From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buddy Wakefield (born June 4, 1974) is an American slam poet, whose latest works have been released by Righteous Babe Records (CD) and Write Bloody Publishing (books).

Biography

Buddy Wakefield was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and was raised in Baytown, Texas. In 2001, he left his position as an executive assistant for a biomedical firm in Gig Harbor, Washington, sold or gave away everything he owned and moved into a Honda Civic to tour North American poetry venues.^[1]

In 2004 and again in 2005, Buddy Wakefield won the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship title, becoming the first poet to win the title two consecutive years.^[2] Wakefield has been a member of several slam poetry teams, including Team Seattle in 2006 and 2007.

Wakefield continue to make his living through his poetry and performance. In addition to touring the country solo, Wakefield has also been a core member of several traveling poetry groups, including 2007's Solomon Sparrow's Electric Whale Revival, 2008's Junkyard Ghost Revival, and 2009's Elephant Engine High Dive Revival, where he shared the stage with poets such as Derrick Brown, Anis Mojgani, Andrea Gibson, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, and others.

When not on tour, Wakefield lives Seattle, Washington. He currently serves of the board of Youth Speaks Seattle, a non-profit literary arts organization. ^[3]

Books & Records

Wakefield has published two books of poetry: Some They Can't Contain (2004, originally The Wordsmith Press; reissued by Write Bloody Publishing) and Live for a Living (2007, Write Bloody Publishing).^[4]

Wakefield has also released three full-length spoken word albums. In 1999, he self-produced A Stretch of Presence. In 2006, Run On Anything was produced and released by Strange Famous Records.

In 2009, Live at the Typer Cannon Grand was produced and released by Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records.^[5] The album contains both studio-produced tracks and recordings of live performances, including several from Wakefield's numerous times opening for DiFranco on her tour.

Influence

Wakefield has had a profound impact on the contemporary poetry slam movement, both in his performance and writing style as well as how he has conducted his career. In her book, Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, author Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz named Wakefield as "the modern poetry slam role model." She wrote,

Discography

• Live From the Typer Cannon Grand (2009) Righteous Babe Records
• Run On Anything (2006) Strange Famous Records
• A Stretch of Presence (1999) Independently released

Bibliography

• Live For A Living, Write Bloody Publishing, 2007
• Some They Can't Contain, Write Bloody Publishing, 2004

Anthologies

• Elephant Engine High Dive Revival, Write Bloody Publishing, 2008.
• Junkyard Ghost Revival, Write Bloody Publishing, 2008.
• The Last American Valentine: Illustrated poems to seduce and destroy, Write Bloody Publishing, 2008.
• Spoken Word Revolution Redux, Sourcebook, Inc, 2008.
• Solomon Sparrow's Electric Whale Revival, Write Bloody Publishing, 2007.
• Freedom To Speak: The Best of the 2002 National Poetry Slam, The Wordsmith Press, 2003.

References

1. ^ Official Buddy Wakefield Biography
2. ^ Individual World Poetry Slam
3. ^ Wakefield Interview with The Southeast Review
4. ^ Write Bloody Publishing website
5. ^ Wakefield's Page on Righteous Babe Records website
6. ^ Aptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe. (2008). Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam. Soft Skull Press. Page 354. ISBN 1-933-36882-9.

External links

• Buddy Wakefield's Official Site
• Wakefield's Page on Righteous Babe Records website
• Audio of Wakefield's Poetry, as heard on Indiefeed Performance Poetry Podcast
• Poem: Information Man
• Poem: Human The Death Dance
• Preview for "The Drums Inside Your Chest" Poetry Concert Film featuring Buddy
• Buddy Wakefield's Twitter Profile

From Wikiquote

Buddy Wakefield (born June 4, 1974) is a Spoken Word poet, signed to Sage Francis' record label, Strange Famous Records. He has been praised for his explosive energy and captivating lyrics.

Sourced

On Spoken Word

• We are the fed up grass roots movement of goose flesh, hell bent on living this one life by the way we feel our spines, saying what we mean, refusing to allow the few to preach to the many when it is the many who need to be hearing eachother.
  • Introduction (Some They Can't Contain)

Poetry

• This poem may have meant nothing to you but I am confident that tonight my taking the time to actually write out my anger instead of acting on it has saved the life of at least eleven people in parking enforcement.
  • Flare Guns and Earthquakes

• A waste is a nine-year-old boy playing catch with the roof of his garage who already understands that his existence makes for the perfect insult- gay. "You're so gay" a.k.a. stupid a.k.a. dumb a.k.a. wrong. Do you have any idea how gross it feels to hide inside the pile of lies it takes to make you, Sweet Angel, comfortable?
  • A Waste

• If you think being dysfuncted and damaged, strapped to your baggage, dirty, ruined and hurt like critical, cynical, scathing, if you're lost or have come up missing, scarred and scared (or pretending you aren't), when you think that's all you've got, it's not. The sadness you wear around like a trophy is intriguing at most, but it's miserable, and about as original as a frat boy with a visor cap. So step up.
  • Moving Forward

• Jordan tattoos the words "forgive me" in thick black letters down the inside of his arm so that when he looks at his wrist he will remember not to hate himself so much. What he keeps forgetting is that there is life after survival.
  • Human the Death Dance

• But my father he didn’t read moon, he didn’t speak moon, and he didn’t write moon. So there was no letter found next to his body in the garage when he chose to leave this place on purpose without saying where he was goin’ or why. There are still days you can catch me tape-recording eternal silence and playing it backwards for an empty room just so I can listen to his dying wish. Shh.
  • Human the Death Dance

• If we could all rephrase the question from "What was your most embarrassing moment?" to "What was your most embarrassing year?" Then I might be able to give you an honest answer.
  • Thin Ice

• The truth is I am a perfect part of the exact point at which all individual human beings meet and the spectrum of voices weaving themselves in between and screaming 'every sick thought you've ever had and every twisted feeling you've ever felt are what make this painting complete.'
  • Thin Ice

• Dear Angry Older People, over 21-ish, anyone who considers themselves an adult, still bitter: Next time you're wondering what wrong with kids today, you might wanna check the examples you've been giving us to work with.
  • Older People

• All these kids you can't seem to make any sense of would stop holding you so far off the edge of your seats if you'd start holding yourselves to the promises you make. We know you're not perfect because we're not. And I know I ain't perfect. But I believe I was meant to be.
  • Older People

• Listen, if you're from Arizona I'm not making fun of your home. I'm making fun of you for gathering there and building a community in an oven. Smooth move.
  • Arizona Summers

• He's got a lead brain. It's a battle magnet. He carries it around by the guilt straps...don't laugh, you didn't see the size of the blizzard that birthed him.
  • "Healing Herman Hesse"

• I keep forgetting to put focus on my to-do list. I keep forgetting to wander and have fun. I know I’m transparent but my insecurities are in all the right places, so go ahead, have a look.
  • "Gahndi’s Autobiography"

• Theses moments – as in a quote I read about life somewhere – are not a puzzle to be solved, but a moment to be lived. Just savor them when they happen. Call them coincidence. Call the synchronicity. Call them anything you want but, at the very least, savor them.
  • "Spiritualized"

• There are moments of clarity daily. They open me up with a breath and keep me calm. They feed me the answers. And they hold me lovingly. They are gospelstiches. My childish ass has got to let them heal. This feud I’m having with myself isn’t even original. But it is thick and rooted. Here’s to today, slowing down, suspending judgment, and breast strokes through chaos.
  • "Growing up Slowly"

External links

Wikipedia has an article about:

Buddy Wakefield