On the evening of April 1, the warm lights of Coley Rice Lounge cast a golden glow over the room. Over the sea of high-backed chairs stood Lady Brion, Maryland’s youngest and first spoken-word Poet Laureate. Adorned in gold jewelry that shimmered with every gesture, Brion entranced both the audience of students and faculty alike with her captivating poetry and clever approach to blending art and activism as one.
The performance was the culmination of McDaniel’s 36th Annual Christopher Bothe Lecture, in which one visiting writer spends the day with the writing community on campus and performs a public reading at the end of the night. The campus community flocked to the reading at 7:30 pm last Tuesday and were certainly not disappointed.
Described as a spoken-word artist, poetry coach, activist, organizer, and educator, Lady Brion has been performing since age 12 and obtained both a BA in Communications from Howard University as well as an MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore. She has worked alongside a variety of programs and nonprofits, such as Dew More Baltimore, poetry program Louder Than A Bomb, and grassroots organization Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle.
Brion encouraged an environment of “exuberance” as she read a variety of poetry covering a myriad of subjects, seamlessly weaving techniques from the spectrum of Baptist church to hip-hop culture. From a remix of 50 Cent’s “Many Men” and a poem describing a man as a cast iron skillet, to a tribute to her mother in “Sugarcane Smile” and a notable Baltimore native, “Mrs. Lacks,” each poem evoked eruptions of applause and conversation.
As an “artivist,” which combines the terms artist and activist together, Brion believes that poetry lives within social justice and commentary. Her deliberations on her experience as a Black woman born and raised in Baltimore surge with authenticity while also serving as a testament to talking about “common things in an uncommon way.”
Each of Brion’s performances intentionally studies and honors Black history, from performances grappling with linguistic justice in “I Talk Black,” to “Shards of a Cycle” and “Black Girl Beautiful,” which celebrate and acknowledge the tribulations and triumphs of Black women candidly.
Brion aims to promote the uniqueness of art as a unifying element. During her time as poet laureate, her goal is to host a poetry performance workshop in every county in the state, as well as create a Poet Laureate for Baltimore City and publish an additional book.
One of Brion’s “bucket list” goals was to follow in the footsteps of Lucille Clifton, the first Black female poet laureate of Maryland and one of the artist’s frequently cited inspirations. And after the night’s performance, it is undoubtedly certain that Brion is a trailblazer and an irrepressible creative force for Maryland to be proud of.
Setlist:
- Many Men
- Black Girl Beautiful
- Sugarcane Smile
- Consecrated Acrylic
- Cast Iron Skillet of a Man
- Denise
- Shards of a Cycle
- My Mother’s Hands
- Mrs. Lacks
- I Talk Black
- Reciprocity