"There is a scream that occurs when you are left out of something." This is just one line from Imani Tolliver's poem, "The Fire This Time." Christopher Sprinkle has backed Tolliver's powerful, personal words with compelling music that takes the listener back to the time of the 1991 LA riots. As one who only read about and watched and listened to the news reports about the riots, this poem drew me in and I got to hear about that time from someone who was there and experienced it. Poetry can say things in a way that other forms of communication cannot and Ms. Tolliver uses her words well. This is an excellent, thought-provoking piece. It would work well during National Poetry Month; it would work well at any time of the year. It should have an audience.
It starts with the really good image of a young black girl saying boo to a car full of white people. It’s the kind of lyrical moment that is so easy to apprehend on the radio. It’s the kind of thing that gives you hope for the difficult proposition of getting poetry to work over the airwaves. In general, I think poetry for the radio works best when there’s more of a conversational quality to it, and less gravitas. With “The Fire This Time,” the smaller, human moments pull you in, and that’s most welcome.
Comments for The Fire This Time
Produced by Christopher Sprinkle
Other pieces by Christopher Sprinkle
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2 comments
Deborah Astley
Posted on March 27, 2005 at 06:41 AM | Permalink
Review of The Fire This Time
"There is a scream that occurs when you are left out of something." This is just one line from Imani Tolliver's poem, "The Fire This Time." Christopher Sprinkle has backed Tolliver's powerful, personal words with compelling music that takes the listener back to the time of the 1991 LA riots. As one who only read about and watched and listened to the news reports about the riots, this poem drew me in and I got to hear about that time from someone who was there and experienced it. Poetry can say things in a way that other forms of communication cannot and Ms. Tolliver uses her words well. This is an excellent, thought-provoking piece. It would work well during National Poetry Month; it would work well at any time of the year. It should have an audience.
Jonathan Goldstein
Posted on July 25, 2004 at 09:33 AM | Permalink
Review of The Fire This Time
It starts with the really good image of a young black girl saying boo to a car full of white people. It’s the kind of lyrical moment that is so easy to apprehend on the radio. It’s the kind of thing that gives you hope for the difficult proposition of getting poetry to work over the airwaves. In general, I think poetry for the radio works best when there’s more of a conversational quality to it, and less gravitas. With “The Fire This Time,” the smaller, human moments pull you in, and that’s most welcome.