"Exhale" Poetry Night

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 09:06

Poetry lovers from around Gainesville joined together last Friday (Oct. 23) for a chance to revel in the talents of guest poet, Shihan Van Clief, director of Def Poetry Jam and a widely celebrated spoken word artist.

By Annabelle Brooks

Exhale, hosted by Kaleidoscope Month, Poets, Inc. and Multicultural and Diversity Affairs, was held at the Orange & Brew during UF's Gator Nights. The campus cafe was packed to capacity. As the audience trickled in and the lights dimmed, the open mic show began with local poets blessing the stage with their stories and hearts.

When Shihan finally stepped on the stage, and before he even spoke, the audience lost their minds, offering their hands and voices with applause and screams.

Shihan is one of the most famous spoken word artists of our generation. His many appearances on the popular HBO show Russell Simmons Presents: Def Poetry, several award-winning poetry slams, and his always-in-rotation YouTube clips have brought much needed attention to this dynamic poet and to the art of spoken word.

As a New York native now living in Los Angeles, Shihan is involved in one of the biggest annual poetry slams in the country, the inkSlam Los Angeles Poetry Festival.

“The slam is a competition, with workshops and showcases like ‘lifeline suicide prevention’ where poetry is that lifeline,” Shihan says. “It's right in the center of Hollywood, but only those who know where and what is it know how to find it.”

Poetry is not just Shihan’s job--it's also his love.

“The first time I fell in love with poetry would have to be around 1996 when I performed at this place named the Juke Joint,” Shihan reminisced.

Shihan is not only a well-known poet but also a talented hip-hop MC. His love for poetry started well before his music, but his rhymes and flow are sincere and thoughtful. His official commercial debut album “The Poet” features 15 tracks, including both hip-hop and poetry.

“Support the arts, artists and local poetry events, places like this," he says. "This is where people feel comfortable enough to share their lives and testimonies.”

Shihan did more than impact the audience Friday night; he left imprints on young hearts and minds by sharing himself with the crowd. He reminds us that poetry is a live art form to be celebrated.