Poets seek funding for US show

SPOKEN word poets Keir Roopnarine and Brendon J O’Brien are trying to riase funds to represent TT at the Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS) 2018, taking place in San Diego, California next month.

Roopnarine and O’Brien of the poetry group The Griot Guild, have been selected to compete in the annual slam which attracts spoken word talent from all over the world. Though the competition has had poets from the Caribbean diaspora enter, this will be the first year poets based in TT have been selected to compete.

The duo has covered registration and visa costs but need to raise the remaining US$3,500 (TT$23,602) to cover airfare and accommodations for the competition, as well as daily costs throughout the event. A media release said the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts has approved funding, but the team was told the Ministry is still unclear when those funds will be disbursed. Thus, to ensure they can represent TT, Roopnarine and O’Brien reached out to the public through a GoFundMe campaign, for airfare and accommodation.This will be the first time that either poet has participated in an international slam, however, they are not strangers to the world stage. O’Brien was one of the coaches of the TT team of young Kalenda Poets that placed second in this year’s Brave New Voices Poetry Slam in Houston, Texas. Roopnarine and O’Brien also both presented a workshop at the Brave New Voices Festival, introducing young poets from the US to the oral tradition of the midnight robber.

A local slam poetry regular, O’Brien is eager for both poets to share their local flavour on the international stage. “It will be amazing to get there through the support of fellow Trinbagonians who want to see us, our stories, and our unique forms of storytelling shared all over the world.”

The word poetry slam takes place in San Diego, California, from Oc tober 10-13. Anyone can support the poets through their GoFundMe campaign, Take TT to IWPS.

For more info: thegriotguild@gmail.com, or 297-POET (7638).