Yanatha

By JOHN THOMASON
When Yanatha Desouvre first started writing poetry, it was a
capitalist enterprise. For $2 to $4 a pop, he would sell his romantic
stanzas to classmates unable to talk to girls themselves. It was surely a more creative endeavor than selling lemonade, but
after a couple of years Desouvre's ambition exceeded that of a behind-the-scenes Cyrano. He began to explore his own life in his
poems, resulting in work that was personal yet universal. As a young man, the Haitian-born Desouvre was involved in a
barbershop shooting that inspired his piece "Walk Through this Journey," which would become the title of his first poetry collection.
The book's sequel, subtitled "The Next Step Forward," was published recently by AuthorHouse. Desouvre, who grew up in Brooklyn and Philadelphia before settling in West Palm Beach, sees his poetry as a kind of therapy, using the outlet as a way to explore the personal tragedies and triumphs of his life, from the death of a close friend to the recent birth of his first child.

"My books are the experiences I've learned from and the trials and tribulations I've gone through," Desouvre said. "I aspire to inspire
through my experiences. 'The Next Step Forward' continues these
experiences.

Desouvre is a regular on the slam poetry/spoken-word circuit,
performing about twice a month at
various South Florida venues, from
coffeehouses to cruise ships. His
next gig will be at 8 p.m. Saturday at
the first comedy and poetry
showcase at Delray Beach's The
Coffee District, an event hosted by
the ubiquitous Renda Writer.

"I get nervous every time I perform,"
Desouvre said. "But I use those
nerves as energy. They help push
me through it."
Embracing the possibilities of social
networking sites like MySpace and
Facebook, Desouvre's popularity has extended well beyond Palm Beach County, attracting
some 17,000 views on his video performance blogs (http://blog.myspace.com/yanatha) and
netting subscribers in Haiti, China and Japan.
In addition to his writing and performing, Desouvre is working on his master's degree in
marketing and manages the All or Nothing Group, a company that provides free technical
and entertainment consultation to artists in need.

Writer has known Desouvre for the past three years and has collaborated with him on a
spoken word CD. Citing his determination and punctuality, he said he can rely on Desouvre
for events like Saturday's.
"He's a really good poet," Writer said. "He's very positive; that's probably his best quality.
He's never in a bad mood."

That positivity is what separates Desouvre rve and Writer, a noted slam poet himself, from
the spoken-word herd, which often dwells on negativity for its inspiration.
"He's not your regular slam poet, and I'm also not like the average slam poet," Writer said.
"We're different from everyone else, and that makes us very similar to each other.
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Desouvre is one of 10 performers scheduled for Saturday's free event, co-hosted by Writer
and comedian Richy Lala. The lineup includes poets Brian Poem, Jay Wordsmith, Wilkine
Brutus and Chris Imperial and comedians Matt Z, Little Wayne Felber, Kirk Meadows, Jim
Fredrick and Franchesca.
"[The event] is a vision I've had for a while," Writer said. "Poetry and comedy are two art
forms that are very different but also very similar. In both cases, it's a person and a
microphone. A comedian has a comedic slant on everything they see in life, and a poet has
a poetic slant on everything they see in life. I'm a poet, but I've always been a fan of
stand-up comedy."

Desouvre will have books for sale at the event, and he plans to donate a portion of sales
from his upcoming book tour to fight breast cancer. Eventually, he'd like to license his work
to other media in an ongoing effort to change lives for the better.

"I want to impact peoples' lives positively, through music, commercials, film," he said. "I've realized that therapy for me can be therapy for someone else, too. I hope I inspire people to see the value within themselves through all channels."

The free comedy and poetry showcase will be at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Coffee District,
325 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. For information call 561-455-0541. Desouvre's books
are available at www.amazon.com and other online booksellers.


- Forum Publishing Group