“Open Casket” by Minton Sparks

A spoken-word artist who fuses folk music and poetry, Minton Sparks creates her own genre of artistic storytelling to give a unique voice to the modern, rural South. Sparks comes to the stage with a vintage handbag full of family characters she infuses with life through her voice, presence, and the occasional buck dance. No matter the subject, Sparks’s work captivates her audiences with its provocative and melodious tone. Some poems tell humorous tales of great aunts who charge facelifts to credit cards, while others more sorrowfully explore Southern women’s social roles in a different, but not-so-distant age.

“The Idea of Ancestry” by Manón Voice

Etheridge Knight wrote the 42-line poem “The Idea of Ancestry” in 1968. The title signifies the subject of the poem — the poet’s connection to his family, birthplace, and culture. Using this title and context for inspiration, poet and spoken-word artist, Manòn Voice, will interweave a narrative through storytelling and spoken word that celebrates and pays homage to the bold lineage of Black women writers and many mothers who shaped her as a poet, writer, and woman.

Presented in person and online
Media Sponsor: WFYI
Videographer Sponsors: Chatham Tap
Interpreted for the deaf and hearing impaired
Interpreter Sponsors: Jim Obermaier and Sally Perkins