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Two Poets Build Community at the Mic

Ayla Jeddy | October 19th, 2022

Two Poets Build Community at the Mic

Culture & Community  |  LGBTQ  |  Arts & Culture  |  Artspace New Haven  |  Arts & Anti-racism

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Ayla Jeddy Photos. 

“Can we just vibe a little first?”

Those were Sun Queen’s first words at Artspace New Haven, as the floor opened to an open mic night in the gallery. When her suggestion garnered cheers from the crowd, host and emcee El tha Poet Goddess turned up the volume on some Chance the Rapper beats. Sun Queen had something to sing to, and the crowd joined in as she offered the microphone to everyone present. 

The two created that space—and opened it with affirmations—last Friday night at Artspace New Haven, for the first of two open mic nights that will take place during the Open Source Festival this month. The next, “Poetyc Portions : A Night of Poetry Readings and An Open Mic,” takes place on Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. at the 50 Orange St. space. 

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Hosts Sun Queen and El tha Poet Goddess. Ayla Jeddy Photos.

Sun Queen and El tha Poet Goddess are both born and raised New Haven poets. Queen is the author of the 2019 book It Happened Within the Sun, as well as Let Your Light Shine Through: An Affirmation Journal. Tha Poet Goddess has been writing since she was 11 years old and has featured at shows in New Haven, New York, and Atlanta. Both are champions of New Haven-based artists and reached out to Artspace to host the event in the hope of fostering the open mic scene.

“Growing up in New Haven, there wasn't a lot of open mic space, especially for young people like young kids,” El tha Poet Goddess said. “There weren't a lot of outlets. So it wasn't until I was older that I started seeing just a tad bit more open mic scene. But the culture behind open mics is for expression like, especially in the Black community, like that's what we had, like, wouldn't have rap or Hip Hop without poetry, without spoken word. 

“It's definitely a respected culture that I have learned, and have been able to embrace my whole life, really. And I wanted to create that space but make it more not so much linear anymore, but make it more expansive.”

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Tha Poet Goddess’ performance was a testament to free, spontaneous expression as she began reading her first poem. She admitted, after the first line, that she hadn’t been planning on reading that one—but something had pushed her in its direction. She went on to share the rest of the poem, in which she spoke about the disorienting aspects of her experience as a Black woman.

Because the night was billed as an event supporting LGBTQ+, Black, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) performers, many spoke about identity. Though some in the crowd were friends who’d heard about the event from one another, many were strangers who met there, listening to each other for the first time. 

Some spoke about moments of grief: Bronx-raised barber Isaac sang a song he wrote the year he lost his mother and daughter. Another performer, a poet, used the space to celebrate the milestone of buying a first house with their partner. Sporting a pink sweatshirt and jeans printed with the words “Punq Noir,” the artist Indigaux rapped. 

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Sasha Cohen Cox. Ayla Jeddy Photos.

There were no rules for how much should be shared or what form it should take. Artists sang songs, flowed through their own poetry, and read the work of poets they admire. 

One such performer was James Hillhouse High School senior Sasha Cohen Cox, who read “Loose Woman” by Sandra Cisneros. In an interview at the event, Cohen Cox applauded the organizers for pulling together a space for queer people and people of color. Cohen Cox said that they read Cisneros’ work because it is a personal favorite, and to empower other attendees who did not come with original work. 

“The fact that Black, Brown, and queer folks have this space to perform songs, poems, raps … hang out, and enjoy each other’s intellect and creativity is inspiring but also simply makes me happy,” Cohen Cox said. “This experience is what makes us a community.”

This ease of expression is particularly important to Sun Queen. “There's a piece of art and all of us,” she said, “And inviting people into the space, doing affirmations, doing chants, and all of those things, saying, ‘Hey, we see you, you know, and feel free to bless this mic with a song with the rap with, you know, a poem by a poet that you love, or you know, a musician or whatever this space is for us. And you're welcome.’”

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Indigaux performs. Ayla Jeddy Photos. 

Queen served as the feature performer for the night and performed for a little over half an hour after a brief intermission. She is the co-founder of Black Lives Matter New Haven, and her poetry, like her advocacy, centers on empowering messaging for Black people, particularly Black women. When introducing her set, El tha Poet Goddess spoke about the ways that Sun Queen had inspired her to be her most authentic self. 

Queen admitted that she hadn’t realized the influence she’d had on tha Poet Goddess. She said that their connection spoke to the importance of creating space for people to connect genuinely.

“I am an organizer, but poetry is my first love,” she said. “And so yes, I, you know, organize protests and marches and all those things, but my protest is poetry. And so in these spaces, I hope to inspire and empower other people. But it also gives others the chance to see my vulnerability in a different way, see another side of Sun and see another way that I protest.”

Sun Queen and El tha Poet Goddess will return to Artspace New Haven, 50 Orange St., for another open mic night on Oct. 27. All are welcome.