This story is a part of Lit Mag: The Rhythm & Move Edition.
Awet Habtom: OK. Hi my name is Awet and I’m an intern at Youth Radio and I am going to interview a couple of people for my project on spoken word and what it means to people and how it affects their lives individually. So yeah let’s get started.
If you could just please introduce yourself.
Stoney Creation: Peace everyone, I’m Stoney Creation.
AH: Ok awesome so what is your own definition of spoken word.
SC: My own definition of spoken word is a way of expressing yourself in words and emotion. I find that it’s a dope way to express yourself in a freeing aspect and to be able to not have any limits or judgment towards what you have to say on a piece of paper.
AH: If you could please tell me about the first spoken word piece you’ve ever [written] performed.
SC: I remember that it was very political and it was a liberal piece that I wrote because I was just stepping into my consciousness. And yeah, it was really dope to write poetry because I felt so liberated and powerful to be able to do that.
AH: Tell me what you think or feel as you write or perform spoken word.
SC: I feel in my own bubble in space. I feel like I’m in a safe zone. I feel like I’m able to just release and express all the feelings that I have.
AH: And how do you think your spoken word affects others?
It definitely affective towards other people that I encounter and that I meet in the art world. It’s inspiring towards others. It’s healing and definitely loving towards other people.
AH: And why do you personally do spoken word?
SC: I first used spoken word to connect with myself and to connect with the outer world. I do it to just feel free within my way of speech and messages express myself that I want to in my mind.
AH: Can you describe a time where you knew that doing spoken word or being creative with words is something that you needed to do?
SC: I definitely figured out that being creative with words was one of my outlets because it allowed me to feel within myself. It was a personal state of freedom that I had within. it just allows me to escape from society’s restraints and to be able to just be who I am.
AH: What’s your favorite piece that you [written]. And what’s it about?
SC: My favorite piece that I wrote actually doesn’t have a name but it’s about the society that we live in and how I’m very aware of what I see within it and that I continue to you know stay aware and gain knowledge to be able to share that with people in the world.
AH: Do you have a specific theme or purpose to what you write or perform?
SC: My theme has a general rawness to it, which is consciousness and love, light, enlightenment and just fun.
AH: Has anything in the spoken word world ever surprised you?
SC: Now, I wouldn’t say surprise. But in terms of just the spoken word and conscience community, it’s surprising when you hear people talk so deeply about what they feel and you know so deeply about how they feel about society but they act such the opposite. And I just find that very just not dope, you know? It’s not cool. You’ve got to be about your word and like spoken word is definitely about that. You have to be about what you speak.
AH: OK. Last question. What advice can you give someone who is interested in spoken word but doesn’t know where to start?
SC: I guess I’ll say them to just start out with inspiration and to start out with a general basis of what’s on their mind most of the time. Spoken word is really used to release energies and thoughts from your mind and I feel like you should just release whatever you feel needs to be gone in that moment and what needs to be uplifted in your brain.
AH: Awesome. Thank you. That was Stony for us. We are done.
My project is apart of rhythm and move for many reasons. Spoken word is about self expression no matter how bold, harsh, or deep it is. And just like rhythm and move, they both are used to show how real people can be.