Man of letters

>> The alphabet according to Roger Bonair-Agard

by PATTI SONNTAG

 In 1970 I learned my alphabet/for the very first time/--knew it by heart in 1971/A is for Africa/B is for Black/C is for Culture and that's where it's at/my mother taught me that from the weusi alphabeti/at a time when A was for Apples in a country that grew mangoes/and X was for Xylophone when I was learning to play the steelpan

 I couldn't write about Roger Bonair-Agard, winner of the National Poetry Slam, without including that verse. It shows how his performances are political as well as personal. Born and raised in Trinidad, he now lives in Harlem, New York.

 The word "renaissance" has been used recently by critics in reference to the large number of inspired writers of colour. Whether that term is accurate or not, it's easy to see what the excitement is about when a powerful voice emerges such as Bonair-Agard's.

 Mirror: Is American history now having an influence on your work?

 Roger: I've lived in the U.S. for over 12 years. A lot of what America identifies itself with and views that are common, are among the things that I feel that I have to write about.

 M: Is hip hop and dub influencing your work?

 R: Those things have influenced my work, now I'm getting to the point where I want to develop my writing more in the hip hop form. But I have been influenced by everything from the classics--Shakespeare and Chaucer and so on--to musical influences like Bob Marley.

 M: How do you feel performing in places like the Apollo?

 R: In places like the Apollo and the Chicago Theatre, because of the history and the kind of people who have been through there, there is a sense of honour and the legacy... which gives you a sense of responsibility about the kinds of things that you are trying to represent in your work.

 M: Do you want to comment on the "renaissance" in black writing.

 R: I think that in this economic prosperity, there is also a recognition among people that all is not right with the world and that's expressed by the artists. The fact that there is a renaissance among writers and among writers of colour is no mistake. It hasn't happened by chance. :

 

At Slam Shaker 4, Blizzarts, Sunday, Jan. 30; 9:30pm, pay what you can