On Sunday, August 17th, Westchester Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva hosted a lively open mic at the Hudson River Museum, an extension of her co-curated exhibit This Gallery Is a Poem: Unearthing Stories from the Collection. Not just limited to poems, anyone who signed up was able to perform one piece of poetry, music, or a short story, within a designated three-minute timeframe.
Phylisha Villanueva
Phylisha Villanueva got her start in the poetry scene as a teenager, running her own open mic nights at the Blue Door Art Center. What fascinated her most was the ability to have live musicians and performers in an artistic, visual space, and the synergy that could exist between words, movement, and art. It’s these moments of collaboration that have fueled not only her performances, but her community organizing. She performed her poem “Seeds That Really Grow,” which is included in the This Gallery is a Poem exhibit, which was inspired by her work at The Pod in Dobbs Ferry. Villanueva has hosted poetry events at the chocolate shop, where participants were encouraged to create poetry inspired by the craftsmanship, social impact, and global journey of chocolate.
In addition to performing her own work, Villanueva kept the train running, organizing the sign-ups, and educating everyone on open mic etiquette, teaching us terms like “on deck” (the person who performs after the person next up on the mic), and giving insights on her own journey as a poet, all accompanied by background beats by Jonathan “Duv” Zaragoza, one of the featured poets alongside Katori Walker, Maria Alvarez, and Jive Poetic.
Katori Walker
Originally scheduled to take place in the HRM Courtyard, the event was moved inside due to heat, but it did not upset the sunny vibe of the event. “Imagine you’re rolling in the grass right now,” said artist and first featured poet Katori Walker. At the start of her performance, the audience was provided with various instruments and noise makers, and were encouraged to move, shake, and be a part of her performance. While attendees were unable to roll in the grass as originally attended, Katori was able to blend poetry, movement, and meditation, giving proof of the event’s goal of blurring the line between performer and audience.
Katori also performed a beautiful poem that went alongside a painting she created in 1999, “Mornings with Mommy,” honoring her deceased mother. She wrote the poem, titled “Becoming” specifically for the event, with the notion of opening up our hearts and minds to the rhythm of the universe.
Maria Alvarez
The next featured poet to perform was Maria Alvarez, founder and host of Family Meal Open Mic, Westchester’s hottest poetry open mic event, which currently takes place every last Monday each month at Simple Motive Brewing. Maria, too, is not only a poetry host and curator, but a community builder. Her Family Meal Open Mic series houses an inclusive space for artists and performers of all kinds to share their art, while the themes of “family” and “community” are prevalent in much of Maria’s own work. “This is a full circle moment for me,” Alvarez remarked, as she was once a student of Museum Middle School, and had the chance to perform her poetry at the Hudson River Museum. Maria’s untitled poem was a tribute to her late mother, who encouraged Maria from birth to become a poet—another beautiful, full circle moment.
Duv
The next featured performer was Jonathan “Duv” Zaragoza, who created improvised beats throughout the event, not just between performers, but during select poems and songs. Starting as a dancer at the Bronx Dance Theater, Duv has many accolades to his name, and is equally an accomplished musician and singer, emphasizing the connection between voice and movement. He performed his original songs “Love” and “Keep on Keeping On,” the latter written right before the event, based on a writing group prompt of “feet.”
Jive Poetic
The final performer was a special one for Villanueva, as he is not only an incredibly talented and accomplished poet, but also one of Phylisha’s professors at her Master’s program at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. Jive Poetic is the curator and host of the Friday night poetry slam at the Nuyorican Poet’s Café and is the co-founder of the Brooklyn Poetry Slam. In addition to poetry, Jive is an organizer, activist, and DJ, all elements he brings into his poetry. Jive performed a few poems from his book, Skip Tracer, which started as a genealogical research project, and has led to him finding ten cousins in eight countries all around the world. Encompassing themes of genealogy, masculinity, gentrification, male relationships, Jive’s poems deftly blended personal identity and culture with the music that influenced him.
Community and Belonging
In addition to the featured poets, nearly a dozen creative minds signed up and performed pieces of poetry and music, covering themes of self-worth, family, creativity, identity, and a powerful reminder to stay focused and be present. And focused and present everyone was, as the event created the sense of belonging and community in the way that only poetry can.
