ZM: You seem dedicated to the area. Many artists flock to the metro's previously mentioned in hopes of getting the attention and promotion they need.

Dasan: We need energy. A true artist loves the energy. We love the crowd. I don't care if it's acting, singing, whatever. People in the performing arts love the crowd. That's one main difference between spoken word and poetry. Poetry is a literary art. While spoken word is a performing art. Those of us that are spoken word artists--we want and love the crowd. We thrive off of it.

But I guess I am dedicated to the area. In that, there were artists here that helped me. And now that I'm in the position that I am now, I do what I can to help others. This is a college area. So the support--when it seems to be growing, it's really just a cyclical pattern. Students will get involved as either patrons or artists themselves. But then in 4 or 5 years they move on and you have to start all over again building up exposure. It's like a phantom culture, and it isn't easy trying to gain sustenance when that's your base.

ZM: So the area does in fact present a challenge regarding support…what about the art itself. Do you feel that the area stagnates your growth, in that there's not enough of a challenge from your professional peers?

Dasan: Not at all. Again, that's what I love to do. To help a fellow artist--just as I was helped out. There are some benefits to the perceived or real sparseness of the area. For one there is a sense of closeness among the artists. Less about competition, and more about survival. We need each other. Plus, when you're developing your creative voice and identity--there's originality to it. Without heavy contemporary or modern local influences you're forced to really reach inside and literally come up with something out of the blue. It's conducive to developing a truly individual style.

But yeah, at times I have been frustrated. Any artist here will tell you that. No matter where they are, for that matter.

ZM: What frustrates you the most?

Dasan: Well, how the art form is received. There are two main types of support for spoken word. Those that appreciate 'what's' being said, and those that appreciate the delivery. The actual 'style' of the poet.

ZM: You're saying that some people are just there because of the particular content that a spoken word artist might specialize in, or cater to right? Or more simply, because their 'cause' is being supported…

Dasan: Well, yes. If a poet is talking about socially conscious material--people are going to clap wildly no matter how bad the literature or the delivery is--simply because their individual preferences color their reception to the art.

ZM: Oh, I see. Where feminists go to women's open mics, activists go to support politically conscious material, and so on.

Dasan: Yeah. And for a spoken work artist--style, delivery, all that is just as important. It's like reading versus memorizing. Whether an artist is loud versus soft--things like that are what make a real spoken word poet.

Plus it's not very healthy when that type of support forms. It's the country club mentality. Conformity and pretentiousness set in. And superficial stylistics can begin to play its part it hurting the art form. It's bad enough to adopt an exclusive mentality, but then it's punctuated with a 'look' as well. I know of a situation where a poet cut his locs and his reception diminished--because he 'represented the wrong thing.' You have the 'natural earth' crowd, the 'revolutionaries' crowd, etc.. There's a 'look' that people can expect you to adopt with each association. People begin to put more emphasis on style than substance. And it's just limiting in general. For instance a socially conscious type of set won't feature any topics dealing with sex, per se.

ZM: Yeah, it's completely obvious now that you've said it. People are just supporting their own agendas and spoken word is just serving as a vehicle for it. Yeah, I can see how that can begin to compete with the actual art form.

Dasan: I mean not all poets are political activists. They may use that image, but they aren't necessarily any more involved politically than that moment when they are on the stage. Urban poets tend to get stereotyped in general. Kind of like hip-hop and gangsta artists. They become synonymous with each other.

That's why I like slamming so much more. Because it tempts you to play on what you think the crowd wants--but actually supports a broader selection of poems or topics…It makes the poets step outside of their comfort zone. And offers a lot more diverse perspectives. Where it's really about The Spoken Word.