American poet Jericho Brown visited to Prairie View A&M University to share his success story and multiple poems in his award-winning book “Please.”
He entered the room, gave a very brief introduction, took a long pause, glared across the room to grasp everyone’s attention, and began reciting his poetry.
The first poem he read from his newly released book was titled “Excuse Me.” Brown read his words with pain in his voice and eyes, captivating his emotions to the audience.
He then went on to another poem titled “Memory Lane,” which was inspired by one of his musical influences, Minnie Riperton. Brown’s poem “Autobiography” seemed to be a crowd favorite. Brown altered his voice to fit the comical mood of his poem. His words were humorous, and he also managed to incorporate singing into his delivery.
Brown shared with the audience that he loves doing his poetry readings at historically black colleges/ universities because the audience is able to recognize the musical influences in his poetry and understands – in his own words — “What the hell he is talking about when he mentions Minnie Riperton.”
The artist spoke of his future hopes for the evolution of poetry. He believes that as poetry evolves, poets of different genres will become more accepting of each others’ work and learn to appreciate something that has nothing to do with what they deal with on a regular basis.
Brown said, “The only way we can continue having great literature in the future is to embrace other cultures, backgrounds, and genres of others poets.”
Brown received his doctoral degree in creative writing and literature from the University of Houston. He also received a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor’s degree from Dillard University. He is currently teaching creative writing and poetry courses at the University of San Diego.