Poetry Centered

Bonus: Radical Reversal in Birmingham II

• University of Arizona Poetry Center • Episode 56

Share episode

Radical Reversal is a program that installs performance and recording spaces in detention centers and correctional facilities where they conduct poetry workshops, seminars in music and music production, readings, and performances. Following up on a bonus episode from April 2023, Radical Reversal co-founder Randall Horton introduces us to poetry and music from five youth writers and performers at Jefferson County Youth Detention Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

To watch readings by poets whose work engages with the crisis of mass incarceration in the US, check out Voca for recordings from the Poetry Center's Art for Justice series.

Full transcripts of every episode are available on Buzzsprout. Look for the transcript tab under each episode.

Voca is now fully captioned, with interactive transcripts and captions available for all readings! Read more about the project here, or try out this new feature by visiting Voca.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Welcome to Poetry Centered, and thank you for tuning in today for a special bonus episode. This episode will feature the work of youth poets and musicians from our friends at Radical Reversal. Poetry Centered comes to you from the University of Arizona Poetry Center, and I'm Julie Swarstad Johnson. Radical Reversal is a program that installs performance and recording spaces in detention centers and correctional facilities, where they conduct poetry workshops, seminars in music and music production, readings, and performances. Radical Reversal's mission is to amplify the dialogue concerning incarceration and create justice, racial, and rehabilitation equity through creative outlets inside the carceral state. Back in April 2023, we featured Radical Reversal in a bonus episode of Poetry Centered, and it's great to have them back again. You can find a link to that earlier episode in the show notes, along with links to Radical Reversal's website, where you can enjoy many more recordings of student work. I can't say enough about how amazing the work that they do is, and it's really a pleasure to share it with you today. To introduce the student's work, we're welcoming Dr. Randall Horton back to the show. Randall is the executive director of Radical Reversal as well as a writer, poet, artist, and professor. He also hosted a full episode of the show back in 2020, which is a great listen. In the episode today, you'll hear a mix of poetry and music, plus interviews with some of these young writers. It's really moving to hear these youth expressing themselves through creative outlets as they navigate big challenges in their lives. Thank you so much to the students for sharing their work, and thank you, Randall, for being here to introduce them. Let's dive in.[MUSIC PLAYING] Hello, everyone. My name is Randall Horton, Executive Director of Radical Reversal, and we're pleased to have our students from the Ross Bell Jefferson County Youth Detention Center in Birmingham, Alabama featured today on Poetry Centered. And special thanks to Julie for continuing to believe in the work that radical reversal does to provide the most voiceless a platform to be heard. Today, you will hear from Ari, Lil Fatt, and Babymodd as well as Avi and Lil Dee. The music you will hear today was produced by our in-house producer, Travis Scott, and artistic director and co-collaborator of Radical Reversal, Devin Brahja Waldman. Again, thank you, Poetry Centered, for this wonderful opportunity, and we hope you like what you hear today. Thank you and good listening.[MUSIC PLAYING] Hello, my name is Ari, and I would like to read you some poems that I wrote in Jefferson County Youth Detention Center. Sent to juvenile Man, I really live myself like a flunky Through a window, I can see out All I heard was some thunder On the phone with my brother He told me little child was dead on the corner Started saying to myself, I gotta get out of this jungle When them niggas killed my cousin, man, that stuff made me want To keep a burner, I refused to let them boys pull me under For some reason I had a vision So I spin my wig God, please forgive me for all the things that I did Mamma, I'm sorry for being a bad kid Hope you forgive me and pray for me till the end(SINGING) You telling me you leaving cause it's hard I guess I should sit here while the devil dies on my soul Fire burning in my lungs can't get the words out my tongue You're mine, I can trust you when I know that I know Who is it to compete with me There are a ton of us like us I know, I know It was [INAUDIBLE] that put me on that They're turning out like us, I know(SPEAKING) Feel like I'm still in shackles, trying to bring me back Me and [INAUDIBLE] with a knife inside my mattress I write songs, I freestyle, I get loaded off that girl Every night I'm thinking about who get killed in this world You know I'm going to do it all for your love I pop an X and I step in the club Mama ask when I'm going to put down the drugs I lie once again cause I told her last month My grandma hit me up cause she on her way I'm out in these streets, she do work every day Don't ask for no money, you know I get paid She probably was going to give it out anyway I'm popping [INAUDIBLE] like Russian roulette I take the wrong pills, I could die any day That shit up we build up going to fall anyway I hit up my favorite [INAUDIBLE] Tears inside my eyes, why my heart keep getting denied? Know my love for you don't mean a thing, so you can't come be my I be dolo on my ride, I got no one on my side I got picture-perfect visions of us happy somewhere vibing All right, first of all, Ari, I want to thank you so much for reading your poems and pouring your heart out on this podcast. And I just want to let our listeners know that our has been in the studio for a couple of days now, and she had a burst of creative energy. And she went back where she sleeps, and she got busy writing. And I wanted to talk to you a little bit about what it means to write about your situations, your family, and your past and the things that you want to do and maybe some of the mistakes we've made, so I want to ask you, as you were writing these poems, what would you want the reader to know about Ari? That it was kind of hard growing up-- Was it hard growing up?--without a mother and being in and out of juvenile and getting in trouble and doing drugs and stuff. When you begin to write, how does that make you feel, when you put your thoughts down on paper? Does it make you reflect, and think about things? Yeah. And that's a good thing because sometimes when we think about things it helps us to correct those things. And I think writing-- innately or inherently, it gives you this sense of confidence. It helps me express my feelings. Really? You've always had problems expressing your feelings? Mm-hmm. Welcome to the club, Ari. I think we finally found something that we have a really great-- we have something in common there, I think. For me, when I was going through what I went through before I was incarcerated, I had problems telling people how I felt, what I was going through, what made me tick. And it wasn't until I was in spaces like these and someone took an interest in me and allowed me to write and find myself. So I can definitely understand that, and thank you for being vulnerable and letting the readers know that. And so one of the things I noticed-- you talk about family. How important is your grandmother to you? She like a mother to me because my mom passed away when I was young. So she just stepped in, and she's like a mother to me. And I look up to her. That's your heart? Kind of? Yeah, OK. Kind of.[LAUGHS] That's good. That's good. And how many-- is this your first time writing poetry? Yes. Really? Yes. Great, great. Well, we're going to keep on working with you, and I just want to thank you again for coming to the podcast. And again, we want to thank the University of Arizona at the Poetry Center for giving you this opportunity and this space to let everyone know who you are. So thank you. Thank you very much. You're welcome. All right. See? I told you I got you. Good job! Way to go.[MUSIC PLAYING] And now the next voices you will hear would be that of Lil Fatt and Babymodd.[GUITAR MUSIC](SINGING) Yeah, I'm sure gonna take it back Leave it at that[INAUDIBLE] You did some shit and take it back Don't want to talk, leave it at that Smoke on the glove, when he arrest Stuck in my heart, my mind attached All that yelling, just relax, watch you for hours, [ ? cast a net ?] No back-and-forth, but that shit whacked Just me and you, I'm loving that Stuck in the streets, I promise it's going to be OK. Don't do no titles, you my wife, so I stop calling you my babe Really got shit, won't say too much Careful murder was sitting in that room I said, no questions, I'm straight lying to your face I can't give you my heart cause if I do, then you might break it I know that you been hurt before, so I'm just being patient I'm going to give you the whole world, and I'm just hoping that you take it. I can see you ain't basic, but I been chasing after paper Want to know the truth? Hey, is it really love? You told me leave if I can't never trust But if I do, I'm coming back cause I can't get enough Just like a perc, I can't get off you, it feel like a drug You did some shit, can't take it back Don't want to talk, leave it at that Spoke on the globe, but he a rat Stuck in my heart, my mind attacks All that yelling, just relax Watch you for hours,[ ? cast a net ? ] No back-and-forth, but that shit whacked Just me and you, I'm loving that I'm the one that be searching for love I don't know where to go, so I guess I'm a thug Like my love in the street, I just need me a hug Express my thoughts with my mind in the mud I don't know how she feels when she talking to me So I look in her eyes and [INAUDIBLE] I needed some peace [INAUDIBLE] You look at my face[INAUDIBLE] some love[INAUDIBLE] fell in love with the drugs She leaving my side, but I knew what How the fuck can you leave? I can't lie, I can't breathe You fuck with me, I was fucking with her I was texting her phone, she left me on seen How the fuck can you love but don't know what it mean? Every day [INAUDIBLE] I been running from love, but I'm coming right back I don't know how how to truck my mind on a flat Trying to get at my soul, and my heart in a wreck Connecting two souls, trying to find me a match You can say what you want, now she's feeling attached She's stuck on my mind cause [INAUDIBLE] She would leave my side, but there ain't no coming back Ain't no coming back I can't give you my heart cause if I do, then you might break it I know that you been hurt before, so I'm just being patient. I'm going to give you the whole world, and I'm just hoping that you take it I can see you ain't basic, but I been chasing after paper I can't give you my heart cause if I do, then you might break it I know that you've been hurt before, so I'm just being patient I'm going to give you the whole world, and I'm just hoping that you take it I can see you ain't basic, but I've been chasing after paper Yeah, but I've been chasing after paper I can see you ain't basic, baby But I've been chasing after paper, chasing after paper I've been chasing after paper We've been chasing after paper I might get up with you just later Cause I'm chasing after paper Stuck up in my mind, and you know my heart did race That's why my heart keeps steady racing And this shit here getting basic, leaving love But I need love because these hoes is being basic[MUSIC PLAYING] I want to talk a little bit about Lil Dee, who is here inside Jefferson County Youth Detention Center, who has created several poems set to music that we really, really, really like. She's shown a very good aptitude for creative writing and expressing herself. One of the things you should know about Lil Dee is she appears in the first episode aired in collaboration with the Poetry Center and Poetry Centered. And so we come back around to Lil Dee, and she's here and has a completely different mindset. Like I said, her creative output has been amazing. She has some aspirations. She wants to leave here and go to the military and figure out the rest part of her life, and we definitely want to support that. And so we wanted to give you a little bit of insight into who Lil Dee is and what makes her tick. So first of all, Lil Dee, if you had to tell the listeners something about you, what is it that you would want them to know? My name is Diamond, AKA Lil Dee. I'm from Pratt City, Birmingham, Alabama, grew up, born and raised. Feel me, I just had a hard life. I lost my dad when I was 11. I lost my mom when I was 14. So it kind of pushed me to the streets. I had to raise myself. I'd been through some of the most hardest stuff. You wouldn't even imagine a child going through. You feel me? There've been times I thought I wasn't going to make it. There've been times I'd have been shot at. I had to dodge bullets. I [INAUDIBLE] and whatsoever. But I just thank God the more I got older, I matured. I found peace within myself. I knew what I had to do because I know my mom and my dad are watching over me. I got to make them proud. I got to working, got me a job permit, went back to school, got my high school diploma. You feel me? Got around some positive people. Once I separated from them negatives, I got around some positive stuff and started doing better in life. So I got on the working tip, got my first job. You feel me? Then after that, I moved on up the ladder, started working at Amazon. I had a green vest, and I called the shots. So it's like everything I went through, it made me the person I am today. I ain't going to say I'm a bad person or a good person, but I'm a kind person. I mean everything I say. If I like you or if I mess with you, it's genuine. I do stuff from the bottom of my heart because I really care, and I ain't have that. So I want to be that person to people. Open up to me. You can talk to me. And I'm always open for help, open doors. I always come in. I walk in and just put everything on the floor. I'm glad you said that. And they can't see you, but I can. And I've had a chance to interact with you, and I can definitely say that that's genuine. She definitely tells you who you are. And I can respect that because people have often said that about me as well. And one of the things that I'm listening to your story and losing both of your parents at an early age, which had to be really traumatic-- I always tell people who want to know what doing this kind of work is in terms of working with young people inside carceral settings and things like that-- and I tell them, nothing is black and white, or nothing is easy to explain. Sometimes life gives us things, and they're really unexplainable. And the same thing with young people, man, when they've sort of lost their way and they're trying to find something. I can't imagine losing my mom and my dad that early, though I know people who have. I just lost my dad, like, a month ago. He's 92, and I still wish I had more time with him. And so I think about that. And I knew when he was alive I used to always say, especially my cousins and my friends who had lost their parents-- I would have this survival guilt, survival guilt in that we had our-- me and my sister-- I'm saying "we--" had our parents, and they didn't. But fast forward, both of my parents are dead or passed now. And so I can only now begin to really understand what you've had to deal with as a young kid. That's what I'm trying to tell you. And so I just want to commend you for trying to always figure it out and never giving up. That means something. So for that, I just want to tell you to keep on going. Now talk a little bit about the poems you've written. And what were you trying to articulate or what is it that you're trying to say through these poems? And ultimately, what do you hope the listener will gain from listening to your work? OK, my poems I wrote-- as you can see, they be about love and how loving me is hard. I grew up with my great-grandmother. She was, like, in her late 60s and 70s, and then she passed away when she got in her 80s. She had me from when I was three all the way to when I was 12. So you feel me? I kind of got an old soul. That's why I say Sundays, I get up. It be like, that's a cleanup day for me because that was our cleanup day with her. And on another tip, I just feel like reading my poems, you know what I'm saying. Love ain't easy. That go for any type of relationship, romantic, family, friendship, just relationships with anybody. You have to be a genuine person and a caring person for any relationship to work out, and I just feel like by me being young back then, I didn't know how to love, so when people was in my face, I pushed them away because I was like, y'all ain't for me. Y'all don't know me. I don't know y'all. But it took me a minute. You feel me? Once I realized that everybody needs somebody, that's when I start allowing people to come in my life, and I done got some good doors open to me. So with those poems, I just write what's off my heart. It just be off the bottom of my heart. And whoever's listening to it or if you get to see me in person, you will know. You'll understand the poems I write. I know it is, right. And so I want the listeners to know that because you were working so hard in here, we decided to especially feature you because you were our first one. And I think it's good to see something full circle, from the time that we recorded you a couple of years ago to now, to hear that growth, to think about the people that are in these spaces. They have lives. We have lives. You have lives. And we use this medium, the podcast and the work and the creative work to reach those people who necessarily don't even look like us, think like us, or know anything about us, but we use it as an opportunity to get to know us because we're all human beings. I always say, sometimes we operate, we live in these borders in which we board ourselves out into these identities, like color and colorism and sexism and whatever you want to call it. And I'm saying, man, can we just be human sometime? And that's what the creative arts does for me. You know what I mean? And I got a good idea that it does that for you too. You know what I mean? So I just wanted them to know a little bit about you and why we decided to highlight you because you've done an amazing job, and you deserve that. Appreciate it. All right.[R&B MUSIC](SINGING) Come to my bedroom. Baby, let me show you What you're getting mad for? Don't you know I love you? I said, don't you know I love you? Ooh, we say, I hate you, I love you We break up, we make up Get to arguing, we both started shit I apologise, aren't you sick of it? I hate you, I love you We break up, we make up Get to arguing, we both started shit I apologize, aren't you sick of it? Oh, oh, come over Come over Come over Come over Oh, oh, come over Come over Hey, [INAUDIBLE] Come over, come over Come over, come over[INAUDIBLE] Come over, come over Come over, come over[INAUDIBLE] Oh, said, oh Come over He got me like, whoa, oh Come over Whoa, come over Come over Oh, oh, come over Come over Come over Asking god for forgiveness I need pleasure depending on my heart I know I'm clever True love never die I'm stuck between the truth Should I stay or say goodbye? Loving me is hard I grew up in poverty Things are strange I know people think I'm living in a maze Heart hurt, eyes heavy, trying to do better I'm on my knees Lord, I need an answer I was raised by my great-grandmother She had a little 26-piece hair She was a retired teacher Favorite dish to cook was peach cobbler and potato salad We used a house phone if we wanted to call somebody We had to go through the phone book or flick through the numbers We were in a private school, me and my sister She had an alarm clock go off at 6+00 every morning

By 6:

30, we have the hot comb on the stove to do our hair We thought we was the baddest Heart hurt, eyes heavy, trying to do better I'm on my knees Lord, I need an answer I'm not asking for much, Lord Just do me a favor Cleanse my soul and my heart And the ones that's not for me, let us depart And be part of me wanting to leave But I know I got a purpose To be here for serve Love is pain, but pain ain't love At a point in life, I wanted to give up But I know I got folks depending on me Just can't do it I was always told, quitters never win and winners never lose So I ran with that, wanting to give up But my girl pushed me to do better and to get it right Knowing I could lose her if I messed up or fell victim Now I got in my head, if I want to win, I gotta keep going I know I got folks on the sideline room for me, my grandma, my girl, and my siblings Them who I do it for, them who I keep going for I just can't give up Again, ladies and gentlemen, the work that you've been listening to is Lil Dee, and you have gotten the insights on her life. And we'd like to thank the University of Arizona Poetry Center for featuring Lil Dee's work. Please check us out at radicalreversal.org and on our YouTube channels and SoundCloud channels. Again, thank you and take care.[APPLAUSE] Good job, Dee.[MUSIC PLAYING] You've been listening to work from Radical Reversal, and this is Poetry Centered. Thank you so much to each of the students we just heard from, Ari, Lil Fatt, Babymodd, Avi, and Lil Dee. Thank you to each of you for sharing your artistic work with us. It's inspiring to hear you exploring your voices in poetry and music. Thank you again to Randall Horton as well as Travis Scott, Devin Brahja Waldman, and everyone at radical reversal for the amazing and important work that you do. Be sure to check out their website and learn more about them. Listeners, thank you for joining us for something a little bit different. We're always thankful to share this time with you. You can look forward to a new slate of Poetry Centered episodes coming up pretty soon, up first our episodes with July Westhale and Philip Metres. They're going to be great. Until then, check out any episodes you haven't listened to, revisit old favorites, and explore Voca. We'll see you soon. Poetry Centered is a project of the University of Arizona Poetry Center, home to a world-class library collection of more than 80,000 items related to contemporary poetry in English and English translation. Located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, the Poetry Center library and buildings are housed on the Indigenous homelands of the Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui. Poetry Centered is the work of Aria Pahari-- that's me-- and Julie Swarstad Johnson. Explore Voca, the Poetry Center's audio visual archive, online at voca.arizona.edu.