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Usually on the first Wednesday of the month, the Miami Masters meet at Power
Studios in the trendy Miami Design District to perform their works of poetry and
prose in the increasingly popular spoken-word format. The poetry team, which is made up of five local artists, has made the Power
Studios, 3701 NE Second Ave., its base for the past four years, event producer
Alexander Proctor said. When Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans residents -- including its
spoken-word artists -- to flee the area, the Miami Masters decided to help out.
The group initiated Soul Survivors, a monthly series of poetry slams named for
the New Orleans poets who survived the storm. The goal is to provide a forum for the displaced artists to continue
performing while earning money to replace lost or damaged books and CDs -- the
goods used to sell their poetry, said Ingrid Bazin, one of the event organizers.
The South Florida group, along with other spoken-word artists, pays for the
poets' air transportation and living expenses while they are here. ''Soul Survivors is not charity. It is a starting over for artists,
especially those without books or CDs,'' Bazin said. So far, two Soul Survivor events have been held at Power Studios and more are
in the works, Bazin said. The first, on Oct. 17-21, brought Sunni Patterson, 26,
a native of New Orleans' Ninth Ward, which was devastated by the storm. Because of Hurricane Wilma's effect on South Florida, there was no November
event, but Patterson, who now lives in Houston, returned for a forum Dec. 7,
along with Asali DeVan, 31, whose New Orleans home was located one block from
the French Quarter. ''We've been to spoken-word events all over the country,'' Patterson said.
``Miami is the only place to bring New Orleans poets in like this and give us a
chance to restart. Miami has a true spoken-word community.'' The Soul Survivor series is reminiscent of New Orleans poetry events, said
DeVan, who ran PoZazz Productions in New Orleans' Warehouse District, a place
where local spoken-word artists performed. ''Soul Survivors is the first time for me to have that kind of experience
since leaving New Orleans,'' she said. ``A lot of people sound the same in
different cities. There is more creativity in New Orleans, and it's the same in
Miami.'' DeVan has not returned to New Orleans since the storm. ''It's difficult when you lose a neighborhood,'' DeVan said. ``I am a
resident of Nashville now, but it's not home.'' Patterson, who had not seen DeVan, a friend of 10 years, since Hurricane
Katrina, calls the Soul Survivors a blessing. ''The energy of Miami and New Orleans is similar, and so is the spirit of the
people,'' Patterson said. The two poets charmed a packed audience with tightly turned verses, lyrical
agility and allegorical phrasing. Patterson took the stage with poetry pieces ranging from Hurricane Katrina to
the war in Iraq. DeVan followed with poetry about love and womanhood. Proctor, 41, of North Miami, at first was concerned that rain would keep
patrons away. ''It's a monsoon in Broward County,'' Proctor said shortly after
the doors opened at 8 p.m. ``I hope our crowd isn't coming just from there
tonight.'' But Proctor had nothing to worry about. Power Studios seats 130-140 people in
its main room. The diverse crowd of multiple ethnicities and age ranges of at least three
decades -- 20s, 30s and 40s -- was also drawn by poetry slams held on the first
Mondays of the month. ''This poetry was real heart-felt because Hurricane Katrina struck poets,''
said Bertrand Boyd II, 19, a poet who attended the Dec. 7 event. ``It was very
generous for the community to come together and give the artists a helping
hand.'' The New Orleans artists are compensated by donations and the sale of their
CDs. ''Sunni sold over 100 CDs at $10 each, and Piper High School, of Fort
Lauderdale, donated $500,'' Bazin said of the October event. ``Nearly $2,000 was
raised.'' At the event, each poet sold 40-45 CDs at $10 each. Promoters donated $100 to
each poet from door sales. ''People are just generous; sometimes they give us donations even when they
don't buy the product,'' Patterson said. Yet, both poets performed with one common goal in mind. ''I want to give back the love that Miami has given to me,'' DeVan said. ''We've gained rejuvenated energy here,'' Patterson added. ``We want to share
with the audience that out of one come many. We are all the same.'' | ||||
