#barnesontheblock

Happy summer, y’all! Not quite over yet. We still got a few more weeks of it. I hope you all got your celebrations in this weekend and have more lined up for the harvests forthcoming this Fall. I would be happy if we had another couple months of summer, to be honest. This one’s been filled with such an abundance of warm, fulfilling events all over Philadelphia. Pictured here was at the start of summer. I got to write poems side by side with @quentinthepoet outside the @barnesfoundation for #BarnesOnTheBlock. It was my second year typing poems at this annual block party and I’m really inspired by the intentional community they are able to cultivate at such a large museum. Neighborhoods and community organizers intersect with artists, poets, dancers, musicians, and filmmakers, and so much more. It’s a vibe for real. We got to celebrate Juneteenth, Father’s Day, and the Summer Solstice with everyone who came out. A trifecta that translated into heartfelt poems galore. I’m really happy Quentin was there to share it with. His poetry is so unique and voice-centered, with a shared interest in how nature connects to the human spirit. I’m really grateful for all of the opportunities to showcase poetry that I’ve been handed this year. Thank you so much to everyone who has organized something special for us to attend this summer! Y’all make this city better and I don’t take lightly the honor it is to be invited to add my craft to these historic spaces. Wow! June 2022 📸 by @sfortune567 performance at #BarnesOnTheBlock hosted by @barnesfoundation with @muralarts, presented by #PNCArtsAlive #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #barnesfoundation #botb #blockparty #phillypoet #phillypoetry #poetry247 (at Barnes Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiJWEisjdTf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“Write about Self Love”, written while performing at the #BarnesOnTheBlock block party hosted by the @barnesfoundation with @muralarts presented by #PNCArtsAlive. #seeingthebarnes #botb #fathersday #typewriterpoetry #freedom (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfM4QDoJ0Ux/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Honored to capture the beautiful of this amazing event! Posted @withregram • @barnesfoundation Check out all the great photos from Barnes on the Block 2022 🥰 - Thanks so much for coming to #BarnesOnTheBlock presented by #PNCArtsAlive, in partnership with @muralarts! - 🔗 We want to hear about your experience 🗣Please take a moment to complete a brief survey at the link in bio! - Your feedback helps us to shape future programming and better serve our communities❤️ 📸 : @embinteractive @embassy730 (at The Barnes Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfKPlshJqN4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“Write about Art Museum Gift Stores”, written while performing at the #BarnesOnTheBlock block party hosted by the @barnesfoundation with @muralarts presented by #PNCArtsAlive. #seeingthebarnes #botb #fathersday #typewriterpoetry #freedom (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfHS_sGL4C7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The mind is a channel. Poetry is an opportunity to focus in on what the channel has to offer. Sometimes hard to decipher, the beauty is how the words take on special meaning for each individual that reads them. Poetry is also all about the conversation. We connect over difficult to describe experiences and emotions. Understanding deepens when looked at through a different lens of language. While typing poems at the Barnes Foundation, I was given the chance to write on themes like Love and Loss. To explore Self-Care and dive into backyard Agriculture. These poems welcomed new residents to Philadelphia and wished old residents well on their journeys to other cities. As the poet, there is a full immersion in other people’s lives that leaves me humbled and grateful. Through another’s eyes, I get to see the full range of this beautiful, human experience. It’s something I don’t treat lightly. This is a sacred act of sharing that I feel so lucky to be tapped into. June 2022 📸 by @ameyaxoxo performance at #BarnesOnTheBlock hosted by @barnesfoundation with @muralarts, presented by #PNCArtsAlive Click the link in my bio to order a customized poem. All I need is a topic, and I’ll have a unique, typewritten poem mailed out to you or someone you love before the end of the week! #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #barnesfoundation #botb #blockparty #phillypoet #phillypoetry #poetry247 (at The Barnes Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfErKYXrSw2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

1. Freedom 2. What Is Revolutionary? 3. Change 4. Reverence 5. Father’s Day Poems written while performing at the #BarnesOnTheBlock block party hosted by the @barnesfoundation with @muralarts. #seeingthebarnes #botb #fathersday #typewriterpoetry #freedom (at The Barnes Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfCCYDyrKc5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I had the honor to share the word flow of the poem today with another mastermind and it was magical. @quentinthepoet and I performed personalized poems at the #BarnesOnTheBlock block party hosted by @barnesfoundation with @muralarts presented by #PNCArtsAlive. Together we celebrated Juneteenth, Father’s Day, and the Summer Solstice. We covered poem topics such as Justice, Freedom, and the Season’s Change. We were in perpetual motion as the line to get a poem grew and grew and complimented the other booths with music, floral wreaths, lamp parades, photography of fathers and their children, food trucks, and so much more art exchange. I can’t think of a better way to hang out with a friend than here in this shared bubble of creativity. Both of our minds whirling about as we reach for the Muse and hear their ecstatic shouts. A portal opens and suddenly the poems we write overlap and certain words become like mantras, a redundancy chanted back and forth between us and our audience. The channel becomes clearer and in the smiles, tears, and sighs of each poem’s recipient you can feel a unique catharsis. A connection of mind and heart in alignment. The wordsmith as impressed by the moment’s creation as is the person who inspires it. Thanks again to the Barnes Foundation for having us and to @pncbank for their contribution to the arts in Philadelphia. I’m really grateful community gatherings like this are made possible. (at The Barnes Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfAsMJODKK0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

This Sunday, June 19th, I’ll be at @barnesfoundation typing personalized poems with @quentinthepoet for #BarnesOnTheBlock! The event is 4-9pm, so come check us out and get a poem about any topic! The Barnes is teaming up with @muralarts to celebrate Juneteenth, Father's Day, AND the opening of their special exhibition, Isaac Julien: Once Again . . . (Statues Never Die), at #BarnesOnTheBlock! Meet us on the Parkway for visual art displays, family-friendly art making, live performances, food trucks, a beer garden, and more. This event is FREE, but registration is required to access the Barnes collection and special exhibition. Registration for timed admission to the Barnes galleries will open at 10 AM on Thursday, June 16th. Barnes on the Block with Mural Arts Philadelphia is presented through #PNCArtsAlive; BIG thanks to @pncbank for supporting the arts. #dreampoetforhire #poetforhire #poetryondemand #streetwriters #buskinglife #busker #typewriterpoetry #poetsofinstagram #marshalljameskavanaugh #publicpoetry #rittenhousesquare #phillypoet #phillypoetry #poetry247 #seeingthebarnes #botb #barnesfoundation (at The Barnes Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce7VoMOjA9d/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=