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LISTEN: Glenn North Performs 'In Your Face' Poetry

Laura Spencer
/
KCUR
Glenn North

Glenn North describes spoken word poetry as "in your face," using word play and slang. And he's gained a reputation as a performance poet, sharing the stage with poets like AmiriBaraka and Nikki Giovanni. 

The community programs and education director at the Black Archives of Mid-America, North has worked with urban youth to develop their open mic skills, and encouraged them to write a style of poetry that's meant to be performed for an audience. 

A Cave Canem fellow and a Callaloo creative writing fellow, in 2009, North received the Charlotte Street Foundation's Generative Performing Artist award. 

North shared three of his own poems about the African-American experience, including one about Blues pianist and singer Julia Lee, who grew up in Kansas City, Missouri:

 
All of our WORD readings, including bonus tracks by some poets, are archived on SoundCloud.

Laura Spencer is staff writer/editor at the Kansas City Public Library and a former arts reporter at KCUR.
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