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Ah, poetry. That's the stuff of William Wordsworth wandering lonely as a cloud, George Moses Horton inscribing beautiful eulogies, and Lord Byron, mad, bad, and dangerous to notate, right? Wrong. The spoken word, occasionally tucked up in cozy rhyming couplets, is alive and well at Satchmo's, where a recent experiment in monthly events has become a MOJA showcase for slamming HBO Def Poets as well as local open mic performers.
"We bring the hottest poets down here so we can see what other poets do, feed off of that, and do better," says Charleston-based poet Jaha Knight, who has organized Satchmo's Trilogy Night. When monthly nights didn't pull crowds in, a rethink was required; the concentration on one, MOJA-linked evening per year means more out-of-town acts, greater awareness, and more time for Knight to prepare. "We hope to make this annual," she says. "These days the poetry scene is concentrated downtown — most of our local poets don't travel out of town, and I hope they'll help out with Trilogy Night in times to come."
While anyone prepared to say "whatever's in their hearts and minds" is invited to take to the stage, the pros will be there, too. Def Poetry star Abyss (pictured above) was a big draw when he attended a previous Trilogy Night, and he'll be traveling from Atlanta with a few fellow slammers, acoustic guitar in tow. More live music will be provided by MUD — Music UnDefined — which Knight describes as "a church band that converts to whatever you need them to sing."
Not everyone who attends Trilogy Night will be there to perform. Knight has been pleased to see a wide age range among audience members — 20s to 50s, she reckons — who come to experience "a true form of expression that's not on the hip-hop scene today or the R&B scene." Instead, Knight confidently considers her out-loud form of enlightening poetry to be "the new hip-hop." —Nick Smith - Charleston City Paper
Discography
Underneath it All. 2007
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Bio
"Think, 'end of time...' three words that describe jaha Knight's work. I love my cd and the words she brings straight to my heart from her own." -Carolyn Jansen
jaha Knight is a poet. She loves the art, beauty and power of spoken word poetry and poetry in all forms. She is the former editor-in-chief of OneWordMag.com, a poetry and spoken word magazine. There, she was instrumental in establishing an online radio station (poet SPEAK radio) and working with management on a sister tv series that featured poets. While working closely with performing poets, jaha traded in her shyness for a mic and began promoting a self-healing message through performance poetry. She has performed for various venues throughout the south promoting her cd, "Underneath it All".
Writer
"jaha's poetry is storytelling. She highlights the most important nuances in everyday life. And the topics she covers are conversations you wish you and your mother had." -Kendra Brown
jaha's poetry delivers a message that is impossible to ignore. Covering topics of domestic violence, sexual abuse, parental neglect and its effects, falling in love with the impossible and being called the "n" word for the first time her poetry covers the gamut of personal development from childhood to adolescence rounding out your journey in adulthood.
To continue her empowerment message, jaha writes a series of articles that discuss the issues women face in today's society. Sexual abuse, addiction, stds, vitriol and the issue of being at peace with oneself. They are all covered in her poetry, articles and her recently co-authored book,"Soulphisticated Lady: Living Your Best Life".
Community Activist
In addition to the abundance of other artistic skills, jaha is an educator. She is the founder of the LIFT (Literary Inspiration For Tomorrow) Movement, a non profit organization focused on improving literacy in school-aged children and young adults.
She understands the correlation of self expression and self acceptance. She is a creativity coach and leads a series of creativity workshops focused on teaching others to manifest their creative potential. jaha Knight is a multi-faceted, industrious woman whose ideals are urbane and modern.
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