Words of welcome

Spoken Word Ocala imparts an inclusive vibe and gives people all walks of life a chance to express themselves poetically and creatively.

Patricia Tomlinson, curator of exhibitions at the Appleton Museum of Art, planted the seeds that germinated into the monthly event. The inklings go back to when she presented poetry events in conjunction with fall 2019 exhibitions at the Appleton Museum.

It wasn’t long before word got around about the informal spoken word get-togethers Tomlinson planned downtown.

“I initially started it as a one-off event,” she said with a chuckle.

Spoken Word Ocala now meets the third Thursday of the month (with some exceptions) at the courtyard next to the Brick City Center for the Arts in downtown Ocala.

“Spoken word is an enormous component of contemporary, urban culture,” Tomlinson said. “I used to live in a larger metro (Denver) where it was a part of city life. I used to go to spoken word events there all the time. I’ve always loved it. And it was sad to me that there was nothing here in Ocala where I could just go and listen to it.”

Indeed, the appreciation of oral verse, philosophy and prose has roots that go deep. From Greek poets and thinkers to the slaves who retained African storytelling traditions, the ancient forms evolved into a scattering of offshoots.

The emotional, lyrical declarations of blues artists and gospel spirituals funneled into a swirl of religious and contemporary influences on American artistic expression, from Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance poets to the Beat Generation. Smoky taverns with jazz music and recitations bled into pop culture. William Shatner delved into the art on some unique albums in 1968. French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg performed spoken word over rock or symphonic music in the early 1970s.

On another trajectory, hip-hop and slam poetry took hold in the latter decades of the 20th century. In the 1980s, Chicago construction worker Marc Kelly Smith founded the Uptown Poetry Slam (now the Uptown Poetry Cabaret) and the ensuing form of slam poetry mushroomed into an internationally recognized genre. The National Poetry Slam began in 1990 and convenes annually in different U.S. cities.

Fast-forward a few decades to an early fall 2021 evening in a rustic patio adjacent to the Brick City Center for the Arts. Tomlinson, who didn’t go onstage at spoken word events in the past because,

Tomlinson recited a verse about “La Llorona” of Latin American folklore. “The ghostly weeping woman who wanders in search of the children she drowned.”

Civic leader Barbara Fitos caught up with Tomlinson and Amy Kuhns Roberts, a licensed clinical social worker who assists people who confront challenges related to cancer. Fitos read her nuanced, introspective verse in front of “Creative Refuge,” a colorful mural by Justin Alsedek that depicts a close-up of a butterfly drinking nectar from a flower amid tall blades of grass.

Amira Sims, a professor at the College of Central Florida who has acquired a following for her succinct and evocative verse, said she had a busy day and expressed relief to be around people with whom she felt she could just relax and be herself.

Vibrant percussionist Sean Thomas showed up with a drum and lent the soft hiss of his brushes. During more a spirited interlude, he patted a pail like a bongo and got the crowd to shout along.

“Spread the word…come spit words…and snap, snap to spoken words,” reads the event’s Facebook page. “We encourage support to our local downtown Ocala businesses by ordering to go food and bringing to open mic or buying a bottle of wine at The Keep or Stella’s Modern Pantry downtown to bring with you.”

Spoken Word Ocala is part love-in, part performance. From a young poet with a flash of purple in his hair to an ex-wandering hippie to older writers with more wisdom in their years, Spoken Word Ocala is all-inclusive and has a spot for everyone.