Poetry and performance came together once again as Art as An Agent for Change held its second Poetic Notions this April.

The event's purpose was to bring together poets from colleges all over Georgia. The youth slam was held April 16th and the collegiate slam was on April 18th. Arshay Jones walked away with $100 as youth poet of the year. And this year's collegiate winners were Chris Dixon and Sharod, who won $200.

Winners Chris & Sharod performing

Youth Poet of the Year, Arshay Jones


Here's what Chris and Sharod had to say about the event:


A.A.C.: How did you come up with the idea for your poem?
C & S: Well, that particular poem is actually a song on our upcoming album. We just took it and flipped it for that occasion, as we often like to do.

A.A.C.: Had you been in other poetry contests?
C & S: Not as a duo, but separately, we've done our share.

A.A.C.: Did you think you would win?
C & S: We felt pretty confident about our piece, subject content and all, so we just hoped for the best.

A.A.C.: What was going through your head when you were announced the winner?
C & S: ...Money in the BANK!!! lol

A.A.C.:How long have you been writing and performing your poetry?
C&S: Separately we've been writing and performing for six years; collectively as a duo, just over a year.

A.A.C.: Have you won any other contests?
C & S: No, this is the first (of many, we hope)

A.A.C.: Do you have any advice for aspiring performance poets?
C & S: Your message is just that, a message, so convey it to the best of your abilities.

A.A.C. with youth poetry slam winner and runners-up

Paul G. with Poetic Notions winner

On a Farm

I never thought I’d see the day with a tractor comin’ my way… Believe me when I say, “I’m building movements!!!” This past weekend (May 15-17) Tameka “Floetic Prodigy” Dean, Britnee “Superwoman” Richardson, and Paul Ayo ventured to the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition's: Be the Change Youth Convergence. The conference was a three day event that featured progressive organizations from all over the state of Georgia and a little group from the town of Milledgeville, A.A.C. (Art as an Agent for Change). The overall goal of the convergence was educating youth about effective activism in their community and movement building. The weekend’s grounding text was a speech by Martin Luther King Jr called “Beyond Vietnam,” where King called for eternal hostility to militarism, racism, materialism, and poverty.

A.A.C. was featured twice on the schedule. The first program involved leading a workshop, where participants created PSA’s for the Be the Change Youth Convergence.



The next day A.A.C. performed a poetic showcase featuring Tameka and Paul Ayo. Britnee Richardson was on camera documenting the performance.


Paul Ayo’s Reflection
I didn’t know what to expect when I first made the trek down to Koinonia Farms in Americus, Ga. Koinonia was founded in 1942 by Millard Koinonia is an intentional Christian community founded by two couples, Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England in 1942 (http://www.koinoniapartners.org/History/brief.html). The farm was an excellent mix of simple living combined with a mission that embraces the spirit of communion rather than dominion over one’s surroundings. I embraced this spirit, and it gave me a chance to spit a few poems to goats. They enjoyed “Circles” and baa’d at the end.

On a more serious note, the experience was eye opening and established a conduit for me and A.A.C. to connect with other progressive organizations. I met folks from the Ruckus Society, Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, Alterna Community, UGA, Georgia State, Lagrange College, North Carolina, Chicago, California, and the list goes on. Attending the conference further imbued my drive to educate, inspire, and entertain, and being the change is the little spark that shines the way.