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Judah 1 takes us on a DMT level spiritual trip during ‘Threads and Lines’ as the clique examine expressing spirituality through poetry. Kuya David stands up for page-poetry during the ‘2 Piece’ and they all roast yet another IG poet to ash during the #poetry review. Judah 1 hits the clique with the shortest ‘Five for your Eye’ prompted poem in Pen Clique History!
[EPISODE INDEX]
- 1:06 – “3.2.1. Silence” by Judah 1
- 4:31 – “Threads & Lines”
- 17:06 – 2 Piece Combo | “Suburbia” – Phil Kaye
- 29:05 – 2 Piece Combo | @MS.Reflections
- 34:45 – 5 For Your Eye
A Mic and Dim Lights, a small community open mic running since 2000 in Pomona, CA, was where I first grew to admire Judah 1. I noticed him not only because of his poems but because his work as a leader pushing poetry forward. He was community-focused and had bars and spit with confidence. He would take this skill set to it build in the world outside of open mics and showcases. Judah showed a younger me that you could not only spit dope poems, but can better your community and self through poetry and the journey it can take you on.
Surrender to the journey is a lesson I’ve learned looking up to Judah. I’ve learned to let art take you where it will and be ok with that. From infusing my own work with spiritual lessons by looking for god in every poem, I have learned to trust the God inside of me, and let it direct where I take my work. When Judah took a Slam team to NPS, made of up of Pomona locals and people I quietly looked up to from a far as they almost won the whole thing (NPS). That solidified the potential of the poetry in my community. It planted a seed that I let slowly grow for years. Judah would start a storefront, a studio for musicians, artists, events and spiritual pursuits. This place brought me another moment of clarity as it was a new model for where we can take this poetry scene. Machine Pomona was a beacon for the always growing inspiration I’ve gained through Judah: Keep pushing poetry into spaces where it was not before, and to keep letting my poetry push me to places I have not been before.
As we set in on Pen clique there was a handful of poets from the Pomona scene I wanted as guests because they were personal heroes, and Judah was one of those who was always more to me than just a dope poet. Having his example in the back of my mind was fuel to even get this project off the ground. Knowing there was potential to do my own thing with poetry was heavily influenced by Judah and his trust of his own vision. My foundation was made stronger by hearing Judah spit poetry and take it beyond its typical boundaries. It’s important that we are out here inspiring each other to reach into our own dreams and work for what we want to see.
Judah came through to Pen clique ready as always, and gave us the shortest “Five for your eye” prompted poem in Clique history as well as some real honest critiques and technique insights during the show. There was a moment I am especially proud to show the world, something that crystallizes everything I have ever looked up to about Judah. Judah’s work is often cryptic and hard to understand — something I love about his poetry — but when addressing that idea as a critique, he reveals to us the intentional wonder he is putting into his work. He’s giving you “the Canvas” and the task of filling it up. He’s reminding us that poetry is offering us an opportunity to find something about ourselves or he says: “What does it look like to you? Ain’t that beautiful?… That shit is ill.” A statement that sums up a lot of my feelings about poetry and life; we all should be working to be uniquely ourselves and trust the God that lives in each one of us more confidently.
He, alongside Treesje Powers, now operate LionLike Mindstate, a showcase and community space and yet another means of inspiration for young poets. They are doing new amazing things with poetry. They showcase dope artists and a strong community presence and offering engaging shows and free art workshops. Lionlike are hosting Slams in Pomona, again showing the people in the community how far they can take poetry and their vision. Judah is a part of the foundation of my work; he’s unknowingly inspired this punk rock idiot to do what I wanted to with poetry and he’s still showing us that we can decide how far and where we take the art we love.
Write-up by Daniel Hees
Edited by Seraphina Lotkhamnga
Photos by Aubrey Rowe
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Off Page: July 2020
This time around we got Kae Cee representing Columbus with poetry love, Localcolor bringing the neo-soul vibes, the Pomona family and shwavy one himself Jonnie Bars who always is in fact bars, the songbird poet and Pen Clique family Brian Oliva with the music magic tricks, the slam god and hip hop hero Matthew Cuban bringing heat off his newest album Ivanna 2, and model, actress, author, and poet Arielle Estoria with all the love and healing you can fit into a single poem to close.
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Off Page: August 2020
For this month’s showcase, we got THE Alyesha Wise, South Central songbird Samuel Hummingbird, Florida’s finest Blacqwildflowr, rising singer Jess Roman, activist & Pen Clique fam Roz, and the astral music vibes of Zensoul.
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Episode 11 Ft. Bess Kepp
Get hit with 20+ years of Poetry wisdom! Cory “Bess Kepp” Cofer cliques up, bringing with him his deep bag of poetry tricks and hip hop clout. Bess illuminates black struggle and pain like Big Daddy Kane during “Threads and Lines” and the boys dive deep into the poetic pond and get salty and sweet during the “2 Piece Combo”.
