Saturday, Feb. 25's Lyrical Sanctuary & Open-mic Poetry Review: the blessings just keep on coming!

Indeed an original.. the "Word Bird" Malik Canty made a special appearance

and blessed us all with his spirit and ever-inspiring poetry

With the backdrop being a beautiful array of awe-inspiring artwork by Chantal Smith, Glenn Angel, and Iandry Randriamandroso, the Lyrical Sanctuary & Open-mic Poetry gathering on Saturday, Feb. 25 in honor of Black History & Heritage was another memorable afternoon and deep experience at the Center for the Arts & Culture at St. John the Baptist in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Glenn Angel reads the Willie Lynch Letter

A group of youth and adults gathered at the Center last Saturday for a special edition of the Lyrical Sanctuary. The afternoon gathering also offered an open-mic opportunity for all participants to share their poetry.. and share they did! The afternoon began with a reading of the infamous Willie Lynch Letter by Glenn Angel, CAC@SJB's Director.

Malik shares some of his deep historical knowledge and wisdom

Amazingly, all the youth and even some of the adults in attendance had never read nor even heard of the Willie Lynch Letter. For those who may not know, the Willie Lynch Letter was written in 1712 by the man himself, and was his basic blueprint for white slave owners in the deep south, offering them his great insight on how to condition and control black slaves for hundreds of years. If you haven't read it.. we recommend you look it up on the web and catch up on your American history!

Gifted 16 yr.old, William Locario, commands the mic with his poetry

The reading of the Willie Lynch Lettter undoubtedly roused up some deep emotions which led to a open discussion on the history of slavery in our nation, and how many elements of the letter still exist in our society and world today. After that, the poetry was on.. as each participant took their turn on the Center's new mini-stage to share their poetic offerings.

Multi-talented Richie Robles takes no prisoners!

One by one, each poet relayed their special messages of love, anguish, pain, struggle, redemption, victory, history, and hope with one another. It was as unique an experience as we've ever had at the Center.. and we sincerely thank all of the youth and adults who came and participated at this special Lyrical Sanctuary gathering.

Young adult and SJU student, Danielle Locario,

took everyone deep with her heartfelt words



Malik takes the stage and feeds the crowd

The next Lyrical Sanctuary gathering for youth and adults will take place on Saturday, March 11 from 2 - 5pm.. as a warm-up for our 2nd Creative Writing Workshop for teens and adults.. which will begin Saturday, March 18th and run for 4 weeks at the Center. Make sure to sign up early for what is sure to be an amazing workshop presented by Luis Bernard of The In Progress Group.

To sign up for the Spring 2006 Creative Writing Workshop, call Luis Bernard at (347)623-2547 or by e-mail at InProgress@verizon.net

Multi-talented artist / musician, Kris Echevarria, treats the crowd
with his special blend of poetry

The quiet, yet surprising, Miguel Garcia, rips the mic with his deep poetry

So, make sure to remember and make a note of it.. the next Lyrical Sanctuary will be held next Saturday, March 11th at the Center from 2 - 5 pm.

The Creative Writing Workshop for Teens & Adults will begin the week after on March 18th. Until then, we hope to see all of our poetry family members who could not make it for the Lyrical Sanctuary last Saturday at the next Lyrical Sanctuary and the Creative Writing Workshop. For the poetry family members that did make it, we are truly greatful for your participation and constant support. You are the reason why we are still here!

A very special Thank You.. to our great friend, true inspiration, and Warrior of Words, the "Word Bird" Malik Canty, and to his lovely wife and queen, Beverly, for blessing us once again with their presence, and their beautiful souls. You both have been a constant source of support for us, and the endeavors of the Center since the very beginning. The Center will always be your home!

A very special couple, Beverly and Malik, share a moment
and a smile at the Center

As a special treat for the community, the Center will continue showing the artworks of Chantal Smith, Glenn Angel, and Iandry Randriamandroso, and will be open to the public on selected dates and times this March. We will be making announcements regarding these dates and times on this site.. and we'll keep you posted on all of them.

If you haven't seen the wonderful artwork in the Center, make sure you take advantage of the opportunity to make a visit. If you have, come see them again.. and invite your family and friends,too. They're gonna love it.. and best of all.. it's free!!

We look forward to seeing you at CAC@SJB real soon!