What is a prayer, but a question without structure? What is a poem but pre-incarnation punctuation, your own hand’s hire for an answer? From such gospels as Amiri Baraka, Toni Cade Bambara, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs, we are shown that our own texts can and have become just as holy, when regarded as such.
Through intertextual somatic meditation and a close reading of these materials, poets Ireon Roach and Victor Musoni guide a writing workshop that explores the anatomy of prayer, incantation, “speaking over oneself,” and the power of this magic in Black people and their poetry; all of this in hopes that our own words will return to us in a time of need.
Ireon Roach (she/her/hers) is an award-winning spoken word artist and actor based in Chicago. Her essays and poems have appeared in Hoochie Feminist Mag and Charcoal Magazine, while plays have been staged by ReGround Theater Collective in Boston and Definition Theater in Chicago. Theater credits include the regional premieres of SpeakEasy Stage Company's SCHOOL GIRLS; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Norton Award Nominated) and Victory Gardens Theater’s cullud wattah. Film credits include Nia Dacosta’s Candyman, Clare Cooney’s Departing Seniors, and Jennifer Reeders’ Knives and Skin and Perpetrator. She is passionate about the cultural capital of self and the ways in which we can uncover and spread this wealth. All praise and honor to grandmas.
Victor Musoni (He/Him/His) is an actor, writer, and dancer hailing from the city of Chicago. He is dedicated to the mission of honoring and showcasing the humanity and nuance of the Black Diasporic experience. He has performed on stages and with companies across the country, with credits including: Steppenwolf Theater, Goodman Theater, Congo Square Theater Company, The Apollo Theater, and many more. He is also a two-time LTAB champion and Brave New Voices semi-finalist, competing with his home team, Kuumba Lynx. Outside of performing, Victor also has also choreographed various theatrical productions across the country, with companies including Flint Repertory Theater and Definition Theatre Company. Being entrenched in communities that value the power of hip-hop and it’s ability to create impactful shifts culturally, Victor gets excited about the ability to awaken empathy in audiences by telling the truth of our world through hip-hop’s 5 pillars.
This program is curated by Jupiter Magazine and presented in partnership with Arts + Public Life’s Chicago Critics Table.
The Chicago Critics Table is funded by the Mellon Foundation