Avery R Young - SPL - Home The Seattle Public Library

[00:23:19] Oh yes. Let's hear it from my boss[00:23:31] Asking that both hands.[00:23:37] Oh let's hear from baybay. You know you got gotta stay.[00:23:50] Oh maybe I'm no Romeoville but the Wii the one man show. Let's hear it for Bolla.[00:24:19] Hey my baby may not be.[00:24:28] But why.[00:24:34] Oh I swear my baby got no mine.[00:24:42] So we'll watch your dad now at home store.[00:24:52] They ain't got no money. So watch it live at home.[00:25:02] Oh Ty Jones him.[00:25:07] Men love me.[00:25:09] We always have a really good at home.[00:25:18] I swear. What he does he does so away may see me.[00:25:41] Hey I don't know.[00:25:47] Let's hear it. My[00:25:50] Baby. No you guys stay.[00:25:58] Oh oh.[00:26:03] Maybe him no wrong. VO que him.[00:26:11] Love that show. Let's hear it for town.[00:26:19] Oh well hey ho let's be real for ball mom and my mom should go with the mambo and y'allwant hear about Progresa hours.[00:26:49] That show and I did the song right. And he was in the band. This is7

[00:27:15] Me. Look what you do.[00:27:25] He was painted Hallenbeck that I sure love painted on the order of a blues record. BluesRecord at and that's good[00:27:38] Enough. That's crazy right.[00:27:43] I grew up on the West as cargo and I was the splain and so I've been at schools at thatschool schools but Lincoln Heights which is in a coma. And. And I could see it reminded me of thegrassy[00:28:06] Grassy yes yes yes the grassy grassy Junior High. Everybody was something to take yourmoney and never give up.[00:28:18] Ok I'll show my age right now.[00:28:20] But the head Drake was somebody the phone he was Treyc babywearing there wasSopwith explaining to the folk how and why I am writing poems and what art what I will call it poemsand what I've decided to do with the poetry is not restrict myself with the material right.[00:28:55] I wouldn't desire to restrict myself with the materials of paper ink.[00:29:02] I decided to use voice use body wisdom tape whatever it is and express myself just like Idon't want to write a poem.[00:29:13] Take this piece of wood writing it and so is always a good material and userspace asmaterial everything is material.[00:29:25] Anyway so I'm in third grade and appellant's in the spelling sense. And I ours. I'm sorry youa couple hours of hours and the I get hundred on the says what's happening in this classroom is thatwhen you just scores on a test whatever score you get as it gets a star and the star has a certainnumber of points at the end at the end of the school year the teacher added up all the points and thenthe person with the most points got a prize which was a candy bar which I still didn't like because itwas[00:30:11] The candy bar was melted like a piece of shit. Because what you don't is what I get[00:30:21] You don't have enough sense to go to the store this morning. And give me a candy bar andchocolate milk right now.[00:30:36] Idiolect about so this particular situation or this particular test I had up until this time myselfand this young lady the other white a white student not another white so no way.8

[00:30:51] But she says that she and I were running like neck and neck but instead she failedmiserably I got 100.[00:31:02] So that put me in front of her. So I was like Ah I'm pretty[00:31:07] I. Your life is abysmal right now. You know me I'm winning and[00:31:19] She saw to cry and the teacher was like What is wrong.[00:31:26] Why are you crying. And she was like making fun of me. And she was like don't cry.[00:31:38] Averys me the dirt and you're made of Saint what are you talking about Willis.[00:31:53] In all I read is that she called me dirty and I was like and I was like oh my mommy daddydaddy home Mommy Daddy Daddy see no better than me.[00:32:07] I'm the one with the hundred and she said go to the office.[00:32:15] I got to the office to get 900 on my so I go to the office because I'm like OK this is whatthey do here at the school they say and the children want hundreds to the office of the principal office.[00:32:29] I guess it runs off as I get him a letter that you gave me you know and he looks at the letterreads the letter and he calls my mother not yet understand big mama had already gave me the rulethe first day of school. She said do not have these white people called my house[00:32:48] And say you have a nice day. She has say look both ways across the street. She knew itwas much more dangerous when I told you how you have to go[00:33:04] So they called it and they said it will say it to her it's quite unfortunate to have to call you tolet you know that Averys did speak appropriately you're in class he is talking about. He's talking aboutsexual intercourse and intercourse.[00:33:22] What's that I say six months I said did it. And I[00:33:34] I can't spell sexual intercourse. What's going on.[00:33:40] And in the end.[00:33:43] So as the story goes I go home and I get in trouble.9

[00:33:48] And then I decided I'm going to write a poem but write this form and this poem and I willwrite this poem. And this one is going to be about how I'm black and I'm not dirty and I'm just likedon't read FUF feel.[00:34:02] You don't like I was like like Zebra Katz.[00:34:10] Marina MARINA Marie. Marie. Marie. Marie. Yes I am going to you up and down when Iget to school the next day.[00:34:20] So I get to school next day.[00:34:22] I said I have a apartment I would like to read. And she was like OK go ahead Avery readthe poem and I'm reading Nepal at the end of the and she was like That's beautiful oh[00:34:43] It was not supposed to happen. You're supposed to start crying. About the[00:34:59] You wrote a and made me cry. You know how very she was.[00:35:07] Oh that is beautiful. Did you write that all by yourself. I'm with I guess I did.[00:35:13] But as you were all supposed to not like it you're supposed to be offended. You know I hadsome private moment so[00:35:27] Right.[00:35:31] She just threw in my poems and stories in a contest. And I was when they get the medalsand I was like Wait hold up so if I could show as out my rhyme with the you'll let me cut you out[00:35:50] Basically. Yeah. Basically yeah I'm like OK[00:35:56] I could do this shit.[00:36:00] Cabela and this theory right now Palombo and is still rank near porn.[00:36:11] I had been let go of trying to make a crack because she did.[00:36:18] I haven't wrote the poem it's the point that's gone make white women all of it away frombecause we didn't know them sales Firedoglake and B to stop.[00:36:34] That's not my goal at all. It didn't work. First time I really like it.[00:36:39] I learned my lesson. You know I have.10

[00:36:47] I was working. I am what I did. I finished working on a book when I was working on a bookthe summer.[00:36:52] I was I had fooled myself that I was gonna write this book and I was going to be aboutblack men in America and I'm going to print you know but my editor was like Hey I went to work I laidon the flow. They had all out of running.[00:37:10] Make to start making the decisions and then when I made the poll was out on the floor Ilooked out way about me why did I think I was going to write a book.[00:37:34] Paintings about being black in America and it not be about me. I'm an expert[00:37:42] On makes the black dude since June 26 1974.[00:37:53] So I'm figuring it and I'm looking at it and I was like I had to give myself permissionbecause I mean you are teaching kids in black and brown kids what long time and I've always felt likewhen I was writing cause I was writing the pause for their so that they feel good about being an blackand brown and and understand that that they can know that poetry and art didn't mean they had toquestion anything about their ads to does it and make them theirs. It didn't make them that all they didwas make them keepers of their humanity.[00:38:48] Right.[00:38:50] You know because I grew up from the west as Chicago you know into many black boysAmy Avery single in a gang way here for my boy. Right and he wrote me white women regret that ithappened to all[00:39:14] Of up at a joint. Right. And it was something about those words being in front of me that[00:39:27] I was like wow that little boy in very gray Bybee's pongs am again and I also was happybecause the audience is not the White one.[00:39:44] Right. Told him not to get off the plane. The audience that joined me I had to remind myselfthat I am alive and in my lap because I was loved like[00:40:03] I'm alive because I spoke to myself that day when she told me I was made out of on No I'mnot gold pure gold.[00:40:17] Come on now I'll go pure gold. That's what I hear. This. All. Moment. Yesterday. And. This.Has[00:40:41] Worked. I'm so excited.11

[00:40:46] I figured it out. And in a word. And I'm like.[00:40:50] And I'm glad to be here at this moment. And as a patrol I'm going to do another piece andthen I will bring my friends to me.[00:40:57] We're going to talk some. That's all I. Think. Now. This. This within this. Warm within this.Is Onoe we'll have to do the HIMYM Gamay they call dirty because of this issue. Of a knitter they'llcall a dirty warm if you ever get any issue. The. Issue with. New or her[00:43:15] Nasty Hanby they all put Joe hanging gold. And don't worry[00:43:55] Make it go away. That's what she'll go say back home. Way too long. I want to say. I wantto say[00:44:15] I can't see her right now.[00:44:21] Oh I can see her right now.[00:44:27] I can see her. Oh. I[00:44:33] See right now. She will say. She. Could for. It. I can see her[00:45:18] Oh that's it. No you of him. He. Said. He said stop some bad[00:45:39] Weather.[00:45:43] So many people who heard you get outside to the black. So many people say they seeyour race the.[00:45:53] These people these people make the late.[00:46:00] These people don't get death. So I'm sure somebody. Gets to. Hear[00:46:17] Him say no no. I mean somebody turns to me. You don't know this thing and somebodyjust maybe. Somebody put something in me. To get something out of[00:46:58] Nancy. The significance of that particular mayor was that the agency within her had all thestories split up from the as it was called for this particular situation. She knew that the power was notany with the power the ticket issue of blood Hagenow that's why that's like my favorite Myraclebecause the power is[00:47:53] Everywhere young everybody.12

[00:48:17] All right we're just Halvey formal for a second because it's a podcast and I'm excited thatwe have avery with all of his splendor in conversation with a local artists. Stormy weather stormy as apoet an interdisciplinary artist an absolutely ferocious. She creates blues inflected socially engagedtext installations and images. She also recently had a very gorgeous exhibition at the Art Museumcalled Cassino a palimpsest men when a local critic said that Cassino considered the intangibleproperties by which art and poetry are connected to family ancestry language and public memoryrevealing intergenerational underground histories of resilience so you can see already she and Averyare about to have an amazing conversation. We have about 30 to 40 minutes for them to take thefloor and take us wherever they want to go. If we're really good we'll have space to have probablyabout two or three questions at the end. If you love this program you can also use social media. Tagthe library on Twitter at SPL buzz and you can use our hash tag for tonight. Avery are young SPL sand Seattle ism and public Ellen as in library and Stormie and Avery. Whenever you're ready.[00:49:44] Hey how are you doing stalling.[00:49:47] That's why we are stormy stormy. Is this working. Yes. Is this thing on its side. As[00:49:56] I have said the red I'm trying to gather myself back together. That's what did you do withyour life because[00:50:06] Oh my goodness you know I really do have to come back to reality must I know you'll haveto come back.[00:50:15] You don't have to come back. Oh my gosh. So sometimes I just want to say what ablessing.[00:50:22] What a blessing.[00:50:24] Is so much right now I don't know about you but it makes it difficult to be fully in this world.And so I could catch myself and I like come back and maybe just[00:50:40] You know brought me back.[00:50:44] And you know that's some serious medicine right there. So I met Avery about seven yearsago. I'm proud to say I brought Avery to Seattle to perform with mommy watch who they had met oneanother and was like queer writers[00:51:04] Yes I'm sorry. I was I was trying to think yes I was trying to do something but not on themlike oh they don't kill me.[00:51:14] Someone else will kill me if I don't know the name of the book. It is.[00:51:19] It was the book confidence that leads to more desire and I side.13

[00:51:24] Come on now if you. Don't let us don't be like them to people remember that movie aboutthe man who wrote precious Lord take my hand.[00:51:32] Yeah. Man somebody so people they go way back to.[00:51:38] It was 19. You wouldn't[00:51:41] Know what you're going to get. Yes.[00:51:46] No. Can I just say so.[00:51:48] So I'm really fighting that fire and ice fire fire fire fire.[00:52:01] I'm so glad you said fire that I stay. I was like that's a chainsaw.[00:52:08] Fire divided by the dog.[00:52:13] Yes it is game of thrones. We get together.[00:52:16] You know Coach we're driving now. I just have to say so I just your performance is soremarkable. OK.[00:52:25] You know and it's so unique and in seven years ago we were at the little church out therein Columbia City. I forget what it's called now but that's where we perform.[00:52:35] And I hadn't seen anyone do what he does.[00:52:39] You know he's across to me like you're so you're so in that you're in the black tradition youknow in the sacred black tradition of preachers and preachers saying this isn't my experience but thisis what I've studied as I study my culture and medicine people because it's medicine what you'redoing. So I guess I would just like to begin by asking you to just share a little bit with us about theways in which you consciously work with these ancestral energies. You know these wisdoms and thisis also something that Devita had ask about you know in this time. I find it so strengthening to reflectupon the power of our ancestors and I feel as though that we have that in common with our work andthat the native medicine people have a thing they say and when they pray and I don't mean to befacetious to not know which nation says this but it is something that I read where they would sayplease let me be a hollow bone.[00:53:47] And I feel as though you are a hollow poem you are able to stand aside somehow fromyour from your ego and allow the spirits to come through you. And I'd like to know a bit about how yougot how you found that how you came to think you want to say it's good it's all good.14

[00:54:09] I mean I always I mean I say I that a lot today with the with the kids the the poem justwants to be heard.[00:54:19] Right.[00:54:22] And so that the poem is very real unconcern of your fear. And the and of your adjective.[00:54:34] It wants to be heard and your service to the bomb so a lot of folks here so I alwaysbelieved that my work is I'm in service right.[00:54:52] And that's like a double entendre.[00:54:56] Right. That the work is service. But the work should be a service. Right. And that ways inwhich it comes out is just really just two years of me trying to figure out or being fascinated with thewith the black preacher who would take the story from the King James book with all those leads inDial's half is and put words in his or her bomb you know and watching the minister do that and thenwatch the reaction of the congregation. Right. Who needs that right. Because in the space of thespaces of America where black folk are really allowed to see their bodies to dance love and spiritualpractice. Which is really crazy because all those three spaces are so oppressive the places in whichthey practice these faith can be under the umbrella of these things can be extremely oppressive.Right. But these spaces that the advocacy is there by the ownership of their body found the mostright.[00:56:41] When you get into this country when you come to this country and nothing of you knowlimb belongs to you you know juicy belongs to you.[00:56:56] Danson belongs to you.[00:56:59] Praise belongs to you especially Yagyū and the system that says you have no soul. Youknow I'm going to tell you who the Jews I'm I'll tell you what the Jews know niggas dancer. Foolery.There's no construct to it. They just move and they just flap and way way the bell and so all had to bediscarded.[00:57:43] The whiteness right until it makes somebody some money right.[00:57:54] And for us to own and for that PRISA that Minister for those people for those people whocome to church on Sunday morning to load the week and trust whoever that is is going to help themrejuvenate for the next seven days.[00:58:13] I always thought that was amazing. I was found it really interesting. I never thought thegame when I was writing poems that I ought to be writing sermons anything of that nature until I got toJames Weldon Johnson I and I was like oh this creation.15

[00:58:35] And then I was like I was doing it on what I read back in them don't put it that story in placeand then let the it from your bomb right.[00:58:45] So when you say how bomb I'm like Okay cool I received that so I recognize the story isthrough me and I recognize that and I recognize that every thing I carry every thing with me right.When I'm telling that story because I wanted to do that work you have to enter the space as yourwhole self right. And I was I guess I've never when hate when you tell a boy during the day you knowyour mom and dad did he got some type of compassion for like Thompson.[00:59:28] Right.[00:59:29] And and I always do.[00:59:32] This is the honor right do with his father.[00:59:37] And I know the work of their ancestors right is to guide and carry so they must be becausethey don't move out the way and let them do what they gotta do.[00:59:56] If I did it wouldn't

Library podcasts are brought to you by The Seattle Public Library and Foundation. To learn more about our programs and podcasts, visit our web site at w w w dot SPL dot org. To learn how you can help the library foundation support The Seattle Public Library go to foundation dot SPL dot org [00:00:36] My name Davida Ingram. Hey it's April 26.