A review of #GrowFierce Poetry & Music Showcase at La MaMa Galleria in Manhattan
Author | Lisa Markuson
Manhattan – After staring dismally out my snowy window, feeling sorry for myself all day, I finally emerged after nightfall to walk through the crystal clear night at 7pm. I had missed the day completely, or it had missed me. The distinction seemed irrelevant at that point.
None of my friends would accompany me to a show I had heard about- an all women’s creative workshop, Digging Deep, Facing Self, led by Caits Meissner was culminating in a show of the work of the participants at La MaMa. I decided to forge ahead alone; I sensed it would be worth my while. Emerging from the subway and walking down Houston, I was thrilled to find that my dear friends and co-conspirators Erick and Daniel had decided to join me. Things were looking up already, see?
Immediately upon entering I was overcome with the nurturing, supportive, even familial energy in the room- not your average Monday night poetry open mic crowd. WilliamElectric Black, the ebullient and gravitational host of La MaMa’s regular Poetry Electric series, introduced Meissner, who had led these six women through a month-long online workshop called Digging Deep, Facing Self. She strode to the front, and every inch of her tall regal presence glowed with pride for the women she had led through the experience.
The following are selected quotes from each of the poets that performed. I chose them because they brought a bit of heat and shine to me, after so many days of dark, dull, and damp. So hopefully they will for you as well.
Meissner warmed up the audience with an introduction to the online transformational workshop that brought these women together (you can sign up for the next one in April) and some of her own work, brimming with texture and temperature, and reassuring listeners that “You needn’t throw rose petals in water to get a good soak. If there is warmth in the pipes, then you are rich.” Then she brought her flock to the forefront.
The first poet to read was Sabina Ibarrola, whose intense phrasing was peppered with Spanish words and vivid references to her genitals. Two phrases in particular that I loved were “…palo santo and pussy, all LIT UP!” and “humid blue Halloween twilight.” Imagine phrases as rich and dripping as those, all strung together like a choker with no space between each perfect bead.
Her reading prompted Meissner to happily declare, “I love having a vagina more than I ever have – EVER.”
Annette Estevez was next, who seemed shy at first, but built up momentum and passion, and anger, culminating in the warning that she would “shove our history down your throat, deep, and I can only hope you swallow else you choke – on our blood.” I believed her.
Christina Rodriguez was forthcoming about her lack of enthusiasm for performing her written work, but even in her discomfort her talent was apparent. Pausing to gather her thoughts, Meissner and the other women cheered her on, and she was able to continue reading, ending with the heartbreaking admonishment, “Be careful love, she has a habit of falling into flames, and you are burning bright.”
Next was juju angeles who prefaced her work with, “This poem is a work in progress, like me,” and asked herself in one poem why “we pray to a god that doesn’t even know how to pronounce our names.”
Sonia Guiñansaca, a vocal undocumented queer poet and activist, spoke about her struggle to maintain connections to her family and origin, referring to how “you begin to taste your mother in your mouth again” after eating white noise at school, and her powerful mantra of “inhale breathe, exhale rebel.”
The last poet was Tina G. Stumpf, a new mother who read emotional poetry full of love. She encapsulated the struggle that every human being has to put into words the feelings that overwhelm us saying, “language is limited but the feeling of this is everything.”
While language is undeniably limited, these women are all certainly honing the tools they have, cutting their bright teeth on meaty, juicy words.
To close the evening, Shira E performed three songs, including the title track from her new album. I already expected a lot from her, but her poetic lyricism soared on her haunting synth and tightly woven melodies. It was like all the passionate energy that had been spoken by the poets before her had been spun into a call “to all the world, to stay awake, stay self assured.”
