be hope to her.

Be Hope To Her Flier : my design

Tuesday and Wednesday nights (March 23 & 24) I’ll be reading poetry with backing film. Yes, the film includes audio as well. Tuesday’s at Shadow Lounge in East Liberty, Wednesday’s at Istanbul in Lawrenceville. Both nights’ events called Be Hope To Her.

The 20-minute set will feature longer story-poems, the ones I make in my feeble attempts to mend bits of history with words … the supernatural punishment of soldiers who abuse the citizens of the town they occupy, the transmigration of a Jewish soul after he dies in the Holocaust, the exorcism of Stockholm syndrome through yoga.

This benefit is designed to raise awareness about clean water issues facing those living in the second and third world. The people faced with solving the problem, daily? Women. They spend most of their waking hours bringing clean water home, carrying it in containers on top of their heads.

April 1 there’s going to be a walk in the North Side of Pittsburgh. Demonstrators will carry buckets on top of their heads in solidarity with those women who carry water every day of their lives.

I’m lucky to be sharing the stage with Kellee Maize, Brian Francis, Joy Ike, and Gene Stovall these two nights. Check out the organization behind all this – Nuru International.