Master Black Chakra’s 3 P’s of Poetry: Power, Potency, and Pen

Black Chakra (aka Jacob Mayberry) is a master of the 3 P’s: power, potency, and pen. And he proves it with everything he does as a spoken word artist, emcee, teacher, and multi-slam champion (be it National Slam, Texas Grand Slam, or a virtual slam). He’s working hard to become the “Spoken Word Dave Chapelle” with streamed performances on platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Poet Life Podcast sat down with Black Chakra to learn what he means by “power, potency, and pen” as a way to become a master poet. So let’s learn from the master!

Note: Everything below is either directly quoted or paraphrased from Black Chakra.

1.   Power

Power is aligned with performance. When you are on a stage, how encapsulating are you?

Soft-spoken poets have their space, but slam is naturally explosive. Poems can have soft-spoken, calm moments, but there also need to be explosive moments. You need to learn how to turn that on and off to give a captive performance.

 The power of how you wield your performance is important.

How well do you make eye contact?

If you don’t want to make direct eye contact, you can scan the back of the room. It’ll look like you’re making eye contact and keep your audience engaged. But if you can, make eye contact because eyes are the window to the soul. So make eye contact when you say something powerful because it connects in a different way.

What are you doing in your performance?

Peaks and valleys are your friend. There are lines where you can be calm, lines where you could be loud, lines where you need to be somber. Every emotion of every line needs to translate through your performance.

A poem should not be one voice, one note. It should be many voices, many notes. It’s a composition of music.

What did you want me to feel?

If the point of the poem was for me to feel burdened, and I feel burdened, the poem was successful. If the point of the pome was for me to feel happy, and I feel burdened, you need to redo the poem. You have to add the part where I was supposed to feel happy, and do it better.

 All of that is part of the power. Learn how to use your voice, wield your words. Learn the art of the pause and how to master your emotions on stage. Learn how to take up a stage, how to move.

That’s what “power” means.

2.   Potency

Potency has to do with the subjects and the concepts of your poem.

Two types of subjects for your poem

There are microcosm poems and macrocosm poems. A really great poem can be both microcosm and macrocosm (aka micro-macro) at the same time. Micro-macro poems are not always necessary but are powerful when done well. Listen to Rudy Franscico’s poem “Adrenaline Rush” (or “Volcano Surfing”) as an example of a micro-macro poem.

Microcosm poems are completely about you and your experiences. For example, if Black Chakra is writing a poem about his relationship with his father, it’s a microcosm poem. Even if an audience member can relate to it or has experienced something similar, it’s a microcosm poem because it’s about his personal relationship.

Macrocosm poems are about the world or society. For example, police brutality. When Black Chakra writes a poem about police brutality, it’s a macrocosm poem because he personally has never been beaten or assaulted by a police officer. Even if it can seemingly be a microcosm poem, it’s a macrocosm piece because it’s about the larger scale issues of a problematic system and country.

Knowing the difference between micro and macrocosm poems helps you know where the poem’s potency comes from. But you also need to think through how you write the piece.

Concepts matter in poetry

Black Chakra is not the first (or the last) person to write a football poem. But his poem, “Pass,” performed so well because of where he performed it (Texas A&M, the football mecca of America), how he performed it (the power we talked about above), and how he wrote it (what we’ll focus on next).

 He took a football concept, strengthened it with his writing skills, and performed it in exactly the right location with the right power. He wrote a piece that fit the times (e.g., the Kaepernick situation in 2018) and will most likely be scarily relevant 10 years from now. He thought about the concept’s shelf life. He questioned, can I pull this piece off the shelf 15 years from now and will it still have the same effect that it has today? Potency and concept can do that.

Quick “Pepsi Gatorade” lesson on concept writing

Take one container (he uses a Gatorade bottle) and fill it with slips of paper that have common topics written on them. For example, these are common topics like depression, police brutality, relationships.

Then in a second container (he uses a Pepsi bottle), fill it with slips of paper with uncommon things, like diapers, sofa rash, dragons, broken clocks.

Now, you draw one slip from each container and that’s your concept. Below is the conceptual piece he started based on Gatorade (relationships) and Pepsi (sofa rash):

Never before did I scratch my back because I didn’t know anybody had it.

But I didn’t know that I could love someone into a star. Into a rash.

They say, if someone lays on a sofa for too long, with no shirt on, they will get this nasty gash called sofa rash, and it is so ferocious that you will scratch for hours.

The way she left herself on my body was more of a scar than lipstick.

– Black Chakra

The Pepsi Gatorade lesson is a quick way to teach concept and potency. It’s about discovering how creative you can get about a topic someone has already written about. How are you able to flip it? What makes it interesting?

This brings us to the pen.

3.   Pen

To begin explaining the strength of the pen, ask yourself these questions:

• How powerful can the writing be when you put the power and potency aside?

• How well can you write?

• If you were put in a writing competition of any caliber (essays, novels, short stories, poetry), could you win?

• How flexible is your pen?

You have to know the poetic devices. Similes, metaphors, hyperboles, double entendres, alliterations, erasures, anthropomorphic poems, personas, personification, etc. Can you wield these weapons? Do you know how they exist in your writing? Are you intentional when you write a line?

Understanding the art form and knowing the strength of your pen will help you to know how to fix or redo a poem or line when it does perform the way you intended.

Black Chakra makes the point that he’s not writing poems for everyone who hears it. He’s writing for the scholars who are going to study it and take influence from it. He studies the art form and learns the devices to build confidence in his writing.

You also need to evaluate how much time you spend writing. Practice and consistency make the difference. A key to achieving consistency is to debunk the myth of writer’s block.

It’s not writer’s block. It’s dope block.

There’s no such thing as writer’s block because you are the thing that’s blocking you. You are able to get out of your own way. If you’re worried about how the poem comes out, you’re not experiencing writer’s block. It’s dope block.

This means you are worried about how it sounds to people, and therefore don’t think it sounds good to you. All you have to do is edit it until it does sound good. Editing is still writing.

And if you feel like you just don’t have anything to write about, try the Pepsi Gatorade method. Maybe there are poems you’re not ready to write, that’s fine but don’t stop writing. Every poem you write doesn’t have to be THE poem. Sometimes you’re going to write 15 poems, and 15 of them will be trash. But the 16th poem is the best. Not every poem is a great poem, but you write them to keep the motion of writing.

This is what strengthens your pen. The pen changes everything. Black Chakra isn’t outdoing poets because he can out-perform them or because he has better subjects. It’s the pen. It doesn’t matter how powerful or potent your poem is, if the pen doesn’t back it up. Strengthen your pen, and the confidence will follow to aid in your power and potency.

“It’s hard work, and I’m willing to do it because sacrifice is the art of being great.”

– Black Chakra

To close it out, Black Chakra leaves us with this note:

“Your story is worth telling because your story is not yours alone. Every artist who is a poet, has been given the gift of saying these things and writing these things as a light. … Statistically, more people suffer from stage fright than the fear of death. Which means, more people would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy. And because you have found the ability to do this, your story is important. … Your story is worth being told, and we all need to hear it.”

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Black Chakra is a spoken word and hip-hop artist whose has been a national poetry slam champion, Texas Grand Slam champion, Southern Fried slam champion and a plethora of others too long to list. Black Chakra embodies the city of Baltimore through aggressive performance and incredible writing. What he takes the most pride in is being a youth poetry teacher for Dewmore Baltimore. He helps Baltimore youth cultivate their talent and showcase it on National stages. Follow Black Chakra on social media: @BlackChakra88

Going Viral on TikTok as a Poet

TikTok famous poet, Anthony Hyland, is setting the standard for poets looking to grow their platform on social media. And he’s not keeping the tricks for working the system to himself. Anthony sat down with us at the Poet Life Podcast to explain how he did it and how you can make a name for yourself on social media.

A fundamental truth about social media is that you cannot post the exact same content with the exact same caption across all platforms. Each platform has its own personality, so you have to tailor your content. The same goes for poetry between social media and the stage.

Anthony adds to this concept by saying, “They’re never going to be the same. … The way you approach performances is going to be way different, and the content you post will be slightly different. Because now you’re working the system to get engagement.”

 When performing on stage, he will most likely end up freestyling a poem he’s had practiced a hundred times because the energy from the crowd is so dynamic. Whereas, “social media is about translating passion into a digestible piece so people will get the point. You’ve gotta say a whole lot in a lot less time.”

For this conversation, we focused on the poetically underutilized TikTok app.

To kick things off, Anthony shared his two biggest tips for any poet no matter your platform:

Be authentic to you and find your voice

Anthony says, “Find your voice. Hopping into the slam scene, I stood out because I didn’t sound like everyone else. A lot of time, we focus on doing what’s popular that we forget to be authentic.”

He goes on to explain that what goes viral is not what’s popular. It’s being your authentic self.

Stop listening to everybody

There’s a difference between being a listener and being a performer. When you’re writing, don’t listen to other poets. This way your style doesn’t get muddied by theirs and so you don’t start to mimic them completely. He goes on to explain that as a listener, he’s listening to other poets to diversify his style. He listens as a listener. 

“When you become so consumed by other people’s content, you start to sound like them.”

Why should a poet be on TikTok?

Most of us hear “TikTok” and think it’s teenagers doing dances and random challenges, right? So did Anthony. Until his wife introduced it to him a couple years ago. Then he found this account with 300,000 followers that had been posting about social consciousness. That intrigued Anthony because he realized he could use his existing poems infused with social justice messaging.

Jumping onto the TikTok app with his poetry, Anthony was bringing something different to the platform. Standing out. He became the TikTok poet, and he has created an avenue for poets on that platform.

This allowed him to make the most of his visibility. He has been able to use his following size as a platform to promote other people. Sharing other people’s content on TikTok keeps you top of mind as an influencer. And it helps grow the audience of the person you’re tagging and promoting.

Anthony has also monetized his brand in a couple ways. He has his book and merch for sale that people can access through his bio, which is standard for any platform.

But he takes this monetization a step further by offering his own tiered paid promotion options. He posted on other platforms, like his Facebook, asking if anyone wants “to put their brand in front of 60,000 people.” There were three levels to choose from:

●      $25 for a 12 hour post

●      $50 for a 24 hour post

●      $100 for a permanent post

He has also learned that TikTok creators won’t be contacted for sponsorships until they’ve hit the 100,000 followers mark. Or monetized sponsorships until the 500,000 follower mark. That’s why it’s important for us poets to learn as much as we can about TikTok and grow our poetry brand on that platform.

 What do you need to know? Queue the transition.

Learn your metrics

With social media, metrics play a huge role in how to tailor your content. According to Anthony, the average person will stop watching a video within the first 5 to 7 seconds. If you don’t draw them in, you lose an audience member.

Anthony says this is why he loves TikTok so much.

When you switch your TikTok account from regular to Pro, you get even more free analytics. Learn what these mean and dig in. Because as you grow your following on TikTok, more and more features become available to you.

TikTok thrives on metrics

For example, you can’t go live on your TikTok page until you’ve hit at least 1,000 followers. As you continue growing that following, you can create a stitch or a reaction. This is where you can talk and react to someone else’s video which is being shown in a smaller box on your video.

There’s much more you can do with this reaction, so listen to the full podcast episode to hear Anthony describe it!

 By paying attention to his metrics, Anthony discovered that anywhere between 15 and 45 seconds is his sweet spot for going viral. That’s the timeframe he has to capture the audience’s attention and inspire them to comment on and share his video.

It’s also important to remember that on TikTok, “likes mean close to nothing. Your bread and butter is in your comments first and then your shares on and off the platform,” according to Anthony. So it’s not how many likes that is considered viral on TikTok. It’s comments and shares.

Metrics introduce you to your audience

He has also learned who his TikTok audience is. He has followers that are

●      12 to 25 years old

●      Some people upwards of 50, 60, 70 years old

●      86.5% women

So he knows that his sound bites are able to “invoke raw emotion” from the demographics that follow him. 

TikTok is a place where you can build your community by posting authentic and relatable content. For example, one of Anthony’s poems took off, and he gained 40,000 followers in a month. It was a poem that disrupted the mindset of unconditional love as a parent. That kind of message resonated with his audience.

“That poem went so viral because it’s such a relatable piece,” Anthony says.

Metrics tell you if you got shadow banned

Paying attention to your metrics will also help you know if you’ve been shadow banned. “Shadow banned” is when your account stops getting views, likes, and traffic from the “For You Page.” Anthony says to read the community guidelines to avoid being shadow banned.

“Figure out: what are the types of things they’re limiting you from saying. And then how can you navigate around that to still get your message out and still garner a response that you want?”

6 pro tips for growing your poetry brand on TikTok

There’s more than metrics to doing well on TikTok. You have to think about your video quality as well as your content. Here are six pro tips from Anthony to make sure you’re doing your best work on TikTok:

1. Learn: “You have to be a student of the game. Read. Understand how social media works to navigate the platform and build a moderate to a massive platform.”

2. Diction: Make sure your vocal projection is out there, clear.

3. Content: Post content people can relate to. That they can latch on to.

4. Competitions: “I tell people, ‘Go to my poetry video, use that sound, and recreate it the best way you know possible.’ Then that opens you up to different market places. I now have a worldwide audience.”

5. Reach out: “Don’t be afraid to reach out to people on bigger pages and ask ‘Hey, could you duet my video or comment on my video?’ There are pages who reach out to collaborate on a project. Don’t be afraid to throw some money their way for it.”

6. Be you: “Don’t worry about [the number of] followers. Don’t worry about likes. Worry about putting authentic content out, and I promise you, people will relate to your content.”

That’s a whole lot we covered just now, and we cover even more on the full podcast episode. Give it a listen! You never know what you’ll learn about TikTok and the poetry industry.

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Anthony holds the distinct privilege of having served the District of South Carolina and Southern Region of Alpha Phi Alpha as the Assistant Chair to the Belford V. Lawson Oratorical Competition. He is the Southern District and Regional 1st place Oratorical Contest winner and 1st Runner-up on the National level. This young man firmly believes that service is a duty NOT an obligation. Find Anthony on TikTok at @iSpeak1906

Grow Your Poetry Brand on LinkedIn

According to LinkedIn expert Bianca J. Jackson, if you want to give yourself a $16,000 raise, get on LinkedIn. In the United States, the average person makes $59,000. The average LinkedIn user makes $75,000.

 We at Poet Life Podcast sat down with Bianca to learn how poets can grow their brand on LinkedIn. Here’s what we learned.

Decision makers are on LinkedIn

Out of every 5 LinkedIn users, 4 have the ability to decide something. That could be anything from where to spend their budgets to influencing a hiring decision. The professionals on LinkedIn can write you a check, open a door, or at least connect you to someone who can.

Think about it. People spend so much time on social media, why wouldn’t we spend some of that time on LinkedIn to make something happen for our careers?

As the owner of an art gallery, Biance wishes artists would do two things:

1. Be on the platform and actually use it

2. Post their work 

She even ended up hiring a graphic designer because he had a LinkedIn profile. However, he didn’t have any of his work on there, and she had to go find him on other social platforms to see his work. She could’ve made a faster decision if he had some of his portfolio on LinkedIn. Bianca says that if she wasn’t so insistent on hiring him, she may have never hired him because his portfolio wasn’t easily accessible.

Since then, she’s hired that graphic designer again and referred him to someone else. Now, that guy is designing a children’s book. All because he had a presence on LinkedIn.

There are people who want to hire artists, who may not know who you are but will hire you because you’re visible to them. You’re in the right place.

Bianca says to use the Blue Ocean Strategy, “You go where you’re needed, where there’s no competition. Right now, for artists, that LinkedIn. I went to LinkedIn to find an artist who was serious about their business. To me, you’re serious if you have a LinkedIn page.”

Take note of that: “You’re serious if you have a LinkedIn page.” That’s the key indicator to other professionals, that this is what you do professionally.

Take it from Bianca, “There are real CEOs, business owners, and bosses on LinkedIn who are like, ‘You know what, we want something different.’ And there’s not a lot of different on LinkedIn. A lot of creatives stay away from LinkedIn because they think it’s too square. Too stuffy. Too professional. But you have the opportunity to make it colorful, so come on and make it colorful.”

LinkedIn needs some color

LinkedIn culture is evolving, and it’s at a point where people crave more color. More human interaction. According to Bianca, the conversations on LinkedIn are changing. You never used to see social commentary or social justice articles. But they’re all over LinkedIn now.

She says, “On LinkedIn, we’re starting to care about everybody and not just certain types of people.”

That said, if you’ve got old footage or audio of you performing, as long as it appeals to the professional business owner, put that on your feature section where you can put media. If you’re concerned about posting pieces you cuss in or discuss a controversial topic, you can post a clean version or choose different pieces to share with your network. Think about what content you have that’s commercial, and share that on LinkedIn.

Besides, being commercial is how we can build the poetry industry, right?

You’re likely to have a stronger impact if you show people what you do, rather than simply tell them.

Some may be concerned about showcasing your poetic side on your personal LinkedIn account that has your resume and showcases your day job. Bianca says, “It’s possible to have one profile where you’re mixing your artistry with your 9-5.”

If you work in a company where this may be an issue, have a conversation with your boss and let them know what you’re doing on the side and see if they’re cool with you posting about that. If you have a good company culture, chances are, they will be perfectly fine with it, and they may even be interested. But if they’re not cool with it, then you can create a dedicated page for your art separate from your day job.

But at the very least, you should be on LinkedIn with your poetry. It gives you more of a chance at making this happen for yourself.

3 tips for getting started

Bianca shared quite a few tips and LinkedIn features for poets to know about to get started on the right foot.

1.   Do your research

It’s important to keep up with the times, because “we have so much power and money sitting in our pockets.” While you’re researching, look for virtual ways people are still getting together during COVID and hosting events. There are virtual weddings, funerals, birthdays, showers, graduations, etc.

Do your homework and see what event could use you as a featured poet. That means you can hop on a live stream and have a potentially larger audience than a regular in-person event, and there’s now a recording of your performance. That can go a long way in someone else booking you for their event or recommending you for another.

2.   Invest in yourself

Get yourself the equipment you need to be successful. Our world changed in such a short time, and everything is digital now. So there’s some tools you need to be effective online:

●      Laptop

●      Headphones

●      Lights

●      Microphone

●      Backdrop

These things make it easier for you to be connected, visible, heard, and professional. Set that tone for yourself as much as you can, and others will see how serious you are about your craft.

3.   Become familiar with LinkedIn features

LinkedIn has similar features to other social platforms: reactions, hashtags, tagging other users, going Live (although this has been locked down, and you have to apply to LinkedIn to use it), trending content, advertising, original articles, a feature section. The list goes on and on.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with these features so you use them correctly and in a way that will benefit you. For example, if you have performance videos, post them on the feature section of your profile. This allows visitors to get a sense of who you are and what content you produce.

Also, LinkedIn has a recommendation section at the bottom of your profile where others can write a recommendation for you for others to see.

If you are creating a company page, attach your page to relevant hashtags. If someone uses that hashtag and it starts trending, you get a notification asking if you want to comment on the post to join in the conversation. It’s a great way to get exposure on global trends.

LinkedIn also uses hashtags, so search poetry industry hashtags to research what’s currently out there. What are people talking about? What are the successful poets doing on their profile? Bianca even says it’s smart to model your profile after those successful ones.

She also recommends using a social media scheduler or posting early in the morning to avoid your employer seeing you post during the day about your art — if that’s a concern.

In conclusion, be a presence on LinkedIn

At the end of the day, you should still use the other social platforms. They still serve their purpose. Companies still want to see that you can create social engagement, which could come in handy for any influencer marketing they may be doing.

But with over 675 million people on LinkedIn around the world, there’s a lot of global buying power that has next to no visibility of professional poets. Remember that the users on LinkedIn have a different mindset. They’re looking for their next job, a new business, new clients and customers, new partnerships, or an introduction to the CEO. LinkedIn users are in business mode. On Facebook, they’re chilling out.

The question now is: Do you want to be popular or do you want to be booked?

If that all wasn’t enough, Bianca said everything we needed to hear in one fell swoop, “As an artist, aren’t you a professional? Start with that.”

And if even that wasn’t enough to convince you of LinkedIn’s value, the Poet Life Blog you’re enjoying right exists because of a LinkedIn connection!

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Listen to the full episode to learn more about Bianca and more tips and tricks she has for being effective on LinkedIn.

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Bianca J. Jackson is a storyteller and branding consultant based in Baltimore, MD. Her background in tech, digital marketing, and social impact has landed her and associated projects such awards and honors as a Pulitzer Prize, 40K+ followers on LinkedIn, and coveted speaking opportunities at events such as SXSW, Digital Summit Philadelphia, and Tech Inclusion NY. Her work has been featured in such publications as Forbes, Washington Post, and Tech Republic.

KaNikki Jakarta Explains How She Became a First Black Poet Laureatte

Many may be unfamiliar with the concept of a poet laureate and what it entails. What is a poet laureate? How do you become a poet laureate? How long is the term? Who can become a poet laureate?

Let’s explore these questions and get some answers, shall we?

What does a poet laureate do?

A poet laureate is essentially a mayor for poetry. As a poet laureate, you represent your city, county, state, or country at poetry and political events, where you’ll perform original poems specifically crafted for each event. Each poet laureate term varies, but the talented poet we’re talking with on Poet Life Podcast is serving for three years.

KaNikki Jakarta is serving as the Alexandria, Virginia, Poet Laureate (2019-2021) — and she’s making history as Alexandria’s first Black poet laureate. She explains that she “didn’t even think about being the first Black poet laureate until three or four months into her term.”

As she settled into her term, she thought “Now that I have it, now what?” That’s when it hit her that she had created a history moment and was more than just a poet laureate.

So far, she says her term is going great, even with the COVID-19 curveball thrown at her as she entered her second year as poet laureate. She has been lucky enough to alter her platforms into virtual spaces and keep her year moving.

How to become a poet laureate — according to KaNikki Jakarta

First, if your city or state doesn’t have a poet laureate, petition to start the position in your area. If your city or state does have one, do your homework. Learn how long their terms are, some can be lifetime terms and some could be two, three, ten years. Research the criteria, and take note of what you need to do to succeed.

KaNikki’s first step you should take? Set your poetry up in the city you live in. Create the buzz around your name or organization. “It’s about you finding out what’s going on in your city and putting yourself in those positions so when they see you again, they remember you.”

KaNikki’s three-time poet laureate application experience:

“For my city, we submit 10 poems anonymously. The board reads the poems, and the ones they like best get called in for an interview. Then, you write a statement about why you should be the poet laureate and what you can do for your city. Next, they bring you in to ask a bunch of questions and decide if you get to come back for a second interview. They wanted to know things like, what I’d do for the first 90 days of my term.”

 “I applied three times to be the poet laureate. I had to figure out what I wanted to do for the community, who I am, and what I was going to offer to this position.” 

Luckily for KaNikki, the third time she applied, she already had events planned and was going to do them either way. So she was prepared with 90 days of events to share with the board.

How KaNikki turned her gift into a poetry business

First, it’s important to note that KaNikki still does poetry for the love of it. She still does a lot of free things for the love of poetry. But the business of poetry starts with asking, “How is this going to benefit me?”

If she does a charity feature for free, she asks the organizers to introduce her to all of the event sponsors. That allows her to give them her card so they can talk later about what she can do for them.

1.   Do your homework

KaNikki says, “It’s not always about the money. Sometimes it’s about the connections of it all.”

An important step she took was going back to school to earn her marketing degree to learn how to market her poetry. Marketing yourself as a poet is business to business (B2B) rather than business to consumer (B2C), which comes into play when marketing a book of poetry.

She says, “If you want to do this as a career, you have to be strategic. It’s important to analyze the playing field and what’s happening in the world right.”

She also notes it’s smart to have pieces in your portfolio that are marketable, not just personal.

“Is this [poem] what you’re going to recite to the Obama’s?” she asks. “You should be writing the poems for the places you want to go. You should be thinking outside of the open mic. Market yourself as, ‘Let me be your poet for this event.’ If open mic is home, family, community, practice, you can always go home. If you wanna do this for a career, you have to leave home.”

2.   Write for the page, not just the stage

KaNikki also makes the distinction between spoken word and the serious literacy side of poetry: “Being a writer and a performer are two different things. I’m a writer first. I grew up writing. I did not grow up performing.”

 There’s a difference between writing for the stage and writing for the page. And the page is what pays, because people buy your books — sometimes even in bulk for schools or workshops. 

“Rule 101 of marketing,” according to KaNikki, “It is easier to promote to the same person if they already know me. When I release a book, I have 200 or so people who will pre-order because they know who I am.”

She continues, “If you’re a self-published author, you don’t just sell to them, you get their information. You follow up with them, so when you’re ready to release another project, they already know who you are.”

Social media has made it easier for self-published authors to market their books. KaNikkie says, “If you have a book that’s coming out, and you’re not promoting it 6 months ahead of time, you’re behind the curve.”

By promoting well in advance of the launch date, the excitement can build and people will pre-order your book. By the time your book is ready to launch, chances are they forgot they pre-ordered and will be re-excited by it.

3.   Get yourself some supporters

You have family, friends, fans, and supporters. And some may overlap, but they should all be different people. 

KaNikki says, “Know who your supporters are and what they are supporting you in. They may not buy anything, but they may post up flyers.” And that kind of support can go a long way in getting you recognition or a full audience at an event.

4.   Have a plan

Do you have business cards? Do you have a website? A press kit? A plan?

Here is a list of things KaNikki recommends planning out to make your poetry business successful:

●      Flier: Details who you are and what you do

●      Press kit: More details on contact info, bio, publication details, etc.

○      Check out Writer’s Digest for a jumping off point

●      Business card: Only hand out when you’re going to be doing business together

●      Reference letters: From people who have worked with you as a poet before, similar to reference letters for a job application

●      Contract: Start getting money up front for a show; if the show gets cancelled, plan for what happens then financially.

●      Plan for anything and everything: Don’t quit your day job first, plan enough money for bills for a year or as long as necessary. Then, ask yourself these questions to make sure you’re prepared for anything

○      Where are you going?

○      Can you sell merch at a table at your events?

○      How are you going to pay your bills if this doesn’t work out?

○      Where are you going to eat and sleep while you’re on a tour?

○      What are you trying to do for your poetry? What’s your goal?

○      Can you build something at home first? Become a host? Contact your local library and start something.

As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

KaNikki’s final thoughts

Take it from the first Black poet laureate in Alexandria, “Keep going. Don’t stop. That’s how you make it for decades and decades. Let poetry work for you.” 

How are you going to apply these lessons from KaNikki and take the next step in your poetry career? If you don’t know just yet, be sure to listen to the full Poet Life Podcast episode to hear even more examples and explanations from KaNikki on how she did it.

We’ll leave you with this final nugget from KaNikki:

“You have to participate in your own blessings. What are you going to do to make this happen?”

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With over 25 years of writing and over a decade on the poetry scene, Alexandria Poet Laureate KaNikki J. writes and recites what she calls “real life fiction” that touches her listeners to the core. She has published two fictional novels, and is a success at wearing many hats: poet, host, and ASL Interpreter. She is the founder of NUSPA (National Underground Spoken word Poetry Awards.) If you think that something she says on the mic might change your life, you’re probably right. Discover more about KaNikki at kanikkij.com

Featuring Stand-Up Poetry on Amazon Prime: Roscoe Burnems Shares How He’s Doing It

You may want to keep tabs on Roscoe Burnems. He’s changing what it means to be an Amazon best seller in poetry and is on his way to becoming a household name. With over ten years as a full-time poet, Roscoe has seen his share of failures and successes — and he’s proud of both. They pushed him to become the artist that he is with an awesome (in the true definition of "awesome") list of credentials: 

●      National poetry slam champion

●      Poetry educator

●      Published author

●      PBS feature

●      Host

And most recently, the game changer we’re here to fill you in on:

●      Star of the new Amazon Prime spoken-word and comedy special: Traumedy

Roscoe stopped by the Poet Life Podcast to share how he’s creating success as a poet and how you can make it happen for yourself too. Be sure to listen to the full podcast episode to hear more about his journey to becoming a slam poet, the strategy of slam poetry, and what he’s up to next.

Let’s explore how Roscoe pushed the boundaries of the poetry industry and his tips for making your goals happen.

Pro tip: Have a pen and paper nearby to jot down the nuggets of information you didn’t realize you needed.

New approach to multimedia poetry

Being an adaptable poet is crucial to remaining a relevant artist. And Roscoe learned that first-hand. He recalls making a poetry CD because it was the thing to do, but then he noticed his CDs weren’t selling. People just weren’t buying CDs anymore. Then books became the novelty, and still come and go in waves of popularity. But now, streaming is everything.

Roscoe says, “you’ve gotta shift with the culture or you’re going to get left behind.”

And shift he did.

He says, “I wanted something that was still visual, because my passion has always been being on the stage.”

He realized when he was performing a feature poetry set, he would tell jokes between poems. And as he was growing up, he was always wowed by the storytelling and physicality of stand-up comedy. So he meshed the two, and “Traumedy” was born.

He says the goal for this spoken word comedy show wasn’t to get it on Amazon. The goal was to put on a live special. So he enlisted the help of a friend who directs films and an editor, and they made it happen.

How to showcase poetry on Amazon Prime

According to Roscoe, “it’s not as hard as people think.” He explains there was no having “my people call their people.” It was as simple as using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, which is a form of self publishing for authors and indie filmmakers.

Here are the steps Roscoe took and the tips he learned while launching Traumedy on Amazon Prime:

1.   Create account with Amazon Video Direct

Amazon Video Direct is where the audience can rent, buy, or stream for free on Amazon Prime.

2.   Record in HD, not 4k

High definition (HD) can be viewed in standard definition as well as HD. But not all audiences can view it in 4k. Note: You have to meet a certain number of pixels, so be sure to check out all the specifications listed.

3.   Have to have captions

Captions are a basic requirement that you will need to handle on your own. Roscoe uses rev.com for captions and transcripts. It’s relatively affordable, and they send the caption files back to you within a few days.

Then you upload that file to Amazon. If the captions are off in any way, they will reject your video, and you’ll have to redo it.

4.   Cover art

Cover art is a crucial part of marketing and capturing your audience’s attention. There are different pixel requirements to meet for the various spaces your material will be promoted across Amazon. Be sure to pay attention to the list of requirements and specifications.

5.   Hit publish

When you’ve got all you’re pieces together and uploaded, hit publish!

6.   Get sent to Amazon rep for review

After you hit publish, your video gets sent to an Amazon representative to watch and review your captions, ensure the content ratings are accurate, and look for anything that may be wrong with your files. If there’s anything wrong at all, they will reject it and let you know what needs fixed.

 Be prepared. You can anticipate a few weeks of turnaround time for each review needed. Be sure to be flexible and plan a go-live date further out than you originally wanted.

7.   Fix issues

Traumedy was rejected three times for things like captions being slightly off and the number of pixels for the cover art was wrong. After fixing the issues, it was accepted and ready for publishing.

Note: Roscoe says, while the editing threw off the timing of the launch, he appreciated that Amazon forced them to put out a quality product.

8.   Uploaded and published in April (originally planned for February)

Finally, the approved video gets uploaded and published. And voila! You’ve got your poetry out there in a format you may not have thought possible and in a medium that will attract audiences who maybe weren’t expecting you.

The business behind the pursuit

According to Roscoe, publishing your poetry on Amazon Prime is “not a money grab. You don’t make any real money off streams.” He says that for every 60 minutes of Amazon Prime streaming, he earns six cents.

For him, and other artists, using Amazon Prime as a platform is about being accessible and staying relevant. It’s a way to reach more audiences that aren’t in poetic spaces. Roscoe is able to reach a comedic audience with this hybrid of spoken word and stand up. It’s an innovative approach that this established audience isn’t expecting but is open to.

 Roscoe says, it’s “ a way for people to assess how they feel about your art without having to be at an event.” Here at Poet Life, we appreciate him for enabling people who aren’t poets to see and feel the value in poetry.

 Aside from audience accessibility, Traumedy has opened up a lot more conversations for him as a creative and created opportunities he wouldn’t have had otherwise — speaking engagements at schools and colleges, a Tedx Talk, a Juneteenth event, panels, non-profits, youth groups, etc.

What’s next?

Roscoe’s “next” is enhancing the current. He’s got dreams to expand the availability of Traumedy from Amazon Prime to across platforms, whether that’s still in video or just the audio. He’s even got plans for a second special and a dream to perform his specials in a bigger venue. He’s focused on fine tuning what he’s created and giving it as much life as it can have.

 At the end of the day, “no great change comes without the risk of failure.” And Roscoe left these final thoughts: 

“It’s important for artists to know the process is taxing. The work is always worth it. It’s always rewarding. Just keep going. And know that it’s hard to go it alone. If you have people in your corner, call in a favor every once in a while. Use what you have in your network. If it’s not in your network, it might be in someone else’s. Build a team as best you can, and work from there.” 

“Do what you love, and you’ll love what you do.”

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Richmond Virginia native, Douglas Powell/Roscoe Burnems is a poet, published author, spoken-word artist, comedian, educator, father, and husband who has dedicated his craft to entertaining and educating. Learn more about Roscoe at roscoeb.webs.com