Express exposed nights a movements
offering a diverse and unique collective
of philosophic perspectives promoting
freedom of expression in providing a
platform for the underrepresented my
name is Bethany Montgomery
I’m Chuck inspire I’m AJ the wordsmith
and we are powered to the poetry power
to the poetry is a performing arts
organization specializing in spoken word
our movement addresses topics which
cultivate Crucial Conversations we raise
awareness to social cultural political
and personal issues inspiring our
audience to engage in dialogue in action
for meaningful change we express expose
I like we’re talking to the right crowd
yeah all right this first piece is a
warm-up to get the good vibes going
because power to the poetry thrives off
of good vibes so some of you who may be
familiar with poetry know that the best
way to send some good vibes to us is
with a snap let’s hear some of those
snaps okay so something resonates with
you or moves you or you just like yes
the best way to do that is just oh oh
get into it yeah perfect perfect you see
you want that gonna energy but so oh
yeah I want it all the time sure yes we
are tribe of warriors of light using
positive energy to spread good vibes we
believe love is the key to unlock peace
anything is possible
nothing is out of reach there is a light
within us all but we must close our eyes
to see when we look inside we find our
inner light leading us in the direction
which is always right the fire within
eternally burns right because the good
in us never truly dies so we fight on a
mission that will last at the end of
time giving life to a guiding light in
which the lost among us can always find
using our words to ignite humankind
power poetry the warriors of light thank
you
[Applause]
so poetry is how I transform negative
energy into positive creativity this
artistic expression has been an outlet
for me ever since I was a little kid but
poetry has become my life in the recent
years growing up I was a Hooper you know
I would bottle up the girls and the boys
and you know I got pretty good and I was
able to receive a full scholarship to
Eastern Washington University go eat but
unfortunately my hoop dream ended there
my freshman year in college during our
first couple practices my body didn’t
feel right and it turned out to be three
years of going to the doctors at least
three times a week what we found out is
that there was a hole in my heart and I
had to have heart surgery which ended my
career in forced me to retire early and
that time was very dark for me and in
order to get through it I turn to poetry
I was able to write my pain and my
depression and all of my adversity
poetry became my light and it honestly
saved my life and now I’m motivated to
using my voice in my words not only to
help others but also inspire people to
reach out their hands and help because
we all need each other to thrive and
survive and poetry can help us all live
our best life
[Applause]
so I’m the newest member of power to the
poetry at first I just saw these guys
performing and I was really moved
sometimes I would cry and I heard they
were putting on a workshop so I got a
bunch of my friends together and we all
showed up at the workshop and when we
first showed up I identified as a
songwriter but not necessarily a poet
and then I learned Bethenny’s
research-based method for writing poetry
about current events and I realized that
I had a lot to say but more than that I
had a lot that I was afraid to say I was
angry scared and confused about current
events and injustice and before that I
felt so powerless and depressed and
frustrated and I didn’t know what to do
with all this energy and luckily I’ve
been able to apply it to this movement
and share it with high schoolers share
it with our communities and hopefully
just add energy to these really
important causes and beyond that I’ve
been able to share my experience as a
non-binary bipolar and polyamorous
person I’ve been able to share my
perspectives from sort of my little
subset of humanity and build community
with people who are like me and people
who are different from me through poetry
I’ve been able to show up share and
for me poetry is a megaphone for those
without a voice were pushed away growing
up as a kid I was diagnosed early with
ADHD was often with my energetic self
was kind of hard to deal with often
times he just found themselves not able
to understand what I was saying or what
I was trying to do my mom on the other
hand who always saw the intelligence
within me convinced me to sit down and
write taking the time to write sentences
complete sentences formulating
punctuation and sentences that go about
different ways of explaining Who I am
was the earlier first steps for me in
poetry poetry for me was the opening it
was the icebreaker it allowed for me to
get the first steps of my story to be
told it allowed for me to progress and
be a part of a giant community that
thrived off a unity it was invigorating
which led to actions which actions led
to impactful change for not only me but
everyone else in my surrounding
proximity poetry for me saved my life
without it I wouldn’t be here today
poetry is activism poetry is free speech
poetry is radically authentic expression
now let’s show you what we mean so this
piece we’re about to perform for you
guys is inspired by New Year’s
resolutions raise your hand if you’ve
made it a New Year’s resolution let me
see those folks in the house tonight
Bristol thank you for coming through so
so be more specific
it’s about selfish New Year’s
resolutions you know many times people
make resolutions like winning lose
weight eat healthier going to the gym
and those are all great but what about
the resolutions that are about community
and being about something beyond
ourselves about being involved in
fighting for what’s right in equality
and equal rights a lot of people say new
year new me but we say new year say me
maybe not here but now someone is being
ostracized just because they’re deaf
Society has always excluded those who
stand out because they are afraid of the
change that we preach in our campaigns
here are some names Sojourner Truth Rosa
Park Martin Luther
Junior Ida B Wells Malcolm egg Muhammad
Ali Tupac Shakur we say more
you see who we are but do you see who we
reach what society murder us because of
the words that we speak it’s a new year
and nothing’s changed
still disadvantaged because of our race
if life was truly a race no one would
start at the exact same place and I
really wish we all could actually see
pain so we may truly relate to the
horrible Agony’s that people of color
must face just because of hate a new
year does not mean change for how we are
perceived in the unit excuse me in the
divided States ironic that the
philosophy is all hypothetical hypocrisy
do you follow me
y’all act like it’s cool to copy well
don’t get sloppy start on page 1619 and
not 2018 play catch-up for 400 years
b-tree differently for who you are and
how you speak just because it’s the New
Year it doesn’t give you an excuse to
change of personality from
microaggressions to macro apologies
I hate being crucified for my philosophy
you see I could reach the masses while
holding your conscious captive you say
you want to be woke well I want to be
free no longer a slave to society these
shackles to be ripped off my feet was so
blind as a nation when will we ever see
that the way to escape from the ghettos
is not only to be an athlete so forget
your track meets and your basketball
teams just like Martin Luther King I
have a dream that one day we won’t have
to run fast or jump high to be valued in
everybody’s eyes we will reach for the
skies come together and unify that one
day we will truly be free and fight for
equal rights for every single human
being you see we think we’re free
but we’re still into oppression from the
colonizers a question asleep we’ll never
learn our lesson I wish I could take the
time to ask you about your racing real
religion when I was sounding like hey
we are kings and queens will equal
dreams you would know that but you never
ask questions are you like me
a product of privilege in 2018 well
guess what we don’t get to be selfish if
our ancestors stood on the backs of
everyone else’s if we’re safe in the
streets from these murderous police we
must use this privilege to serve others
it’s the least we can do and I feel your
mental illness your guilt
and your stress but if you’re if you’ve
got a roof over your head in the Pacific
Northwest I know it’s hard to admit but
this is as good as it gets and I’m not
saying that our tears don’t count we can
all fill a cup with the same amount but
here’s what I know beyond a shadow of a
doubt we have a responsibility and an
obligation in this lost and strained
nation to dismantle the structures our
grandfathers built that keep us on the
top and keep other people out the work
is essential and it has to start now so
stop asking why me and start asking how
can I be of service to my community
so we’ll see our lesson is through so
tell us have you figured out what to do
if so then go now and be the
breakthrough because maybe not here but
now someone is being ostracized just
because they’re different society has
always excluded those who stand out
because they are afraid of the change
that we preach in our campaigns power to
Hey
[Laughter]
thank you so power to the poetry is
bigger than me or Chuck or AJ it’s
bigger than all of us it’s a platform
for all voices and fosters a climate of
culture diversity and inclusion
marginalized groups constantly deal with
inequalities such as oppression
discrimination racism and Prejudice this
is unacceptable
we take responsibility for the
disparities in our community by creating
opportunities for meaningful change
power to the poetry advocates for what
is fair what is true what is real and
what is right we refuse to be silent remember your voice is a powerful tool
offering a diverse and unique collective
of philosophic perspectives promoting
freedom of expression in providing a
platform for the underrepresented my
name is Bethany Montgomery
I’m Chuck inspire I’m AJ the wordsmith
and we are powered to the poetry power
to the poetry is a performing arts
organization specializing in spoken word
our movement addresses topics which
cultivate Crucial Conversations we raise
awareness to social cultural political
and personal issues inspiring our
audience to engage in dialogue in action
for meaningful change we express expose
I like we’re talking to the right crowd
yeah all right this first piece is a
warm-up to get the good vibes going
because power to the poetry thrives off
of good vibes so some of you who may be
familiar with poetry know that the best
way to send some good vibes to us is
with a snap let’s hear some of those
snaps okay so something resonates with
you or moves you or you just like yes
the best way to do that is just oh oh
get into it yeah perfect perfect you see
you want that gonna energy but so oh
yeah I want it all the time sure yes we
are tribe of warriors of light using
positive energy to spread good vibes we
believe love is the key to unlock peace
anything is possible
nothing is out of reach there is a light
within us all but we must close our eyes
to see when we look inside we find our
inner light leading us in the direction
which is always right the fire within
eternally burns right because the good
in us never truly dies so we fight on a
mission that will last at the end of
time giving life to a guiding light in
which the lost among us can always find
using our words to ignite humankind
power poetry the warriors of light thank
you
[Applause]
so poetry is how I transform negative
energy into positive creativity this
artistic expression has been an outlet
for me ever since I was a little kid but
poetry has become my life in the recent
years growing up I was a Hooper you know
I would bottle up the girls and the boys
and you know I got pretty good and I was
able to receive a full scholarship to
Eastern Washington University go eat but
unfortunately my hoop dream ended there
my freshman year in college during our
first couple practices my body didn’t
feel right and it turned out to be three
years of going to the doctors at least
three times a week what we found out is
that there was a hole in my heart and I
had to have heart surgery which ended my
career in forced me to retire early and
that time was very dark for me and in
order to get through it I turn to poetry
I was able to write my pain and my
depression and all of my adversity
poetry became my light and it honestly
saved my life and now I’m motivated to
using my voice in my words not only to
help others but also inspire people to
reach out their hands and help because
we all need each other to thrive and
survive and poetry can help us all live
our best life
[Applause]
so I’m the newest member of power to the
poetry at first I just saw these guys
performing and I was really moved
sometimes I would cry and I heard they
were putting on a workshop so I got a
bunch of my friends together and we all
showed up at the workshop and when we
first showed up I identified as a
songwriter but not necessarily a poet
and then I learned Bethenny’s
research-based method for writing poetry
about current events and I realized that
I had a lot to say but more than that I
had a lot that I was afraid to say I was
angry scared and confused about current
events and injustice and before that I
felt so powerless and depressed and
frustrated and I didn’t know what to do
with all this energy and luckily I’ve
been able to apply it to this movement
and share it with high schoolers share
it with our communities and hopefully
just add energy to these really
important causes and beyond that I’ve
been able to share my experience as a
non-binary bipolar and polyamorous
person I’ve been able to share my
perspectives from sort of my little
subset of humanity and build community
with people who are like me and people
who are different from me through poetry
I’ve been able to show up share and
for me poetry is a megaphone for those
without a voice were pushed away growing
up as a kid I was diagnosed early with
ADHD was often with my energetic self
was kind of hard to deal with often
times he just found themselves not able
to understand what I was saying or what
I was trying to do my mom on the other
hand who always saw the intelligence
within me convinced me to sit down and
write taking the time to write sentences
complete sentences formulating
punctuation and sentences that go about
different ways of explaining Who I am
was the earlier first steps for me in
poetry poetry for me was the opening it
was the icebreaker it allowed for me to
get the first steps of my story to be
told it allowed for me to progress and
be a part of a giant community that
thrived off a unity it was invigorating
which led to actions which actions led
to impactful change for not only me but
everyone else in my surrounding
proximity poetry for me saved my life
without it I wouldn’t be here today
poetry is activism poetry is free speech
poetry is radically authentic expression
now let’s show you what we mean so this
piece we’re about to perform for you
guys is inspired by New Year’s
resolutions raise your hand if you’ve
made it a New Year’s resolution let me
see those folks in the house tonight
Bristol thank you for coming through so
so be more specific
it’s about selfish New Year’s
resolutions you know many times people
make resolutions like winning lose
weight eat healthier going to the gym
and those are all great but what about
the resolutions that are about community
and being about something beyond
ourselves about being involved in
fighting for what’s right in equality
and equal rights a lot of people say new
year new me but we say new year say me
maybe not here but now someone is being
ostracized just because they’re deaf
Society has always excluded those who
stand out because they are afraid of the
change that we preach in our campaigns
here are some names Sojourner Truth Rosa
Park Martin Luther
Junior Ida B Wells Malcolm egg Muhammad
Ali Tupac Shakur we say more
you see who we are but do you see who we
reach what society murder us because of
the words that we speak it’s a new year
and nothing’s changed
still disadvantaged because of our race
if life was truly a race no one would
start at the exact same place and I
really wish we all could actually see
pain so we may truly relate to the
horrible Agony’s that people of color
must face just because of hate a new
year does not mean change for how we are
perceived in the unit excuse me in the
divided States ironic that the
philosophy is all hypothetical hypocrisy
do you follow me
y’all act like it’s cool to copy well
don’t get sloppy start on page 1619 and
not 2018 play catch-up for 400 years
b-tree differently for who you are and
how you speak just because it’s the New
Year it doesn’t give you an excuse to
change of personality from
microaggressions to macro apologies
I hate being crucified for my philosophy
you see I could reach the masses while
holding your conscious captive you say
you want to be woke well I want to be
free no longer a slave to society these
shackles to be ripped off my feet was so
blind as a nation when will we ever see
that the way to escape from the ghettos
is not only to be an athlete so forget
your track meets and your basketball
teams just like Martin Luther King I
have a dream that one day we won’t have
to run fast or jump high to be valued in
everybody’s eyes we will reach for the
skies come together and unify that one
day we will truly be free and fight for
equal rights for every single human
being you see we think we’re free
but we’re still into oppression from the
colonizers a question asleep we’ll never
learn our lesson I wish I could take the
time to ask you about your racing real
religion when I was sounding like hey
we are kings and queens will equal
dreams you would know that but you never
ask questions are you like me
a product of privilege in 2018 well
guess what we don’t get to be selfish if
our ancestors stood on the backs of
everyone else’s if we’re safe in the
streets from these murderous police we
must use this privilege to serve others
it’s the least we can do and I feel your
mental illness your guilt
and your stress but if you’re if you’ve
got a roof over your head in the Pacific
Northwest I know it’s hard to admit but
this is as good as it gets and I’m not
saying that our tears don’t count we can
all fill a cup with the same amount but
here’s what I know beyond a shadow of a
doubt we have a responsibility and an
obligation in this lost and strained
nation to dismantle the structures our
grandfathers built that keep us on the
top and keep other people out the work
is essential and it has to start now so
stop asking why me and start asking how
can I be of service to my community
so we’ll see our lesson is through so
tell us have you figured out what to do
if so then go now and be the
breakthrough because maybe not here but
now someone is being ostracized just
because they’re different society has
always excluded those who stand out
because they are afraid of the change
that we preach in our campaigns power to
Hey
[Laughter]
thank you so power to the poetry is
bigger than me or Chuck or AJ it’s
bigger than all of us it’s a platform
for all voices and fosters a climate of
culture diversity and inclusion
marginalized groups constantly deal with
inequalities such as oppression
discrimination racism and Prejudice this
is unacceptable
we take responsibility for the
disparities in our community by creating
opportunities for meaningful change
power to the poetry advocates for what
is fair what is true what is real and
what is right we refuse to be silent remember your voice is a powerful tool
Please follow and like us: