Jared Paul: The Underground Voice of Providence

By Melanie Rainone

Jared Paul is a poetic and musical powerhouse that calls Providence home. As a nationally acclaimed spoken word poet and hip-hop artist, he draws his inspiration from social injustices and fuses his two art forms together to create something unique and powerful.

Jared’s upbringing and early introduction to hip-hop took him on a journey that introduced him to poetry, community action, and national activism. He has become a radical and artistic voice of Providence, bringing the culture of poetry, working with the youth and community at large with a little rabble rousing thrown in.

“Hip-hop is poetry. Hip-hop is the continuation of the oral tradition. It’s poetry put to music. The rhyme scheme, the meter, the metaphor, hip hop is the first music that was more about poetry than it was about music.”

Jared grew up in the Manville neighborhood of Lincoln. “I grew up below the poverty line in terms of the state’s eyes, but both of my parents loved me a tremendous amount and I had a really great childhood. We always had all of the things that we needed and most of the things that we wanted.”

Jared has fond memories of Manville, speaking of a strong community and many children his age with whom to play. “We had to see from a very young age the real time class divide.”

It was in this environment that Jared found music.“My friend Joey gave me Public Enemy at the bus stop in 7th grade and it changed everything for me,” he explained.

“They had all of these powerful songs about life, and about a lot of the same things we were going through or that our friends or family were going through. From that moment on it was our main music, and a main influence in our lives: it informed us, inspired us, picked us up when we were down, gave our anger validation.”

It is hard to tell the story of Jared without mentioning . Francis is a hip-hop artist and spoken word poet from whom Jared credits with his introduction to poetry and political action.

Jared and Sage met as students at URI, but Sage’s influence on Jared as an artist began long before the two ever became friends. The copy of Public Enemy that Jared got from his friend Joey at the busstop, the album that Jared says started it all, had been given to Joey by his older brother, who had gotten it from Sage Francis.

“He was my friend, but he was also kind of like a superhero: he was an amazing performer, his writing was better than anyone we knew, he was a black belt in karate, he had a kickass hip-hop show on [URI’s radio station, WRIU] 90.3FM, he had a full beard, and could easily beat up a grown man.”

It was Sage that brought Jared to his first poetry reading at URI. “All these teenagers relatively sober with informed opinions on politics, music, life. Reading poems and songs about love, loss, struggle, the military, sex, poetry, culture. Everything. I didn’t know anything like that existed … I had the opposite of a nervous breakdown, I had a nervous awakening.”

Jared became involved in the Providence slam poetry scene in 1998. It took him three years to make the team, but the year he did coincided with the National Poetry Slam being hosted in Providence. He was a part of Team Providence for the next seven years. During that time, Providence made it to the semi-finals at Nationals five times, and Jared made it to finals stage at the Individual World Poetry Slam in 2006 and again in 2007.

But Jared sensed that an outlet for adults was not enough. In 2002, Jared made a proposal to the Providence Slam staff to start a youth poetry slam. “I knew that youth of Prov were hungry for it, and the movement was growing around the country,” said Jared. He coached and directed the Providence Youth Slam until 2009, during which time they made it to the finals stage three times and were featured on HBO’s series Brave New Voices. “Team Providence became one of the most respected youth slam teams and communities in the country and folks gave us a lot of love,” Jared said. “Coaching and working with the youth, was easily one of the best experiences of my life.”

Jared’s work with Rhode Island youth extended beyond poetry. “I wanted to work somewhere in the overall movement for social justice,” he said. A friend of his was a group home counselor and referred Jared to a non-profit. “They recruited me for a specialized program working with teen sex offenders and sex crime survivors,” he said. “It was the hardest, most eye opening, educational, enraging, and spiritually damaging work I’ve ever done.” He worked there for four years until he began touring full time. For anyone familiar with Jared’s work, it is fueled by passion about social injustice. He does work as an environmental, animal, and human rights activist, causes that are the main subject matter for his poetry and music. His poem entitled “Conspiracy to Riot: 2008 RNC Arrest Story Pt. 1” tells the story of Jared’s arrest for felony riot at the Republican National Convention in 2008. This was not the first time Jared found himself in trouble with the law, after being part of the mass arrest that happened during the 2004 RNC. This past January, it was announced that New York City agreed to pay nearly $18 million for the arrest, detention, and fingerprinting of hundreds, making it the largest protest settlement in history.

After all of his national recognition and success, the question remains: why Providence? “For such a tiny city we have a crazy arts and music scene, and a super strong counter culture,” he said. “There are protests every week, there’s an organized radical labor contingent, one of the strongest, most tenured poetry communities in the country.” Jared currently lives in Providence as a part of the AS220 Artists in Residence program, describing AS220 as an internationally recognized beacon of hope.

“The time I set aside for direct action goes to picketing with hotel workers in my neighborhood at the Renaissance and the Hilton as they fight for fair wages and better working conditions.” He also volunteers with the Providence Poetry Slam and participates in protests and hearings organized by Occupy providence and the Olneyville Neighborhood Association.

Aside from his activism work here in Rhode Island, Jared is working on various upcoming poetry and music projects. “Right now I’m working on my book and a brand new album, so my focus is there,” he said. Jared’s first book (title to be determined) is due to be released in the spring of 2015. He describes it as a collection of poetry, autobiographical short stories, and personal essays about traveling, protesting, and social justice organizing.

CLEAN MACHINE by Jared Paul

Biking to my father’s house after dark, making good time. Providence flies past and I’m already crossing into Pawtucket.

There’s hardly any traffic and the night air is soft and cool. The speckled sky brightens the further I ride from downtown.

After pedaling nonstop for twenty minutes, Main Street turns into Lonsdale Avenue and a glorious downhill begins.

Nearly a mile with the wind at my back and gravity on my side. As I pick up momentum, cars, trees, and buildings blur together.

The bray of advancing motorcycle engines sparks up from behind. Fifteen men on sportsbikes pull close, begin passing on the left.

Accelerators rev in a rush of piercing headlights and neon plastic.

My ears recoil as they roar by— I nod, waiting until the road is mine again.

The last rider to pass reaches out and gives my raised bottom a playful pat. I look over in surprise, he winks.

Someday, you’ll be man enough for one of these, his eyes seems to say. He hits the gas with a blaring whine of the engine, races to catch the others.

Their tail lights disappear around a corner and off into the distance. The night is quiet once more but a heavy curtain of burnt exhaust remains.

I’m given to a moment of flatulence and the gas eases out behind me. I whiff but there is nothing there to smell.

The sportsbikers have helmets and I have a helmet. They have two wheels and I have two wheels but my bicycle runs quietly on quinoa and kale, and the exhaust is clean as a whistle.

Local and National Poets Slam the Mic at AS220

By Despina Durand and Khrysta Ryan Thursday June 19 the Providence Poetry Slam held an open mic night at AS220 including members from the youth team as well as new poets stepping up to the mic for the first time. Although this was not an actual slam, the mic was open to not only poets but musicians as well. A traditional slam consists of an elimination competition of poets based on scores from the audience. Instead, this week, artists signed up ahead of the show, with poets getting 3-4 minutes, and musicians getting 8 minutes of stage time.

Judging by the audience’s cheers, the open mic was host to quite a few poetry slam regulars. The artists presented poetry, hip hop music, a hoedown, and pieces that bridged the gap between spoken word and song. The diversity of the night broke the boundaries of what preconceived notions many people may have about slams. With poets of all sizes, gender and race the audience was able to hear from the full gamut of today’s American. Each poet brought their personal experience to life with relatable metaphors and analogies.

The show featured New York slam poet, Tonya Ingram, and Pennsylvania musician, Kevin Garrett. Ingram, who was born inCincinnati, grew up in the Bronx and attended NYU. She now resides in Los Angeles where she is working towards a Public Practice MFA at the Otis College of Art and Design. Her poetry focussed on her experiences ranging from being diagnosed with Lupus and growing in the Bronx. The range of subject matter is not meant to disturb the audience but to educate them. Ingram speaks from her heart creating a way to use her voice in speaking out about the issues at hand rather than sugar coating an experience.

The Providence Poetry Slam is built and expanded on a set of values which its participants hold very high. The host Laura Brown-Lavoie spoke of respect, safety, diversity, truth and the importance of support of one another.Though the room was filled with regulars, newcomers were welcomed with open arms.

The Providence Poetry Slam not only has a youth group but also holds a creative writing workshop every month. Poetry slams and open mic nights are held every 1st and 3rd thursday of each month, year around at AS220, Providence.

PHOTOS TOP: Vatic performs a poem, part spoken word, part song. (Photo by Despina Durand) Botton: Tonya Ingram and Kevin Garrett perform. (Photo by Despina Durand)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/provslam/

Ryk McIntyre Is Thankful

Love and support shown for a poet in need

I don’t know about you, but when I have a friend in the hospital, I visit if I can. Ryk McIntyre was a huge part of a team that introduced me to the world of Slam Poetry. In 2001, I made the New Jersey Slam team and flew to Seattle for my first National Poetry Slam Competition. Imagine 300 poets on 75 teams crowding into one or two hotels for five days. Nationals is supposed to be about the competition, but not really. For people like Ryk and me, it’s about family, and it was Ryk who introduced me to this concept.

When you ask Ryk to describe himself, he says, “I have been a legendary presence on the New England poetry scene for decades. I am rarely photographed and not everyone is convinced I really exist.” My favorite poem of his is “Crazy Leap of Faith” (published in Poetic Medicine, February 2011). It is the perfect description of just one angle from which to view this poet. It opens with: You know the sound a strait-jacket makes when the safety-straps slip? That was our first kiss. We knew it’d be crazy, knew the risk – to get involved like this, we’d have to disagree to agree with the voices in our heads that sentence us to solitary, and do something really crazy, like … not listen to them! Set ourselves loose enough to measure the space it takes to live happy, with one last leap of faith. Ryk suffers from Spondylosis and COPD. Twice I’ve been in a hospital room with this guy sharing laughs and just being in high spirits. But it’s not what you think. We are like grumpy old men, finding humor in the ugly, trading insults that to us translates as love, being all curmudgeonly buddy-buddy. The reason I want to shed light on this character is because one the greatest acts of human kindness I’ve ever seen was poured onto him. Choosing to be a poet as a profession means choosing to live on the generosity of others. People have to want to buy your book or CD. Many organizations ask the poet to perform, but choose to spend funds on something other than him. Ryk’s last trip to the hospital sent him directly to penniless, without passing GO. Nothing was going right. He went through a recent divorce, lost his living space, his car needed $2,000 in repairs and he was living in constant pain. A mutual friend got on Facebook and opened up an account so people could show financial support. In 24 hours, people from all over the world showed monetary support and left messages of love. Watching the website grow and the support pour in choked me up. So the perfect way to close is with the poem Ryk gave me when I asked him for a poem to review. “Thankful” It is so damn easy for me to be truly thankful for all the obvious things – enough food, family, easy abundance, and a shelter from the storms – that it is too common I forget to have gratitude for all the things that aren’t, never were and so won’t it be. I’m grateful for every stupid jerk that didn’t cross my path today, for the idiots that got my coffee order absolutely… correct. Thank you, you weird looking mole on my neck, for the inoperable Cancer that you are not. Oh, not-out-of-control City Bus, thanks for not hopping the curb because your driver didn’t have a heartattack because his high blood pressure was under control. Thank you, all my past lovers who were not serial killers, Thank you brain that the question of whether or not they were serial killers never crossed my mind late at night at the time. That would’ve been awkward. When I first became sick and disabledI had to thank Lyme Disease, ALS, Parkinson’s, AIDS, MS, Huntington’s and a whole alphabet of Hepatitis, and everything I was tested for for NOT being what’s killing me. Thank you, things that ARE killing me for procrastinating and being generally apathetic. Thank you,oh inevitable Zombie Apocalypse, for those movies, and for staying in those movies. Thank you Facebook for not causing Cancer (I’m assuming this is true). Thanks, sense of humor, for reminding me sarcasm is better than head/desk. Thank you Evil shit in this world for remaining mundane.I owe you for all the near-misses I never saw, for every dark thing that passed by me and kept on swimming. For every guardian Angel I must have worn down to the nub. I am grateful to that asteroid that wasn’t the size of North Dakota, and didn’t crash into the Earth. Thank you, luck of the draw, thank you, skin of my teeth, thank you wire for letting me under, thank you every bow I pulled to make an arrow escape. Shut up pun haters, this is me thanking the Whole of Creation for the loopholes and tiny odds in my favor; for every bad thing that could have happened, and didn’t. Lord, let me be grateful for Nothing.

March 18, Port Veritas, Bull Feeney’s Pub, 375 Fore Street, Portland, Maine, 7 – 10pm, $3 admission; March 19, Speak UP Spoken Word Open Mic, Walnut Street Coffee Cafe, 157 Walnut Street, Lynn, Mass., 7:30 – 10pm, Free Admission (Pass the Hat); March 24, Stone Soup, Out of the Blue Gallery, 106 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA, 8 – 10pm, Free Admission (Pass the Hat)

Monster Haiku Monster Haiku

April’s National Poetry Month Happenings April is National Poetry Month. There are a lot of exciting poetic happenings all over the state, but most exciting to me is the Olympic styled event of poetry slam. On April 18, the Providence Poetry Slam will run its semi finals, the second leg of competition in the process of picking out the team that will represent Rhode Island at this year’s National Poetry Slam, which is happening this July, right down the street from us in Boston. I caught up with one of the local competitors in the semis, poet and educator Marlon (Inphynit) Carey, to discuss this new style of poetry slam he and Len Cabral collaborated to birth dubbed “The Poetry of 10” at Roots Café, which had its inaugural event in March. He explains, “Having been a member of several poetry slam teams, and having participated in hundreds of open mic events over the years, I created a new sort of poetry event by merging the competitive aspect of a poetry slam with the democracy of an open mic. The poets have a total of five minutes, or two poems, to win the crowd over for a prize at the end of the night. Instead of only five judges from the audience, everyone who pays the door charge gets to cast a vote for his or her favorite poet out of 10 contestants. Thus, The Poetry of 10. To add to this unpredictable stew of a truly diverse level playing field, Carey also eliminated a set number sign-up sheet, allowing all poets who wish to participate to sign up before the 8 pm cut-off time and literally put their John Hancock in the hat. Ten contestants are picked at random, giving newbies and veterans the same chance of getting on the mic. All readers have the opportunity to perform with the rotating band of musicians that Carey calls The 10-Piece Band. At the end of the open mic competition, while the votes are tabulated, the audience is treated to a 35-minute feature performance by a professional performance poet or musician. The inaugural show was a huge success. The next Poetry of 10 is April 3, 2013. The feature will be Boston’s Douglas Bishop. Future features are rumored to include Mwalim Peters (who is nominated for a Native American Music Awards honor this year) and Harlym 125. Don’t forget that the last Tuesday of every month, Mairead Byrne brings couscous to AS220 at 9 pm, showcasing a myriad of local talent, followed by an open mic. Every Tuesday, there is Got Poetry Live! at Blue State Cafe onThayer Street. Got Poetry Live!

It’s Tuesday night at Blue State Café on Thayer. Like any night, the staff is serving specialty drinks and pastries in a brightly lit room surrounded by the décor of a local artist, which expels the classroom-like feel created by the standardized tables and chairs. But tonight is different. It’s Tuesday night, which means it’s Got Poetry Live!

Got Poetry Live! was started in 2006 at Reflections Cafe in Providence by Tony Brown, John Powers, and Nate Hutnak. It was created from the ashes of The Spoken Word reading that had, in one form or another, existed since the early 1990s. In the passing of that reading, the three wanted the tradition of Tuesday night poetry to continue, as well as provide a non-Slam alternative. Ryk McIntyre came on as co-host in late 2007. In 2008, the reading moved to Blue State Coffee, where it has been ever since.

Ryk McIntyre (the now host) opens the night with a cover poem, then starts the open mic. “The chimneys release waves of cedar smoke over the horizon that put historic college hill to shame.” Katrina reads from her bible palmed journal, and one can see the crowd snuggle into the bed and blanket of words that warm the silence.

Referred to as a “listening room,” Got Poetry Live! provides a reading for those who choose not to slam or who want a quieter, more relaxed environment. The open mic and features draw from the world of performance poetry, academia, and Hip-Hop poets. “We also have musical features,” says Ryk, who readily exclaims, “We try to mix it up.”

One by one, the word quilters stich their patch onto the night. “Leave your message after the beep, hope you are not out in the cold, this blizzard is Murda,” an over exaggerated Boston accent entwined within a gruff, rugged voice spews from a plaid-shirted beard behind the microphone. “I write my letters in planet dust, I write love letters in binary code, the words are more 1s than 0s,” says Rachel. “The clouds quarrel over gossip and truth,” goes Darmont. If fostering a room for listeners to hear poets is the goal, Got Poetry Live! is hitting its mark.

I asked Ryk what he likes the most about his venue, and he replied, “There are too many great moments to remember. What I like most is when a first-timer comes to the mic. Whatever the reading series, wherever, you are only as good as the flow of new poets, new ideas, and new blood that comes through the doors.” Harboring a supportive community, I’m sure there will be no lack of new blood entering through the doors. Got Poetry Live! is every Tuesday at 8 pm at Blue State Café. Our March features include Dana Rowe, Kris Weinrich, Jason Henry Simon-Bierenbaum, and Ryk McIntyre. Other happenings are Mairead Byrne’s Couscous, which happens the last Tuesday of every month at AS220. For other poetic goings- on, you can check the AS220 website.