.
Do you want to see more poets traveling? More poets slamming? Or more poets jumping off bridges?
Buddy: I think it's fun to get out and experience the road if that's what you want to do for a few weeks. It's funny when a poet goes out on the road for a week and talks about all the hardships of a traveling poet. I shouldn't go on because it'll make me sound jaded and being bitter at petty stuff seems so silly. If people want to tour, more power to them. I'm glad a pathway has opened up and that there's a network and most any poet can give it a whirl and have that life experience. As far as slamming goes, as long as people understand it's a gimmick and ultimately it doesn't hold much merit on the work itself and as long as people can do it for fun, then more power there also. I'm not a big fan of slam anymore. Competition (or tragedy for that matter) doesn't make me feel very wholesome. But I'm thankful to Slam for the career path I was able to pave because of its existence. And as far as jumping off bridges, don't cheat mother nature out of her opportunity to kill you herself.
Was there a point on the road that you realized that you made a name for yourself?
Buddy: It was a process and not an event. I think it just built up and caught momentum and I was a good house guest, polite, cleaned up after myself, etc. I'm a big fan of manners and respecting people's space. There are some people who have real good work, but nobody wants to be around them, and that's unfortunate. But anyways, back on track. There were a few moments that I felt I had 'arrived', but then I kept on arriving, until one day I saw my name on Hermann Hesse's Wikipedia page under Pop Culture References and that blew my mind and made me want to hump things, everywhere. Sure, anybody can enter a factoid in Wikipedia, but the fact that someone took the time to place me with Hermann Hesse's page warmed my entire presence. I really love Hermann.
With them cutting music and art from the school systems, how do you feel we can implement poetry programs in the school systems?
Buddy: To be honest, I don't give my energy to it. I'm fully aware that people's funding is tanked, but I'm not acknowledging it and won't let it affect me. I'll help where I can but I've spent most of my life worrying about trying to control factors that were beyond my reach and I'm just done with it. No martyr. No tragedy. I'm really happy with where I'm at in my life and am just focusing on writing and staying healthy and not contributing to the doubting of everything; living a less-dramatized version of this life. It's a mindful luxury that I've worked my fingers to the bone to encompass.
It looks like you've found a good balance between organizing and riding the wind.
Buddy: My organizational skills were most of what got me to this point. Here's the thing though, we can sit here and talk about details and plans all day, but if you're not bringing that universal puzzle piece -- that thing people need, and your poetry or presence are not on point, then none of it's going to matter. Anyone can go on tour for a couple of weeks and impress a few people, but that was never my....I don't know......I knew...that from my own inner fibers, that I was just arrogant enough to think I really had something going on and had lived a life far different from the norm and had some really useful information to offer. I know everyone has a story but I wanted my words to affect people and move them and touch them in their spine guts. I wanted to be an element in this universe that was part of a vibration that was scary for most people to approach, like kids at a high dive. I spent 3 months last year writing a 3 minute poem. I'm obsessed with detail and quality and making it the best possible piece it can be, so when I deliver it, the audience can be as floored as I was when the universe shot it through me.
How much of it do you feel has been your choice and creation, and how much of it do you feel is channeling through you?
Buddy: That's a constantly changing variable that I can't answer to. I just show up. The writer just has to show up and start the process, and the rest is teamwork.
And the larger then life question, when it's all done, how would you like to be remembered?
Buddy: I want to say I don't care, but I care. It's all based on the individual I guess. I don't know if I care about people who I don't know remembering me. I hope they remember the juice, the information, the knowledge, any wisdom that may have happened on this continuum... It's not me I want them to remember, it's what I'm trying to say.
Any final words?
Buddy: I wish you the best. It sounds like you have quite an undertaking with your tour and I definitely don't envy it. I feel like I'm watching you go through college with this. I don't envy not having to study for the exam. Or facing the professors. Or waking up for class........in my car. I only envy that you have a van! I wish you the best. Keep me posted. I feel like everybody has this sense of self importance and everyone wants to do something powerful with it, and I see that you're taking steps to do that.
Thank you Buddy! I deeply appreciate that.
Buddy: Thank you! and....cut off all my babbling during the text translation :) Take care boss!
Peace
Can you tell us about your upcoming tour and the inspiration behind it?
Buddy: The Elephant Engine High Drive Revival Tour. We just thought of some nutty name so that people can feel good in the.....Wait, are we recording this on the radio right now?
No, This will be translated to text.
Buddy: Oh ok, because I didn't know if I was talking to a million people while I'm hung over. That wouldn't be good. I would have to kill your family.
(Nervous Laugh)
Buddy: So yeah, from September to November, we're going on tour. Anis Mojgani, Derrick Brown, Shira Erlichman, and a rotating 5th member. We'll be in the van for 10 weeks doing colleges and shows and spreading the love, and dancin our words across peoples faces and laughin' and gettin' it all out.
And where did this concept come from?
Buddy: It was an accident. It just keeps evolving. We kept sticking to the aspect of revival. We all got together for another tour 3 years ago thanks to Dan Leamen and Mike McGee and we just decided to keep certain elements of it alive cause we've had so much fun playing games and sharing our work and learning about each other and doing what we love for a living... feeling plenty of gratitude and being blessed too. And uhh... playing creepy touch... and sandwich karate.
How do you feel about being the inspiration to other traveling poets and how did you start?
Buddy: Well, I first saw how possible it was from those who came before me like Marty McConnel and Andy Strickland on the Wandering Uterus Tour in 98. I knew a few others were touring too like Talaam Acey and Big Poppa E. So I just went crazy with it and kicked it up a notch at one point and made this stupid boastful announcement on the Slam listserve that I was going to move into my car for 2 years. After the first week on the road, I kicked myself in the gems wondering what the hell I was thinkin'.
Uh oh. I just made that announcement that I'll be doing that in a van.
Buddy: At least you got a van! I had a Honda Civic and had to find comfortable sleeping patterns in the drivers seat. I ended up staying on the road for 2 years and 4 months in that thing.
Do you want to see more poets traveling? More poets slamming? Or more poets jumping off bridges?
Buddy: I think it's fun to get out and experience the road if that's what you want to do for a few weeks. It's funny when a poet goes out on the road for a week and talks about all the hardships of a traveling poet. I shouldn't go on because it'll make me sound jaded and being bitter at petty stuff seems so silly. If people want to tour, more power to them. I'm glad a pathway has opened up and that there's a network and most any poet can give it a whirl and have that life experience. As far as slamming goes, as long as people understand it's a gimmick and ultimately it doesn't hold much merit on the work itself and as long as people can do it for fun, then more power there also. I'm not a big fan of slam anymore. Competition (or tragedy for that matter) doesn't make me feel very wholesome. But I'm thankful to Slam for the career path I was able to pave because of its existence. And as far as jumping off bridges, don't cheat mother nature out of her opportunity to kill you herself.
Was there a point on the road that you realized that you made a name for yourself?
Buddy: It was a process and not an event. I think it just built up and caught momentum and I was a good house guest, polite, cleaned up after myself, etc. I'm a big fan of manners and respecting people's space. There are some people who have real good work, but nobody wants to be around them, and that's unfortunate. But anyways, back on track. There were a few moments that I felt I had 'arrived', but then I kept on arriving, until one day I saw my name on Hermann Hesse's Wikipedia page under Pop Culture References and that blew my mind and made me want to hump things, everywhere. Sure, anybody can enter a factoid in Wikipedia, but the fact that someone took the time to place me with Hermann Hesse's page warmed my entire presence. I really love Hermann.
With them cutting music and art from the school systems, how do you feel we can implement poetry programs in the school systems?
Buddy: To be honest, I don't give my energy to it. I'm fully aware that people's funding is tanked, but I'm not acknowledging it and won't let it affect me. I'll help where I can but I've spent most of my life worrying about trying to control factors that were beyond my reach and I'm just done with it. No martyr. No tragedy. I'm really happy with where I'm at in my life and am just focusing on writing and staying healthy and not contributing to the doubting of everything; living a less-dramatized version of this life. It's a mindful luxury that I've worked my fingers to the bone to encompass.
It looks like you've found a good balance between organizing and riding the wind.
Buddy: My organizational skills were most of what got me to this point. Here's the thing though, we can sit here and talk about details and plans all day, but if you're not bringing that universal puzzle piece -- that thing people need, and your poetry or presence are not on point, then none of it's going to matter. Anyone can go on tour for a couple of weeks and impress a few people, but that was never my....I don't know......I knew...that from my own inner fibers, that I was just arrogant enough to think I really had something going on and had lived a life far different from the norm and had some really useful information to offer. I know everyone has a story but I wanted my words to affect people and move them and touch them in their spine guts. I wanted to be an element in this universe that was part of a vibration that was scary for most people to approach, like kids at a high dive. I spent 3 months last year writing a 3 minute poem. I'm obsessed with detail and quality and making it the best possible piece it can be, so when I deliver it, the audience can be as floored as I was when the universe shot it through me.
How much of it do you feel has been your choice and creation, and how much of it do you feel is channeling through you?
Buddy: That's a constantly changing variable that I can't answer to. I just show up. The writer just has to show up and start the process, and the rest is teamwork.
And the larger then life question, when it's all done, how would you like to be remembered?
Buddy: I want to say I don't care, but I care. It's all based on the individual I guess. I don't know if I care about people who I don't know remembering me. I hope they remember the juice, the information, the knowledge, any wisdom that may have happened on this continuum... It's not me I want them to remember, it's what I'm trying to say.
Any final words?
Buddy: I wish you the best. It sounds like you have quite an undertaking with your tour and I definitely don't envy it. I feel like I'm watching you go through college with this. I don't envy not having to study for the exam. Or facing the professors. Or waking up for class........in my car. I only envy that you have a van! I wish you the best. Keep me posted. I feel like everybody has this sense of self importance and everyone wants to do something powerful with it, and I see that you're taking steps to do that.
Thank you Buddy! I deeply appreciate that.
Buddy: Thank you! and....cut off all my babbling during the text translation :) Take care boss!
Peace
SAUL WILLIAMS
By 1995, he had become a talented open mic poet and in 1996 he won the title of Nuyorican Poets Cafe's Grand Slam Champion. The documentary film SlamNation follows Williams and the other members of the 1996 Nuyorican Poets Slam team (Beau Sia, Mums da Schemer and Jessica Care Moore) as they compete in the 1996 National Poetry Slam held in Portland, OR.The following year, Williams landed the lead role in the 1998 feature film Slam. Williams served as both a writer and actor on the film, which would win both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D'Or (Golden Camera) and serve to introduce Williams to international audiences.
Williams was at this time breaking into music. He had performed with such artists as Nas, The Fugees, Christian Alvarez, Blackalicious, Erykah Badu, KRS-One, Zack De La Rocha, De La Soul, and DJ Krust, as well as legendary poets Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez. After releasing a string of EPs, in 2001 he released the much-hyped Amethyst Rock Star with producer Rick Rubin and in September 2004 his self-titled album to much acclaim. He played several shows supporting Nine Inch Nails on their European tour in summer 2005, and has also supported The Mars Volta.
Williams was also invited to the Lollapalooza music festival in Summer 2005. The Chicago stage allowed Williams to attract a wider audience. He also appeared on NIN's album Year Zero, and supported the group on their 2006 North American tour, during which Williams announced that Trent Reznor would co-produce his next album.
This collaboration resulted in 2007's The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!. This album was available only at the website niggytardust.com until a physical CD of the album was issued. The physical release included new tracks and extended album artwork. The first 100,000 customers on the website had the option to download a free lower-quality audio version of the album. The other option was for users to pay $5 to support the artist directly and be given the choice of downloading the higher-quality MP3 version or the lossless FLAC version. The material has been produced by Trent Reznor and mixed by Alan Moulder. It was Reznor who said that, after his own recent dealings with record labels, they should release it directly.
As a writer, Williams has been published in The New York Times, Esquire, Bomb Magazine and African Voices, as well as having released four collections of poetry. As a poet and musician, Williams has toured and lectured across the world, appearing at many universities and colleges. In his interview in the book, Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, Williams explained why he creates within so many genres, saying:
“ It's not that I balance [those arts] out, all the different arts balance me out. So, that there is a certain type of emotion that is more easily accessible through music than poetry... Some things are meant to be written, some are meant to be sung, some things are meant to be hummed, some things are made to be yelled, and so that's just how life works ”
Williams is a vocal critic of the Bush administration, the War on Terrorism, and the Iraq War; among his more well-known works are the anti-war anthems "Not In My Name" and "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)". In early 2008, a Nike Sparq Training commercial featured Williams' song "List of Demands (Reparations)."
In a November 2008 interview with Wired.com, Williams talked about his forthcoming projects:
"I'm working on a few, but there's one album that I'm waist-deep into. I'm aiming to finish it up next month. Trent wants to work on a sequel for Niggy that I think would be cool and I also have an album and new songs demoed at home that I'm ready to go into the studio and lay down. It’s a complete reflection of how I feel in this country; it's a very transformative time."
He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
www.SaulWilliams.com