Matthew Cuban

is month's NATE News is a kind of end-of-term report on our fabulous Conference, the ever-changing curriculum - and introduces the new Chair and Vice-Chair of NATE.

'Now am I in Arden'

Prof Stanley Wells
Professor Stanley Wells
Was NATE's 50th Annual conference 'the best one ever', as one delegate put it? Despite appearances, I'm not old enough to have attended them all - but it was certainly pretty special. The town's resident playwright was the source not only of a rich stream of anecdotes from Professor Stanley Wells in his Harold Rosen Lecture but also a magical production of As You Like It and a dystopian Titus Andronicus on our opening night. It's true that you had to be in Statford-upon-Avon at the end of last month to really find out what made Conference so special. You can, however, enjoy a flavour online from IllumiNATE the Conference newspaper, as well as the photo album, the recording of that talk by Stanley Wells - and, to end with Shakespeare, a short video of Macbeth performed as a rap by spoken word artist and rapper Charlie Dupré in the lively workshop he ran with Francis Gilbert.

Sue Dymoke, editor of NATE's English in Education, was especially impressed by the live poetry performances this year:

I had the privilege to introduce a fabulous mix of poets from Leeds Young Authors and Louisiana State University to a new audience of English teachers. The voices of Saju Ahmed, Rheima Robinson and Ashley Whyles (from Leeds YA), Matthew 'Cuban' Hernandez, Anna West and Nayyir 'Nay' Ransome from LSU in Baton Rouge are a testament to the fact that poetry can change lives and help young people to find their voices. Many of these poets have participated in Brave New Voices International Teen Poetry Slam competitions. Rheima Ransome spoke of her discovery that she was 'not a wrong answer but an open ended question'. On a hot and sticky afternoon in Stratford the NATE audience couldn't hear enough of them. (Photo of the group here - more in our album too.)

If that wasn't thrilling enough, we also got to hear Jacob Sam-La Rose for the first time that evening. He gave a controlled and vibrant performance of new works and poems from his first collection Breaking Silence (Bloodaxe). Jacob Sam-La Rose will be an ambassador for National Poetry Day on 3 October. Check him out.

Any Conference delegates who didn't complete an evaluation form can still do so online - the information will be helpful in future planning. If you'd like to comment in more detail, please email John Hodgson.

There will be more Conference video and audio in future issues of NATE News, including interviews with examination boards and Susannah Herbert talking about National Poetry Day and the Forward Prizes. The next Conference, in Bristol, is already being planned; recent years have been sold out, so if you want to be sure of a place in 2014, book early!

Changing the Chairs at NATE

Bethan Marshall and Alison Smith
Bethan Marshall (left) & Alison Smith
NATE Conference marked the end of Simon Gibbons' busy two-year term of office. Our new Chair is Dr Bethan Marshall, Senior Lecturer in English Education at King's College London. Bethan has taken a special interest in assessing English, and her recent publications include Testing English: Summative and formative assessment in English. Accepting the role, Bethan spoke of her commitment to support and defend English in these difficult times.

The new Vice-Chair is Alison Smith, a secondary teacher working in Cumbria. Alison is joint regional representative for the North-West and a member of the ICT Committee. She was seen at Conference trundling in rolls of wallpaper, tubs of play-doh and baskets of 'pound shop tat' for her workshop, alongside a trolley full of marking. I'm not sure if she did any marking but the workshop was a creative delight! Contact details for Bethan and Alison are here.

Curriculum consultations (continued)

You thought all the consultations were over? Well, almost perfectly timed for summer holidays, here are the final consultations on the following key aspects of curriculum and assessment. Don't let it be said that the DfE doesn't know about drafting and re-drafting - or about tight deadlines!

National curriculum review: new programmes of study and attainment targets: the final draft, for teaching from September 2014. Issues raised by NATE include the absence of media, film and multi-modal texts and the approach to teaching grammar in primary schools. Our response to the original documents can be found here. The closing date is soon: Thursday 8 August.
Reformed GCSE subject content consultation. Concerns here include the status of speaking and listening and digital texts, and whether the changes pose a threat to English literature, as discussed by NATE member Carol Atherton and others in a Guardian article recentl - Tom Rank: Newsletter Editor

is month's NATE News is a kind of end-of-term report on our fabulous Conference, the ever-changing curriculum - and introduces the new Chair and Vice-Chair of NATE.

'Now am I in Arden'

Prof Stanley Wells
Professor Stanley Wells
Was NATE's 50th Annual conference 'the best one ever', as one delegate put it? Despite appearances, I'm not old enough to have attended them all - but it was certainly pretty special. The town's resident playwright was the source not only of a rich stream of anecdotes from Professor Stanley Wells in his Harold Rosen Lecture but also a magical production of As You Like It and a dystopian Titus Andronicus on our opening night. It's true that you had to be in Statford-upon-Avon at the end of last month to really find out what made Conference so special. You can, however, enjoy a flavour online from IllumiNATE the Conference newspaper, as well as the photo album, the recording of that talk by Stanley Wells - and, to end with Shakespeare, a short video of Macbeth performed as a rap by spoken word artist and rapper Charlie Dupré in the lively workshop he ran with Francis Gilbert.

Sue Dymoke, editor of NATE's English in Education, was especially impressed by the live poetry performances this year:

I had the privilege to introduce a fabulous mix of poets from Leeds Young Authors and Louisiana State University to a new audience of English teachers. The voices of Saju Ahmed, Rheima Robinson and Ashley Whyles (from Leeds YA), Matthew 'Cuban' Hernandez, Anna West and Nayyir 'Nay' Ransome from LSU in Baton Rouge are a testament to the fact that poetry can change lives and help young people to find their voices. Many of these poets have participated in Brave New Voices International Teen Poetry Slam competitions. Rheima Ransome spoke of her discovery that she was 'not a wrong answer but an open ended question'. On a hot and sticky afternoon in Stratford the NATE audience couldn't hear enough of them. (Photo of the group here - more in our album too.)

If that wasn't thrilling enough, we also got to hear Jacob Sam-La Rose for the first time that evening. He gave a controlled and vibrant performance of new works and poems from his first collection Breaking Silence (Bloodaxe). Jacob Sam-La Rose will be an ambassador for National Poetry Day on 3 October. Check him out.

Any Conference delegates who didn't complete an evaluation form can still do so online - the information will be helpful in future planning. If you'd like to comment in more detail, please email John Hodgson.

There will be more Conference video and audio in future issues of NATE News, including interviews with examination boards and Susannah Herbert talking about National Poetry Day and the Forward Prizes. The next Conference, in Bristol, is already being planned; recent years have been sold out, so if you want to be sure of a place in 2014, book early!

Changing the Chairs at NATE

Bethan Marshall and Alison Smith
Bethan Marshall (left) & Alison Smith
NATE Conference marked the end of Simon Gibbons' busy two-year term of office. Our new Chair is Dr Bethan Marshall, Senior Lecturer in English Education at King's College London. Bethan has taken a special interest in assessing English, and her recent publications include Testing English: Summative and formative assessment in English. Accepting the role, Bethan spoke of her commitment to support and defend English in these difficult times.

The new Vice-Chair is Alison Smith, a secondary teacher working in Cumbria. Alison is joint regional representative for the North-West and a member of the ICT Committee. She was seen at Conference trundling in rolls of wallpaper, tubs of play-doh and baskets of 'pound shop tat' for her workshop, alongside a trolley full of marking. I'm not sure if she did any marking but the workshop was a creative delight! Contact details for Bethan and Alison are here.

Curriculum consultations (continued)

You thought all the consultations were over? Well, almost perfectly timed for summer holidays, here are the final consultations on the following key aspects of curriculum and assessment. Don't let it be said that the DfE doesn't know about drafting and re-drafting - or about tight deadlines!

National curriculum review: new programmes of study and attainment targets: the final draft, for teaching from September 2014. Issues raised by NATE include the absence of media, film and multi-modal texts and the approach to teaching grammar in primary schools. Our response to the original documents can be found here. The closing date is soon: Thursday 8 August.
Reformed GCSE subject content consultation. Concerns here include the status of speaking and listening and digital texts, and whether the changes pose a threat to English literature, as discussed by NATE member Carol Atherton and others in a Guardian article recentl - Tom Rank: Newsletter Editor

American English: Matthew Cuban’s transatlantic adventure
Posted on February 16, 2013 by Shelton Hull
Standard
As a writer and periodic public speaker, I’ve dabbled in the fine art of spoken-word for years, here and there. If I said I was any good, I’d be lying, but I’ve done just enough of it to inform my deep and sincere appreciation for those who can actually do it well. To that end, I’d say at least two of the best in the business happen to be residents of Northeast Florida. There is, of course, the singularly-skilled Al Letson, whose fans have watched him grow from slam-poetry roots into one-man shows in multiple states, network TV commercials, his own acclaimed show (“State of the Re:Union“) on NPR and even writing comic-books. The other is Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez, who also emerged from the world of slam-poetry and who has also crafted his own unique and compelling career.



That trajectory, which began at open-mic shows in Jacksonville, is now poised to carry him all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, to England, with your help. Hernandez, who is currently working through a three-month spoken-word tour of the west coast, has put together a website at IndieGogo.com (a Kickstarter-type operation) detailing his plans for this year; these plans include not only a slate of scheduled performances in England, but also a project that, believe it or not, is even closer to his heart than his own material. Having already made his name as one of this country’s elite slam-poetry teachers (largely through his work with the Jacksonville youth poetry collective “Shattered Thought”), Hernandez was recently invited to jump the pond and come coach the 2013 UK Youth Slam team, based in historic Leeds. This presents him with not only the opportunity to expand his own personal brand, but to further strengthen the already surprisingly strong connection between the First Coast and the UK.

What Hernandez needs is a dollop of the heavy scratch to fund his adventures, and that is what the web campaign facilitated. Supporters can contribute as little as $1 toward helping Hernandez follow his own dream, while simultaneously helping to school the next generation of spoken-word talent. Larger donations are rewarded with sumptuous swag: $25 gets you two autographed copies of Cuban’s excellent debut CD, which makes a nice gift for fans of the genre; $60 gets you three signed copies; $100 gets you the three CDs, plus a custom-composed poem from him to you. For $500, you name it! So far, almost two dozen people have pledged funds at this early stage of the campaign, mostly in increments of $100, but those numbers are sure to increase–as they should, because Matthew Cuban is an extremely talented artist who really embodies the spirit of Ben Franklin’s words about “doing well by doing good”. One hopes he succeeds, now and in the future.

(Now, this is entirely tangential to the subject at hand, but since we’re discussing spoken-word and the UK, I’ll deviate briefly for purpose of putting over the amazing Brockley-based Kate Tempest, who at just 26 has already distinguished herself as perhaps the world’s #1 performance-poet–a subjective take, yes, but one that is easily arguable. When I heard of Cuban’s project, she was the first person I thought of, so of course one hopes that Hernandez’s run on the island includes at least one summit meeting with the creator of “Cannibal Kids”!)

sheltonhull@gmail.com - Shelton Hull Standard

American English: Matthew Cuban’s transatlantic adventure
Posted on February 16, 2013 by Shelton Hull
Standard
As a writer and periodic public speaker, I’ve dabbled in the fine art of spoken-word for years, here and there. If I said I was any good, I’d be lying, but I’ve done just enough of it to inform my deep and sincere appreciation for those who can actually do it well. To that end, I’d say at least two of the best in the business happen to be residents of Northeast Florida. There is, of course, the singularly-skilled Al Letson, whose fans have watched him grow from slam-poetry roots into one-man shows in multiple states, network TV commercials, his own acclaimed show (“State of the Re:Union“) on NPR and even writing comic-books. The other is Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez, who also emerged from the world of slam-poetry and who has also crafted his own unique and compelling career.



That trajectory, which began at open-mic shows in Jacksonville, is now poised to carry him all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, to England, with your help. Hernandez, who is currently working through a three-month spoken-word tour of the west coast, has put together a website at IndieGogo.com (a Kickstarter-type operation) detailing his plans for this year; these plans include not only a slate of scheduled performances in England, but also a project that, believe it or not, is even closer to his heart than his own material. Having already made his name as one of this country’s elite slam-poetry teachers (largely through his work with the Jacksonville youth poetry collective “Shattered Thought”), Hernandez was recently invited to jump the pond and come coach the 2013 UK Youth Slam team, based in historic Leeds. This presents him with not only the opportunity to expand his own personal brand, but to further strengthen the already surprisingly strong connection between the First Coast and the UK.

What Hernandez needs is a dollop of the heavy scratch to fund his adventures, and that is what the web campaign facilitated. Supporters can contribute as little as $1 toward helping Hernandez follow his own dream, while simultaneously helping to school the next generation of spoken-word talent. Larger donations are rewarded with sumptuous swag: $25 gets you two autographed copies of Cuban’s excellent debut CD, which makes a nice gift for fans of the genre; $60 gets you three signed copies; $100 gets you the three CDs, plus a custom-composed poem from him to you. For $500, you name it! So far, almost two dozen people have pledged funds at this early stage of the campaign, mostly in increments of $100, but those numbers are sure to increase–as they should, because Matthew Cuban is an extremely talented artist who really embodies the spirit of Ben Franklin’s words about “doing well by doing good”. One hopes he succeeds, now and in the future.

(Now, this is entirely tangential to the subject at hand, but since we’re discussing spoken-word and the UK, I’ll deviate briefly for purpose of putting over the amazing Brockley-based Kate Tempest, who at just 26 has already distinguished herself as perhaps the world’s #1 performance-poet–a subjective take, yes, but one that is easily arguable. When I heard of Cuban’s project, she was the first person I thought of, so of course one hopes that Hernandez’s run on the island includes at least one summit meeting with the creator of “Cannibal Kids”!)

sheltonhull@gmail.com - Shelton Hull Standard

What's next for Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez?
By Tahira Brooks, Black Books and Reviews

Jacksonville native and slam poetry champion, Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez, is a teaching artist, mentor and motivational speaker. Among the venues that Cuban has performed in are universities, clubs, conferences and coffee houses. Since the age of 13, he’s performed all over Florida and the nation. At 18 he was the youngest poet to win the Southern Fried Poetry Slam, the second largest adult poetry slam in the world. He is a now three-time winner at that competition.

For five years, Cuban coached Jacksonville youth to compete nationally at Brave New Voices, the international youth slam. This year alone, Cuban secured a national championship by coaching and competing with Jacksonville’s Team DuVal at the 20th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam. He then coached both Slam Richmond’s adult and youth teams to compete in international competitions, placing 3rd and 6th in the world respectively. With titles from Brave New Voices, National Poetry Slam and Southern Fried, this superman of slam poetry has had a remarkable year.

What’s next for this accomplished poet? This November Cuban will tour D.C.-area poetry venues, including all locations of Busboys & Poets. Next, he begins a national tour that includes dates in California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and New York. In spring of 2013 he begins his teaching & poetry tour of the United Kingdom, which includes a new role as coach for Team Leeds, a youth slam team competing in Brave New Voices 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. Black Books & Reviews interviewed Cuban Hernandez between performances from his home of Jacksonville, Florida.

Q & A with Today’s Hot Writer
BB&R: In your bio, you describe yourself as a poet, teacher, mentor and motivational speaker. Emcee isn’t listed. But there are a number of YouTube videos of you rapping. Talk to me about that.

CH: Well, I used to have emcee listed for a long time. In my album Planet of Dreams I dabble in the hip-hop element. I wouldn’t say that is where my heart is as far as writing goes. I prefer poetry because it doesn’t confine me to any meter. But I love to freestyle. I feel free styling is a form of meditation and I do it as often as some people meditate.

BB&R: What authors inspire you?

CH: There have been many. There is actually a poet in your area, in D.C., named 13 of Nazareth. I met him when I was 15 and we became like best friends. He was definitely a huge mentor to me from afar. Also, another inspiration is Patricia Smith. I could go on and on about her. I am most inspired by poets and authors who are still alive and still around performing in my genre. Last night I was reading Jeanann Verlee, an amazing poet out of New York. Oh, also, John “Survivor” Blake, a poet out of Richmond, VA.

BB&R: You have a poem about a bar. I’ve been calling it This Bar, but does it have a formal title?

CH: No, that’s a good title for it.

BB&R: Ok. In both your poems This Bar and Planet of Dreams #9, you address troubled relationships. What are your examples, in part or in whole, of successful relationships?

You know, my mother and father met when they were 18 & 19 years old and they are still together. It’s been 33 years just the other day and they are the biggest inspiration to me as far as solid relationships go. They’ve been through any kind of craziness you can think of and still pulled through. So, it’s a hard thing to live up to—to that kind of relationship.

Obviously, there are amazing couples that are super inspirational to me – Barack and Michelle Obama, and I love the relationship that Jay-Z & Beyoncé have. There is a family out in Chicago, poets that I am really close with, Billy Tuggle and Candace Tuggle. They are just a wonderful, wonderful couple; just open arms all the time, beautiful people, married for decades and still have such a strong love for one another. You don’t always see it all the time, so when you do, you tend to remember it.

BB&R: As a poet and as a man, what impact do you hope to have? What would you like your legacy to be?

CH: My idea of success? What do I want my legacy to be? Well, when I was 17, I started working with “at-risk” youth and we’d teach them poetry. I worked with Boys & Girls Club, I worked with my high school –anyone who wanted to do poetry workshop. And eventually, I started my own organization, my own youth poetry team called Shattered Thought. I started coaching at age 19 in 2007. I was the coach, the CEO & founder, I was the organizer, the fundraiser and I was competing as well. One of the members of the team has gone on to be on BET’s 106 & Park and to do commercials for Sprite. One of the young ladies who competed with us that year has gone on to do academic camps. Everybody who has been on the team has done great things afterwards.

That’s what I have done thus far and I definitely want to do - Tahira Brooks, Black Books and Reviews

What's next for Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez?
By Tahira Brooks, Black Books and Reviews

Jacksonville native and slam poetry champion, Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez, is a teaching artist, mentor and motivational speaker. Among the venues that Cuban has performed in are universities, clubs, conferences and coffee houses. Since the age of 13, he’s performed all over Florida and the nation. At 18 he was the youngest poet to win the Southern Fried Poetry Slam, the second largest adult poetry slam in the world. He is a now three-time winner at that competition.

For five years, Cuban coached Jacksonville youth to compete nationally at Brave New Voices, the international youth slam. This year alone, Cuban secured a national championship by coaching and competing with Jacksonville’s Team DuVal at the 20th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam. He then coached both Slam Richmond’s adult and youth teams to compete in international competitions, placing 3rd and 6th in the world respectively. With titles from Brave New Voices, National Poetry Slam and Southern Fried, this superman of slam poetry has had a remarkable year.

What’s next for this accomplished poet? This November Cuban will tour D.C.-area poetry venues, including all locations of Busboys & Poets. Next, he begins a national tour that includes dates in California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii and New York. In spring of 2013 he begins his teaching & poetry tour of the United Kingdom, which includes a new role as coach for Team Leeds, a youth slam team competing in Brave New Voices 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. Black Books & Reviews interviewed Cuban Hernandez between performances from his home of Jacksonville, Florida.

Q & A with Today’s Hot Writer
BB&R: In your bio, you describe yourself as a poet, teacher, mentor and motivational speaker. Emcee isn’t listed. But there are a number of YouTube videos of you rapping. Talk to me about that.

CH: Well, I used to have emcee listed for a long time. In my album Planet of Dreams I dabble in the hip-hop element. I wouldn’t say that is where my heart is as far as writing goes. I prefer poetry because it doesn’t confine me to any meter. But I love to freestyle. I feel free styling is a form of meditation and I do it as often as some people meditate.

BB&R: What authors inspire you?

CH: There have been many. There is actually a poet in your area, in D.C., named 13 of Nazareth. I met him when I was 15 and we became like best friends. He was definitely a huge mentor to me from afar. Also, another inspiration is Patricia Smith. I could go on and on about her. I am most inspired by poets and authors who are still alive and still around performing in my genre. Last night I was reading Jeanann Verlee, an amazing poet out of New York. Oh, also, John “Survivor” Blake, a poet out of Richmond, VA.

BB&R: You have a poem about a bar. I’ve been calling it This Bar, but does it have a formal title?

CH: No, that’s a good title for it.

BB&R: Ok. In both your poems This Bar and Planet of Dreams #9, you address troubled relationships. What are your examples, in part or in whole, of successful relationships?

You know, my mother and father met when they were 18 & 19 years old and they are still together. It’s been 33 years just the other day and they are the biggest inspiration to me as far as solid relationships go. They’ve been through any kind of craziness you can think of and still pulled through. So, it’s a hard thing to live up to—to that kind of relationship.

Obviously, there are amazing couples that are super inspirational to me – Barack and Michelle Obama, and I love the relationship that Jay-Z & Beyoncé have. There is a family out in Chicago, poets that I am really close with, Billy Tuggle and Candace Tuggle. They are just a wonderful, wonderful couple; just open arms all the time, beautiful people, married for decades and still have such a strong love for one another. You don’t always see it all the time, so when you do, you tend to remember it.

BB&R: As a poet and as a man, what impact do you hope to have? What would you like your legacy to be?

CH: My idea of success? What do I want my legacy to be? Well, when I was 17, I started working with “at-risk” youth and we’d teach them poetry. I worked with Boys & Girls Club, I worked with my high school –anyone who wanted to do poetry workshop. And eventually, I started my own organization, my own youth poetry team called Shattered Thought. I started coaching at age 19 in 2007. I was the coach, the CEO & founder, I was the organizer, the fundraiser and I was competing as well. One of the members of the team has gone on to be on BET’s 106 & Park and to do commercials for Sprite. One of the young ladies who competed with us that year has gone on to do academic camps. Everybody who has been on the team has done great things afterwards.

That’s what I have done thus far and I definitely want to do - Tahira Brooks, Black Books and Reviews

I am not a poet or a spoken word artist, I am merely a web designer. My name is Abel, and for the last few years I have updated and maintained this website for Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and the Shattered Thought team. I've posted updates, venues, new poetry and videos both here and in YouTube but I've never seen a poetry slam before until July 19th, 2007 in San Jose, California. So what this article will entail is my own personal account into what I saw, heard, and experienced.

I awoke early the next morning eager to get to the venue as early as I could. I wanted to scout the location's, see the places and, of course, meet the Shattered Thought team. Driving to the venue proved to be trickier than I had expected as the road soon turned to a one way street. I had to navigate my way around to the venue. I soon found the venue but decided it would be best to take the train instead as parking was extremely limited and would required me to have plenty of quarters ready for the meter.

I drove back to the hotel and hopped on the train to head back downtown. Once there I went to the venue where team Shattered Thought was set to compete for their first bout. I called Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and told him to call me when he got close by. A short while later we finally got to meet and I was introduced to the team.

I was impressed by all of them, they were all polite, nice and thanked me for my hard work on the website and for helping them get to their hotel once they landed ( I arranged for the transportation). They were well prepared for the competition and eager to perform. We watched an earlier bout featuring another Florida team (Miami) to see how they did. Although they did not win there bout, they still performed very well. It was now time for their bout, so we headed over to another building called "The Stage." In this building team Shattered Thought was set to compete against teams from New York, San Jose, and Kansas City (Missouri).

The stage was very nice, the seating was great and no matter where you sat you were sure to have a good view of the performers. Team Shattered Thought wanted me to sit with them, but at this I had to object. They were there to compete and didn't need to worry about entertaining me. I also wanted to sit away from them so I could take pictures from a particular angle and record there performances. I was, after all, there on business. I captured some pictures of the team preparing, the team having fun, and mingling with other poets. What truly amazed me about this competition is how it didn't really look like a competition. Allow me to explain what I mean by that.

The teams were very supportive of each other, booing judges that gave low scores to competing teams, and encouraging other poets if they lost their place, or forgot the line they meant to say. It was a very positive and encouraging environment for all those competing and performing.

I was really excited to hear the pieces done on stage by all the performers. I was moved by a piece done by the San Jose team done by a young woman and her experience in a psyche ward after being labeled with a mental disorder. It was also touching to see that other teams wanted to hug her and offer her support as she made her way back to her seat, crocodile tears flowing down her face. I loved the piece done about love by Kansas City (Missouri). A young team who has a bright future ahead of them. I sat right behind them and I watched how this young woman on their team encouraged her teammates on all there pieces (she performed first for her team). She did this for other teams as well. I was angered by the piece done by the New York team about racism and trying to catch a taxi in New York. And those were just a few pieces from the other teams, but believe me I could write a whole lot more on the other teams and their pieces if I wanted to, they were all very good!

Team Shattered Thought far exceeded my expectations! All the pieces were powerful, moving and uplifting. DéTyme's piece was amazing, I had heard some of his poetry before but none with the passion I saw as he performed his piece "Contemplate." It was the first time I had heard poetry from Asia and I was really impressed with her piece "He Loves Me." Cuban went up next performing a piece on the horrid state of the music industry that had the MC and all other in attendance agreeing that hip hop is in a dire state. The last piece by team Shattered Thought was an amazing team piece involving almost the entire team. Peanut and Cuban did pieces while the rest of the

team provided background music. The fusion was amazing, the atmosphere was electric, but a mistake was made by Peanut of Shattered Thought. The mistake was not bad in and of itself, it was what happened after the performance as the team walked away, a little flash of anger by Peanut at himself that may have hurt in the scoring.

Team Jacksonville did not win this bout and instead placed second to New Yo - ezinearticles.com

I am not a poet or a spoken word artist, I am merely a web designer. My name is Abel, and for the last few years I have updated and maintained this website for Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and the Shattered Thought team. I've posted updates, venues, new poetry and videos both here and in YouTube but I've never seen a poetry slam before until July 19th, 2007 in San Jose, California. So what this article will entail is my own personal account into what I saw, heard, and experienced.

I awoke early the next morning eager to get to the venue as early as I could. I wanted to scout the location's, see the places and, of course, meet the Shattered Thought team. Driving to the venue proved to be trickier than I had expected as the road soon turned to a one way street. I had to navigate my way around to the venue. I soon found the venue but decided it would be best to take the train instead as parking was extremely limited and would required me to have plenty of quarters ready for the meter.

I drove back to the hotel and hopped on the train to head back downtown. Once there I went to the venue where team Shattered Thought was set to compete for their first bout. I called Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and told him to call me when he got close by. A short while later we finally got to meet and I was introduced to the team.

I was impressed by all of them, they were all polite, nice and thanked me for my hard work on the website and for helping them get to their hotel once they landed ( I arranged for the transportation). They were well prepared for the competition and eager to perform. We watched an earlier bout featuring another Florida team (Miami) to see how they did. Although they did not win there bout, they still performed very well. It was now time for their bout, so we headed over to another building called "The Stage." In this building team Shattered Thought was set to compete against teams from New York, San Jose, and Kansas City (Missouri).

The stage was very nice, the seating was great and no matter where you sat you were sure to have a good view of the performers. Team Shattered Thought wanted me to sit with them, but at this I had to object. They were there to compete and didn't need to worry about entertaining me. I also wanted to sit away from them so I could take pictures from a particular angle and record there performances. I was, after all, there on business. I captured some pictures of the team preparing, the team having fun, and mingling with other poets. What truly amazed me about this competition is how it didn't really look like a competition. Allow me to explain what I mean by that.

The teams were very supportive of each other, booing judges that gave low scores to competing teams, and encouraging other poets if they lost their place, or forgot the line they meant to say. It was a very positive and encouraging environment for all those competing and performing.

I was really excited to hear the pieces done on stage by all the performers. I was moved by a piece done by the San Jose team done by a young woman and her experience in a psyche ward after being labeled with a mental disorder. It was also touching to see that other teams wanted to hug her and offer her support as she made her way back to her seat, crocodile tears flowing down her face. I loved the piece done about love by Kansas City (Missouri). A young team who has a bright future ahead of them. I sat right behind them and I watched how this young woman on their team encouraged her teammates on all there pieces (she performed first for her team). She did this for other teams as well. I was angered by the piece done by the New York team about racism and trying to catch a taxi in New York. And those were just a few pieces from the other teams, but believe me I could write a whole lot more on the other teams and their pieces if I wanted to, they were all very good!

Team Shattered Thought far exceeded my expectations! All the pieces were powerful, moving and uplifting. DéTyme's piece was amazing, I had heard some of his poetry before but none with the passion I saw as he performed his piece "Contemplate." It was the first time I had heard poetry from Asia and I was really impressed with her piece "He Loves Me." Cuban went up next performing a piece on the horrid state of the music industry that had the MC and all other in attendance agreeing that hip hop is in a dire state. The last piece by team Shattered Thought was an amazing team piece involving almost the entire team. Peanut and Cuban did pieces while the rest of the

team provided background music. The fusion was amazing, the atmosphere was electric, but a mistake was made by Peanut of Shattered Thought. The mistake was not bad in and of itself, it was what happened after the performance as the team walked away, a little flash of anger by Peanut at himself that may have hurt in the scoring.

Team Jacksonville did not win this bout and instead placed second to New Yo - ezinearticles.com

Poetry lessons at Bon Lin Middle School don't typically include chants, snaps, cheers and haiku battles.

But, this week, eighth graders at the Bartlett school got a unique lesson in verse from three traveling performance poets, who dazzled the kids with their lively delivery of spoken word poems.

Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and Eric Williams, both of Jacksonville, Fla., and Adam Henze, of Bowling Green, Ky., shared poems they'd written about young love, overcoming obstacles and stomping out offensive language. They've all been successful in national poetry slams.

"I really got carried away because of how amazing they were," said 14-year-old Courtney Pannell. " ... I want to go home and tell my mom I love poetry now."

The enthusiastic artists have been traveling the country, sharing their work on college campuses and at clubs. Henze went to high school with Bon Lin

teacher Crystal Roberson, so they offered to visit the school on their tour.

For two days this week, they met with several classes and told the students that poetry can be personal and that there's more to write about than just the wind and trees.

Hernandez taught them the first rule of performance poetry: "Respect the mic."

He pumped them up by chanting: "When I say 'poetry's good,' y'all say 'all the time' ... I want you guys to make some noise."

The poets had the kids write whatever came to their mind as they called out words including imagination, chaos, angel, crunk, amazed, awkward, galaxy and journey.

Several students volunteered to share their poems.

"I really want them to find self empowerment through their own abilities," said Henze, 26.

Tai Tyrell, 13, said he enjoyed hearing a different kind of poetry. He said he thinks the lesson will help him write better rap lyrics.

"It was fun to hear a bunch of cool and energetic poems," the eighth-grader said.

Bon Lin teacher Kolleena Perry, who also shared a poem, said many of her girl students write poetry, but the boys aren't so into it. She hopes this week's lesson encouraged all of them.

Hernandez, 22, told the students about youth poetry slams across the country.

"I hope they're inspired," Hernandez said. "I hope they continue writing."

The poets are affiliated with non-profit organizations that promote increased academic skills and social awareness through poetry.

For more information, visit greenhousecommunication.org or shatteredthought.com.

-- Sherri Drake Silence: 529-2510 - The Commercial appeal

Poetry lessons at Bon Lin Middle School don't typically include chants, snaps, cheers and haiku battles.

But, this week, eighth graders at the Bartlett school got a unique lesson in verse from three traveling performance poets, who dazzled the kids with their lively delivery of spoken word poems.

Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and Eric Williams, both of Jacksonville, Fla., and Adam Henze, of Bowling Green, Ky., shared poems they'd written about young love, overcoming obstacles and stomping out offensive language. They've all been successful in national poetry slams.

"I really got carried away because of how amazing they were," said 14-year-old Courtney Pannell. " ... I want to go home and tell my mom I love poetry now."

The enthusiastic artists have been traveling the country, sharing their work on college campuses and at clubs. Henze went to high school with Bon Lin

teacher Crystal Roberson, so they offered to visit the school on their tour.

For two days this week, they met with several classes and told the students that poetry can be personal and that there's more to write about than just the wind and trees.

Hernandez taught them the first rule of performance poetry: "Respect the mic."

He pumped them up by chanting: "When I say 'poetry's good,' y'all say 'all the time' ... I want you guys to make some noise."

The poets had the kids write whatever came to their mind as they called out words including imagination, chaos, angel, crunk, amazed, awkward, galaxy and journey.

Several students volunteered to share their poems.

"I really want them to find self empowerment through their own abilities," said Henze, 26.

Tai Tyrell, 13, said he enjoyed hearing a different kind of poetry. He said he thinks the lesson will help him write better rap lyrics.

"It was fun to hear a bunch of cool and energetic poems," the eighth-grader said.

Bon Lin teacher Kolleena Perry, who also shared a poem, said many of her girl students write poetry, but the boys aren't so into it. She hopes this week's lesson encouraged all of them.

Hernandez, 22, told the students about youth poetry slams across the country.

"I hope they're inspired," Hernandez said. "I hope they continue writing."

The poets are affiliated with non-profit organizations that promote increased academic skills and social awareness through poetry.

For more information, visit greenhousecommunication.org or shatteredthought.com.

-- Sherri Drake Silence: 529-2510 - The Commercial appeal

Poetry Is...LIVE! Welcomes the Sunshine Bluegrass Performance and Lecture Series next Saturday, August 29th! (this is spoken word performance art, and not BLUEGRASS music)



Join us in the resurgence of live music and poetry broadcast live over WMNF's airwaves! Both artists are nationally reknowed performance artists, lecturers, youth mentors and veteran slam poets. Mixing their passion for community/youth advocacy with hard hitting real world poetic content, they could move any crowd anywhere! Don't miss this explosive duo, as Poetry Is...LIVE! returns for the 2009 - 2010.



Tickets are $10 which includes a wine reception from 10-11pm, and the live show from 11pm - Midnight ~ There are tickets remaining for purchase at the door - WMNF Broadcast Studios

Poetry Is...LIVE! Welcomes the Sunshine Bluegrass Performance and Lecture Series next Saturday, August 29th! (this is spoken word performance art, and not BLUEGRASS music)



Join us in the resurgence of live music and poetry broadcast live over WMNF's airwaves! Both artists are nationally reknowed performance artists, lecturers, youth mentors and veteran slam poets. Mixing their passion for community/youth advocacy with hard hitting real world poetic content, they could move any crowd anywhere! Don't miss this explosive duo, as Poetry Is...LIVE! returns for the 2009 - 2010.



Tickets are $10 which includes a wine reception from 10-11pm, and the live show from 11pm - Midnight ~ There are tickets remaining for purchase at the door - WMNF Broadcast Studios

Portland Poetry Slam is dedicated to featuring the very best in slam style poetry, together with a competitive open mic. The event happens every single Sunday at Backspace, with doors opening at 7:30 pm. The event is always all ages and usually features a musical guest, as well as a house band. Additionally, the Portland Poetry Slam Team that gets to compete in the national event every year is selected from Sunday competitive performances at this venue.
Location: Backspace Cafe, 115 NW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 (503.248.2900)
Past Performers: Panama Soweto, Jen Rinaldi, Derrick C. Brown, Tara Hardy, Mike McGee, Brian Ellis, Matthew Cuban Hernandez, Denise Jolly. - NW Northwest Portland Reading Series

Portland Poetry Slam is dedicated to featuring the very best in slam style poetry, together with a competitive open mic. The event happens every single Sunday at Backspace, with doors opening at 7:30 pm. The event is always all ages and usually features a musical guest, as well as a house band. Additionally, the Portland Poetry Slam Team that gets to compete in the national event every year is selected from Sunday competitive performances at this venue.
Location: Backspace Cafe, 115 NW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 (503.248.2900)
Past Performers: Panama Soweto, Jen Rinaldi, Derrick C. Brown, Tara Hardy, Mike McGee, Brian Ellis, Matthew Cuban Hernandez, Denise Jolly. - NW Northwest Portland Reading Series

The excitement of a strategically organized stanza being brought to life on stage is unexplainable. One can only assess the power of Spoken Word Poetry by witnessing it firsthand. We have Marc Kelly Smith to thank for discovering and nurturing such a mighty form of self-expression at Chicago's Green Mill Tavern almost 23 years ago.

What exactly is Spoken Word Poetry though? It cannot be technically defined, but it can be summed up in one word, rap. R.A.P. is an acronym that has been formulated to stand for Rhythm and Poetry, a correlation between Hip Hop schematics and one's own personal feelings.

For Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez, Spoken Word Poetry is more than just an outlet to convey a personal message or experience. It is a safe house where only his opinions and thoughts matter, an escape to a nonjudgmental zone that he calls home. Cuban was introduced to poetry at the age of 13 and competed for the first time at 15 after meeting Verbal Inc., a group of slam poets who informed him about open mic events and the national Southern Fried Poetry Slam competition. Since then, he has found ways to make his mark on the poetry scene both locally and worldwide. At the age of 17, Cuban created his own youth poetry organization and label, Shattered Thought (www.shatteredthought.org) and has sense partnered with Greenhouse Poetry (www.greenhousecommunication.org), an organization that sponsors the writing workshops that he conducts five days a week at local schools and community centers.

Although Cuban describes Jacksonville's poetry scene as, "not great but good, with a pretty established following," he still remains active and relevant through word of mouth promotion, heavy execution of email/contact lists and various social networking sites such as Facebook. Cuban also co-hosts The Cypher Open Mic Poetry and Soul at Cafe 331 every first and third Thursday of each month along with coaching Jacksonville's Brave New Voices poetry slam team. Brave New Voices, presented by Youth Speaks Inc., is the largest poetry slam competition in the world for youth ages 13-19. Cuban's team has competed each year for the past four years and placed 4th in last year's competition, making the semifinals twice and the final stage once. At the ripe age of 22, Cuban holds the record as the youngest coach to lead his team to the final stage of competition, but his ultimate goal is to get the city of Jacksonville behind the youth poetry movement with emotional and financial support by means of fundraising, grants, donations and partnerships. He believes that a solid home base would strengthen the amount of youth looking for a different outlet such as poetry to express themselves.

Cuban's latest endeavor involves leading a bi-monthly night of Jazz fusion, putting on explosive literary performances while celebrating jazz music, musicians and poetry at The Cummer Museum of Arts & Gardens' Jazz ABZ Exhibit. The Jazz ABZ Exhibit features jazz musicians from A (Louis Armstrong) to Z (Dizzy Gillespie) and is based on the Jazz ABZ book created by artist Paul Rogers and legendary Jazz Musician Wynton Marsalis. The book highlights jazz musicians through visually enticing portraits, showcasing each musician's piece of work as it relates to their individual style and sound. Cuban will be joined by poets from his 2009-2010 Jacksonville Brave New Voices poetry slam team. The poets will read their own work as well as selected poems from the Jazz ABZ collection to live instrumentation, setting the vibe for a jazz feel and a vivid interpretation of the paintings.

Enjoy the experience Tuesdays, May 4 and July 6, 7:00- 8:00PM. Free. For a complete schedule of classes, concerts and poetry events, please call (904) 355-0630. - EU Jacksonville

The excitement of a strategically organized stanza being brought to life on stage is unexplainable. One can only assess the power of Spoken Word Poetry by witnessing it firsthand. We have Marc Kelly Smith to thank for discovering and nurturing such a mighty form of self-expression at Chicago's Green Mill Tavern almost 23 years ago.

What exactly is Spoken Word Poetry though? It cannot be technically defined, but it can be summed up in one word, rap. R.A.P. is an acronym that has been formulated to stand for Rhythm and Poetry, a correlation between Hip Hop schematics and one's own personal feelings.

For Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez, Spoken Word Poetry is more than just an outlet to convey a personal message or experience. It is a safe house where only his opinions and thoughts matter, an escape to a nonjudgmental zone that he calls home. Cuban was introduced to poetry at the age of 13 and competed for the first time at 15 after meeting Verbal Inc., a group of slam poets who informed him about open mic events and the national Southern Fried Poetry Slam competition. Since then, he has found ways to make his mark on the poetry scene both locally and worldwide. At the age of 17, Cuban created his own youth poetry organization and label, Shattered Thought (www.shatteredthought.org) and has sense partnered with Greenhouse Poetry (www.greenhousecommunication.org), an organization that sponsors the writing workshops that he conducts five days a week at local schools and community centers.

Although Cuban describes Jacksonville's poetry scene as, "not great but good, with a pretty established following," he still remains active and relevant through word of mouth promotion, heavy execution of email/contact lists and various social networking sites such as Facebook. Cuban also co-hosts The Cypher Open Mic Poetry and Soul at Cafe 331 every first and third Thursday of each month along with coaching Jacksonville's Brave New Voices poetry slam team. Brave New Voices, presented by Youth Speaks Inc., is the largest poetry slam competition in the world for youth ages 13-19. Cuban's team has competed each year for the past four years and placed 4th in last year's competition, making the semifinals twice and the final stage once. At the ripe age of 22, Cuban holds the record as the youngest coach to lead his team to the final stage of competition, but his ultimate goal is to get the city of Jacksonville behind the youth poetry movement with emotional and financial support by means of fundraising, grants, donations and partnerships. He believes that a solid home base would strengthen the amount of youth looking for a different outlet such as poetry to express themselves.

Cuban's latest endeavor involves leading a bi-monthly night of Jazz fusion, putting on explosive literary performances while celebrating jazz music, musicians and poetry at The Cummer Museum of Arts & Gardens' Jazz ABZ Exhibit. The Jazz ABZ Exhibit features jazz musicians from A (Louis Armstrong) to Z (Dizzy Gillespie) and is based on the Jazz ABZ book created by artist Paul Rogers and legendary Jazz Musician Wynton Marsalis. The book highlights jazz musicians through visually enticing portraits, showcasing each musician's piece of work as it relates to their individual style and sound. Cuban will be joined by poets from his 2009-2010 Jacksonville Brave New Voices poetry slam team. The poets will read their own work as well as selected poems from the Jazz ABZ collection to live instrumentation, setting the vibe for a jazz feel and a vivid interpretation of the paintings.

Enjoy the experience Tuesdays, May 4 and July 6, 7:00- 8:00PM. Free. For a complete schedule of classes, concerts and poetry events, please call (904) 355-0630. - EU Jacksonville

By Tamara McClaran
Performance artist Matthew Hernandez of Ponte Vedra Beach turns 23 today and hopes his friends, neighbors and the public will, in his words, "show him some birthday love."
The love he's speaking of isn't for him. It's for the team. Instead of a traditional birthday celebration, Hernandez wants everyone to come out and support the youth poetry slam team, Shattered Thought, at its main fundraising event tonight at Players by the Sea at 106 Sixth St. N. in Jacksonville Beach.
The Shattered Thought team, comprising teens ages 13 to 19, will perform at 5 and 7 p.m.
"This is a program dedicated to helping the youth of this city," said Hernandez, the founder and coach of Shattered Thought. "Every donation will go a long way."
Hernandez, a performance artist who also goes by the moniker Cuban, formed the youth poetry slam team five years ago. Shattered Thought currently ranks fourth in the world and is planning to compete in the Brave New Voices International Poetry Competition in Los Angeles starting July 19. The group needs money to cover travel expenses.
"We have a phenomenal group of youth poets," Hernandez said. "Getting them organized to do their stuff is no problem. The biggest challenge is raising the funds."
Hernandez is trying to raise about $5,000 to cover transportation and other expenses for the Jacksonville team to travel to this year's competition, which is expected to attract more than 75 youth poetry performance teams from around the world. He hopes to collect enough money to purchase airline tickets.
"There is a chance we might not get all the money we need," he said. "We have the talent to win this year. We just need support from the community."
Shattered Thought recently took the first place award in the Southern Fried youth competition in Nashville, Tenn. At last year's Brave New Voices competition in Chicago, the troupe placed fourth overall and competed against teams from California, Hawaii and England.
"It was amazing; I learned so much," said Lucie Roberts, 15. The former Jacksonville Beach teen currently lives in Baltimore with her family.
"As far as poetry goes, I feel the most connected with people in Jacksonville. I can't wait to come back and represent my hometown."
Roberts will not be attending tonight's fundraiser but is planning to compete with the team in Los Angeles. It will be her third year at Brave New Voices. This year's Shattered Thought team also includes Jakqui Seawright, Meca Armantrout, Eric Williams, Jawayn Walton and Rina Sanders. All live in the Jacksonville area.
"Our poets speak from the heart," Roberts said. "I really hope everyone will come out and support the local youth who are speaking out for their city."


- Community / Shorelines

By Tamara McClaran
Performance artist Matthew Hernandez of Ponte Vedra Beach turns 23 today and hopes his friends, neighbors and the public will, in his words, "show him some birthday love."
The love he's speaking of isn't for him. It's for the team. Instead of a traditional birthday celebration, Hernandez wants everyone to come out and support the youth poetry slam team, Shattered Thought, at its main fundraising event tonight at Players by the Sea at 106 Sixth St. N. in Jacksonville Beach.
The Shattered Thought team, comprising teens ages 13 to 19, will perform at 5 and 7 p.m.
"This is a program dedicated to helping the youth of this city," said Hernandez, the founder and coach of Shattered Thought. "Every donation will go a long way."
Hernandez, a performance artist who also goes by the moniker Cuban, formed the youth poetry slam team five years ago. Shattered Thought currently ranks fourth in the world and is planning to compete in the Brave New Voices International Poetry Competition in Los Angeles starting July 19. The group needs money to cover travel expenses.
"We have a phenomenal group of youth poets," Hernandez said. "Getting them organized to do their stuff is no problem. The biggest challenge is raising the funds."
Hernandez is trying to raise about $5,000 to cover transportation and other expenses for the Jacksonville team to travel to this year's competition, which is expected to attract more than 75 youth poetry performance teams from around the world. He hopes to collect enough money to purchase airline tickets.
"There is a chance we might not get all the money we need," he said. "We have the talent to win this year. We just need support from the community."
Shattered Thought recently took the first place award in the Southern Fried youth competition in Nashville, Tenn. At last year's Brave New Voices competition in Chicago, the troupe placed fourth overall and competed against teams from California, Hawaii and England.
"It was amazing; I learned so much," said Lucie Roberts, 15. The former Jacksonville Beach teen currently lives in Baltimore with her family.
"As far as poetry goes, I feel the most connected with people in Jacksonville. I can't wait to come back and represent my hometown."
Roberts will not be attending tonight's fundraiser but is planning to compete with the team in Los Angeles. It will be her third year at Brave New Voices. This year's Shattered Thought team also includes Jakqui Seawright, Meca Armantrout, Eric Williams, Jawayn Walton and Rina Sanders. All live in the Jacksonville area.
"Our poets speak from the heart," Roberts said. "I really hope everyone will come out and support the local youth who are speaking out for their city."


- Community / Shorelines

Music for the Body and Soul

The local organization Body and Soul - The Art of Healing prescribes a good dose of music and arts to assist patients in the healing process. The second annual Uncommon Music for a Common Cause raises money to support Body and Soul's mission. The show is at 7:30 p.m. today and features Jessica Pounds, Patrick Bass, Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and Peter Dearing. Florida Theatre, 128 E. Forsyth St., - The Times-Union

Music for the Body and Soul

The local organization Body and Soul - The Art of Healing prescribes a good dose of music and arts to assist patients in the healing process. The second annual Uncommon Music for a Common Cause raises money to support Body and Soul's mission. The show is at 7:30 p.m. today and features Jessica Pounds, Patrick Bass, Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez and Peter Dearing. Florida Theatre, 128 E. Forsyth St., - The Times-Union

This was a bit of a switch.

At the Jacksonville Diversity Network meeting last week at Henrietta's restaurant in Springfield, the featured guest didn't talk politics. He didn't talk racism.

That's because the guest was 18-year-old Matthew Hernandez, an acclaimed slam poet who performs at clubs throughout the city. And he didn't talk as much as he rhymed. He rhymed about the tragedies of war and materialism, and lost love.

"I know more about love than politics," said Hernandez, who is also known as Cuban.

But when one of the 20 or so people who gathered there began to ask about his views on the effect of violent and degrading rap, Hernandez had a lot to say -- namely that he, like most of them, didn't like it.

"There's rap, and then there's hip-hop," he explained. "Rap is about money and commercialization. Hip-hop tells stories. ... People who are into hip-hop aren't into it for the money. They're into it for the love."

The chance to gain that type of insight on youth culture was one of the reasons why Ramin Mahmoodi, president of the network, said he invited Hernandez to talk to the group, which tries to reduce racial and ethnic tensions in the city through monthly interaction and discussion.

"The goal of JDN is to bring out social issues and to talk about them," Mahmoodi said. "But as we've talked about the issues, we've always wondered, 'Where are the young people?'"

"We asked Matthew to come because we found his poems to be poems that speak about social issues from a youth perspective. ... Even if he didn't talk about those issues, he had such a wonderful positive attitude and message, and we wanted to uncover that."

But as it turned out, Hernandez did spark a discussion about the influence of violent rap on young people. And one of his friends, Andre Dimapilis, said that those who say it has no effect are in denial.

"I can see the influence of it," said Dimapilis, who teaches at Lake Forest Elementary School. "These days, little kids have such a tough attitude. They are so mean to each other. When I was in the fifth grade, I was all about doing my homework so that I could go out and play."

But parents who want to counter that influence have options, both Hernandez and Dimapilis say. One artist in particular, the Chicago-based Common, crafts much of his work around words that don't glorify violence as much as it does family and community.

So youths like Hernandez who are pushing positive rap have their work cut out for them -- work that is complicated by materialism and a bling-bling culture.

But it's a good thing that now, more adults know that some young people are also concerned about violence and degradation in the culture -- and that those young people are trying to use creative ways to counterract it.

And hope that it catches on.

tonyaa.weathersbeejacksonville.com (904) 359-4251. - CITY SOJOURN

This was a bit of a switch.

At the Jacksonville Diversity Network meeting last week at Henrietta's restaurant in Springfield, the featured guest didn't talk politics. He didn't talk racism.

That's because the guest was 18-year-old Matthew Hernandez, an acclaimed slam poet who performs at clubs throughout the city. And he didn't talk as much as he rhymed. He rhymed about the tragedies of war and materialism, and lost love.

"I know more about love than politics," said Hernandez, who is also known as Cuban.

But when one of the 20 or so people who gathered there began to ask about his views on the effect of violent and degrading rap, Hernandez had a lot to say -- namely that he, like most of them, didn't like it.

"There's rap, and then there's hip-hop," he explained. "Rap is about money and commercialization. Hip-hop tells stories. ... People who are into hip-hop aren't into it for the money. They're into it for the love."

The chance to gain that type of insight on youth culture was one of the reasons why Ramin Mahmoodi, president of the network, said he invited Hernandez to talk to the group, which tries to reduce racial and ethnic tensions in the city through monthly interaction and discussion.

"The goal of JDN is to bring out social issues and to talk about them," Mahmoodi said. "But as we've talked about the issues, we've always wondered, 'Where are the young people?'"

"We asked Matthew to come because we found his poems to be poems that speak about social issues from a youth perspective. ... Even if he didn't talk about those issues, he had such a wonderful positive attitude and message, and we wanted to uncover that."

But as it turned out, Hernandez did spark a discussion about the influence of violent rap on young people. And one of his friends, Andre Dimapilis, said that those who say it has no effect are in denial.

"I can see the influence of it," said Dimapilis, who teaches at Lake Forest Elementary School. "These days, little kids have such a tough attitude. They are so mean to each other. When I was in the fifth grade, I was all about doing my homework so that I could go out and play."

But parents who want to counter that influence have options, both Hernandez and Dimapilis say. One artist in particular, the Chicago-based Common, crafts much of his work around words that don't glorify violence as much as it does family and community.

So youths like Hernandez who are pushing positive rap have their work cut out for them -- work that is complicated by materialism and a bling-bling culture.

But it's a good thing that now, more adults know that some young people are also concerned about violence and degradation in the culture -- and that those young people are trying to use creative ways to counterract it.

And hope that it catches on.

tonyaa.weathersbeejacksonville.com (904) 359-4251. - CITY SOJOURN

For a while, slam poet Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez wanted to follow in his older brother's footsteps and become an artist.

So he decided to become a painter. Except that instead of using oils or acrylics to paint a picture, Matthew uses words.

And through his words, one can see some vivid images.

There's his poem Shattered, which decries the superficiality of popular music "... Lost in a materialistic world I walk, with a brain fried I cried when I realized the chance of hearing good music left when Tupac and Hendrix died ...") Another poem, Forgive Us, laments violence and expresses hope for a more peaceful world ("... I want to see a cornucopia of utopias that spit out without the grout of the planet wondering about.") And one of his love poems admonishes a crack-addicted friend to "put down that knife, those pipe dreams are killing you."

All that intensity from the mind of an 18-year-old.

"There was this show called Def Poetry, and on the show was this artist called Black Ice," said Matthew, who began writing poetry at 13. "He just had this amazing skill, and he inspired me. ... I started listening to a lot of poetry then.

"Earlier, I toyed with a lot of things I thought that I might be good at, but I wasn't good at. I guess what originally started me writing was that people liked it ... I wasn't good at sports, but I was good at this."

Matthew, who now performs in spoken word poetry events throughout the city, says he grew up rather sheltered. Until he was 14, he and his family lived in the Paxon area. His father is Cuban, and his mother Honduran -- hence his performance name "Cuban." To read more of Matthew's work or to contact him, go to www.shatteredthought.com.

But one of the reasons he kept to himself a lot as a child, he said, was that it was difficult to navigate much of the neighborhood's racial boundaries.

"It was angry, redneck people on one side, and angry ghetto people on the other side, and a little Hispanic family in the middle," Matthew said. "It was like, either be black or white. So having friends was a bit difficult."

Matthew's parents eventually moved to Jacksonville Beach. He now attends Fletcher High School. There, his love of spoken word poetry continues. He estimates that he spends at least two days a week working at his craft.

"I work hard at it," Matthew said. "My brother taught me not to rhyme just to rhyme."

Matthew said he hopes to attend either Florida State University or the University of North Florida. He's not sure what he'll study, but he said he's leaning toward teaching.

But in the meantime, Matthew plans to push on with his performance poetry -- and painting images with words. Words which, in the end, come together to reveal big pictures that many of us tend to shut our eyes to.

tonyaa.weathersbeejacksonville.com (904)359-4251. - The Times-Union

For a while, slam poet Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez wanted to follow in his older brother's footsteps and become an artist.

So he decided to become a painter. Except that instead of using oils or acrylics to paint a picture, Matthew uses words.

And through his words, one can see some vivid images.

There's his poem Shattered, which decries the superficiality of popular music "... Lost in a materialistic world I walk, with a brain fried I cried when I realized the chance of hearing good music left when Tupac and Hendrix died ...") Another poem, Forgive Us, laments violence and expresses hope for a more peaceful world ("... I want to see a cornucopia of utopias that spit out without the grout of the planet wondering about.") And one of his love poems admonishes a crack-addicted friend to "put down that knife, those pipe dreams are killing you."

All that intensity from the mind of an 18-year-old.

"There was this show called Def Poetry, and on the show was this artist called Black Ice," said Matthew, who began writing poetry at 13. "He just had this amazing skill, and he inspired me. ... I started listening to a lot of poetry then.

"Earlier, I toyed with a lot of things I thought that I might be good at, but I wasn't good at. I guess what originally started me writing was that people liked it ... I wasn't good at sports, but I was good at this."

Matthew, who now performs in spoken word poetry events throughout the city, says he grew up rather sheltered. Until he was 14, he and his family lived in the Paxon area. His father is Cuban, and his mother Honduran -- hence his performance name "Cuban." To read more of Matthew's work or to contact him, go to www.shatteredthought.com.

But one of the reasons he kept to himself a lot as a child, he said, was that it was difficult to navigate much of the neighborhood's racial boundaries.

"It was angry, redneck people on one side, and angry ghetto people on the other side, and a little Hispanic family in the middle," Matthew said. "It was like, either be black or white. So having friends was a bit difficult."

Matthew's parents eventually moved to Jacksonville Beach. He now attends Fletcher High School. There, his love of spoken word poetry continues. He estimates that he spends at least two days a week working at his craft.

"I work hard at it," Matthew said. "My brother taught me not to rhyme just to rhyme."

Matthew said he hopes to attend either Florida State University or the University of North Florida. He's not sure what he'll study, but he said he's leaning toward teaching.

But in the meantime, Matthew plans to push on with his performance poetry -- and painting images with words. Words which, in the end, come together to reveal big pictures that many of us tend to shut our eyes to.

tonyaa.weathersbeejacksonville.com (904)359-4251. - The Times-Union