HBO has decided to tell the story of thousands of teens from around the world gathering to share their stories via the written and spoken word. The international event they're covering is called Brave New Voices, and the driving force behind the BNV festival is a San Francisco-based literary arts non-profit called Youth Speaks. YS provides writing workshops, performances, competitions, mentorship and job opportunities to reach youth and create a dynamic glocal arts community.
Poet Audre Lorde once said, "poetry is not a luxury," and a bunch of young folks weathering the ups and downs of adolescence embraced that belief. What has came from that in the last two decades is wave after wave of young people cultivating their voices, crafting their words and creating a movement fueled by their truths.
I was once one of those young people not so long ago. And on Monday night I sat in Youth Speaks's annual Friendraiser and reveled in the new faces stepping up to the mic to share the same pain, joy, hope and bravado that my generation did, and generations before us. Being a teenager means coming to terms with identity, sexuality, violence, family, and society in a way that often doesn't jive with the status quo. What Youth Speaks and BNV provide is a platform for youth to convert that turmoil into an invigorating and affirming expression that is able to connect people around the globe in an unprecedented way.
If you have HBO, check out the Brave New Voices documentary on demand. It tracks over 50 teams from around the world as they compete for a poetry title and build with fellow young people while impressing the shit out of adults along the way. Among those featured adults are Common, Rosario Dawson, Talib Kweli and Sanaa Lathan to name a few. Check out the trailer and respect the word!
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