SPOKEN WORD:Providence brings heat!

in the midst of all the halloween gore and madness, there is a not-to-be-missed event for all of you out there who love spoken word. on Sunday, October 28th, Providence's Xxodus Cafe will host NYC spoken word poet, OVEOUS MAXIMUS, along with local hip-hop acts, Chachi and Swann Notty. yes, New England, it is worth tracking out to Providence for this...it's the real deal. read more about the event here

i always thought that there was a parallel between nomadic tribal societies and communities that have been marginalized by the mainstream establishment. real tribal leaders used poetry to negotiate political deals, preserve their people's cultural memory and to rap about sneaking into some desert beauty's tent... perhaps it is the relentless search for freedom and the struggle for survival amongst the harshest living conditions that bring out a parallel in social patterns, i am not sure (...i could go on, but i don't want to distract from the main point). but like the genuine warrior-poets of nomadic desert tribes whose martial repertoire had to be accompanied by charismatic poetic skills, urban spoken word poets carry on the tradition of giving a powerful voice to the marginalized while fighting to restore the dignity of their people...when it comes from the heart, poetry, like music and other art forms, is a vehicle of social change...one that begins with a transformation on an individual level. so listen...