Over 100,000 poets will be crying, laughing and screaming on Saturday about topics such as homelessness, drug addiction, political boundaries, sexual abuse, genocide and motherhood.
Although they speak about different issues, the one point all agree on is the necessity of change, according to the Albuquerque director of events, Zachary Kluckman.
One Hundred Thousand Poets for Change is a global movement designed to bring solidarity to a divided world, Kluckman said.
This Saturday, traditional and slam poets and musicians will be gathering within their communities across the world to do just that.
Kluckman, a globally published poet, said he doesn’t think apathy is responsible for a lack of change in the world. It’s because, he said, so much pain exists in the world that people don’t know where to start. He said he wants 100 Thousand Poets for Change to be that starting point.
“I think that they just don’t know where to get in. Hopefully this kind of turns into a keyhole, and people can come pick up a key from us, and get involved and learn how to open that door,” Kluckman said.
Kluckman said 100 Thousand Poets for Change provides people with both factual information, as well as the emotional testimony of hardship.
“I keep telling people that our Albuquerque event is informing the revolution,” he said. “We’ve been talking about revolution for 50 years in poetry and art, and I’m not saying we’re ready to go take up flaming torches or anything, but it is time to definitely put more information on the table. We just want people to come out and hear what the struggles are and what the triumphs are, too.”
Jessica Helen Lopez, a slam poet performing at the event, said her art form is perfect to express the trials and tribulations of life because it is all-inclusive and community-driven.
“Especially (in) slam, the performing has been in coffee shops, in little smoky bars where they host the slams. It really is poetry for the masses, you don’t have to wait around to be invited,” she said.
One Hundred Thousand Poets for Change is an idealistic gathering designed to inspire change within human beings Kluckman said, but he also said the event is also taking action by partnering with charities such as the Roadrunner Food Bank, Joy Junction and Release Global.
“I really wanted to make sure that while we were doing these events, we had something that was a physical action as well, something that we were actually contributing,” Kluckman said.
He said he would like the public to donate anything from perishable food items to plain white tube socks, but that the physical contributions did not supersede the more artistic ones.
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“I think of poetry as a special social dialogue,” Kluckman said.
“You can look at a piece of visual art and you can have this sort of one-sided conversation with it, you know. It’s going to talk to you, it’ll speak to you if you’re receptive, and that’s great.”
100 Thousand Poets for Change
Events Wednesday
through Saturday
for complete event
listings visit:
wix.com/physicalpoet/100tpc
