Wednesday Night Poetry to feature spoken word artist
Little Rock spoken word artist Oya will be this week’s feature for Wednesday Night Poetry at Kollective Coffee + Tea, 110 Central Ave. The regular open mic session for all poets begins at
6:30 p.m. and Oya will perform at 7 p.m., followed by a second open mic. Admission is free and open to all ages.
Oya is named after the Yoruban Orisha Goddess of the winds of change, storms and destruction. “I believe spoken word is my machete to destroy the stigma on platitude opening the door for new interpretation. I speak from personal experience creatively as a way of venting on subjects uncomfortable to the majority,” she said in a news release. Oya is a follower of the African philosophy of Sankofa. “Because it’s in the things we forget we already know, that brings us the change to grow.”
She is the founding member of the Little Rock performance troupe, New Wave, a group of artists, poets, comedians, dancers and singers whose focus is to assist in the connection of arts of all types within the community. Wednesday Night Poetry host Bud Kenny said, “Whenever New Wave shows up it brightens the show. You can bet with Oya as the feature New Wave will be in town.” Oya also hosts a biweekly cypher which travels around Little Rock to historic locations open to artists of all types. Every other month she hosts the Battle of the Orisha Poetry Slam.
Oya is an administrative officer at Northern Technical College and the executive officer for communications for a battalion of the Arkansas Army Reserves. She is scheduled to be deployed to Kosovo soon.
Email budonfoot@yahoo.com for more information about Wednesday Night Poetry.