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CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED poet/writer/actor Alex Alpharaoh retells wild stories of homeless poets in LA, as he cliques up on our season premiere! The Clique gasses up Sierra DeMulder during the YT poetry review, and takes shots at fake-logic IG poetry during the “2 Piece Combo.” Alex closes it out by getting into his personal and social struggles during the “5 For Your Eye” prompted poem.
[EPISODE INDEX]
- 0:43 – “Old Man Poet” by Alex Alpharaoh
- 6:50 – “Threads and Lines”
- 17:35 – 2 Piece Poetry Review | “Today Means Amen” @SierraDeMulder
- 33:05 – 2 Piece Poetry Review | @fiknightart
- 38:59 – 5 For Your Eye
Poetry, hip-hop, and Southern California love brought Pen Clique into existence, and Alex Alpharaoh is a perfect depiction of all three of those things. Born in a faraway country and carried here by a young mother, he’s used all of his struggle to better his craft and the world around him. From his initial link up with Kuya and myself to where we’ve taken Pen Clique now, it is safe to say Alex has been an integral part of everything we are trying to do. Not only has he done this by being the homie, but by seeing the potential in poetry and what it has to offer others (like ourselves), and using art as a means for survival.
I met Kuya and Alex the same day. We linked up to shoot a concept Kuya had been devising called a “Poetry Clash.” I also had a desire to see more poetry online, and Kuya and I soon started planting the seeds for what would become Pen Clique. Meanwhile, Alex and I also became fast friends, bonding over shared life struggles and understandings, as well as a real passion and respect for the craft we had committed ourselves to. Alex was a poet I could talk about Shakespeare in the same way as Pac, we could break down the trial of Oscar Wilde in the middle of a conversation, we could discuss the fact that Method Man might be the only Wu member without a classic album. Alex has always been proof positive showing I am not alone in the struggle, and there are others out there fueling EVERYTHING they do with well-written verses, books, and bars. Alex and I both know that God lives in these words, and having him to lean on has brought a lot to myself and the work I do.
Pen Clique is what it is because we had Alex around for it all. He has a sense of Los Angeles that is embedded in his manner, and that is something I wanted to show the rest of the world – how gully kids with assorted pasts and futures are using art as a means for survival while retaining a love for the community that raised them. I was hoping to provide poets a platform to speak in their voices – how they speak with their homies – about poetry. These conversations I had with Alex became the template for what Kuya would later name Pen Clique; all three of us were eager to show respect where it’s deserved without being afraid to openly say we think something is trash, and say it just like that… “Shit’s trash. Outta here.” Because that’s how we spoke to each other and how we spoke to ourselves. We wanted to be honest and loud about what we think and feel; we gave our hearts to this work because it was the only thing we had at times.
Alex has come through for Pen Clique whenever and wherever needed. He unknowingly helped us develop the show with conversations about art and poetry, and more actively by being our early guinea pig and test poet. We shot the first test episode in his kitchen. We provided him with four different poetry prompts and he impressively made light work of all of them. He always brings us his best and he puts his best into everything he does, but most importantly, he’s a real one. Alex is someone Pen Clique relies on not only as a member of the most popping poetry podcast in the galaxy but as a dear friend and familia to both Kuya David and myself. It was Alex’s work ethic and heart that has bonded us, and it was those things that brought us here. The premiere episode of what we consider to be a brand new version of Pen Clique, all brought to you by Kuya David and myself along with a whole lot of help from down-ass poets from LA like Alex Alpharaoh.
Write-up by Daniel Hees
Edited by Seraphina Lotkhamnga
Photos by Aubrey Rowe
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Epiosde 08 Ft. Matt Sedillo
Matt Sedillo cliques up this episode to clusterbomb the mic with F-bombs, we praise & crit a Prentice Powell performance, roast on a salty haiku, and chop it up about them poli’tricks!
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Episode 16 ft. Olivia Ku
How does poetry evolve with social media? Guest poet Olivia Ku brings her special blend of micro-poetry and big feels to ‘Threads and Lines’ as they break down Instagram poetry and it’s potential. The Clique reviews a Lucille Clifton classic short poem, and have a constructive roasting session on IG micro poetry during the ‘2 Piece Combo’ poetry review. Lastly, Olivia goes deep into short poetry flex during the “Five For Your Eye” prompted poem.
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Episode 15 ft. Matthew Cuban Hernandez
How wild can poetry tours really get? Matthew Cuban Hernandez gives us the raw truth about his tour triumphs and blunders during “Threads and Lines.” The Clique explores how to overcome thick boy insecurities, as well as some huge poetry fails during the “2 Piece Combo.” Lastly, Cuban kicks his prompted ‘5 For Your Eye’ poem off top with another Pen Clique freestyle.
