Sculptures by artist Hugo Pérez commissioned by MFAH and ALMAAHH for the 2023 Fall Festival. Inspired by the story of his family’srescued Chihauhau, Hugo created the work to bring attention to the homeless dog situation in Houston. His color palette is inspired by the use of indigo in El Salvador / Courtesy of www.hugoperezart.com
Six Houston Latinx artists will be selected to create large-scale, temporary sculptures to be on view in the MFAH’s Cullen Sculpture Garden during the Fall Festival scheduled for November 10 – 17, 2024.
Now in its third year, the Fall Festival “celebrates the Museum’s commitment to Latin American and Latino art, and art of the Indigenous Americas,” as stated by the MFAH. Last year’s festival featured sculptures by six artists highlighting the theme Dream with Alebrijes, as well as live music, dance, and art-making activities for families.
The theme of the 2024 Fall Festival is Myths and Leyendas.
Myths and Leyendas is a connective tissue throughout Latin America in the sense that every country, region has their own legends/myths/folklore. These stories travel with people, are passed down from generation to generation and continue to evolve throughout the Latinx diaspora. For example, El Salvador has the folklore of El Cadejo, a dog-like creature which can appear in as a white dog (for protection) or as a black dog (bad omen). La Llorona, the infamous mythology of a woman based in colonial times in Mexico. La Tunda, a jungle shapeshifter from the Pacific coast of Colombia/Ecuador of the Afro-Colombian community. Los Duendes, gnome-like creatures which go by different names throughout Latin America (Tata Duende in Creole communities in Belize, Alux in Mayan beliefs throughout Yucatan Peninsula and Guatemala). This theme empowers the artists to bring their own cultural background in the creation of the sculpture and educate others through their work.
– Press release from ALMAAHH and MFAH
Latinx artists who live and work in Houston are eligible to apply, and there is no application fee.
Proposed sculptures should be visible from the street, weather-resistant to outdoor conditions, and inspired by myths and folklore of Latin America.
A stipend of $5,000 will be provided to each artist to cover labor, materials, and transportation of the artwork.
More information and a link to the application can be found here. The deadline to apply is August 5, 2024.
The Gateway to Asia activation in Asia Society Texas’ new permanent ‘Explore Asia’ educational exhibition. Photo by Chris Dunn/ Courtesy of Asia Society Texas
Asia Society Texas Center has announced that it is waiving admission this week through Sunday as an “escape” for Houstonians dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, which struck the Greater Houston region on Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.
“We sincerely hope you are well after Hurricane Beryl, and our hearts go out to everybody in the Houston area,” stated the organization on social media and in an email. “We welcome you to visit and escape the heat at no cost through Sunday, July 14. Enjoy our exhibitions and A/C for free!”
The free admission through Sunday includes access to Explore Asia, an immersive $4.6 million exhibition that just opened a year ago; Relatum — signal, a site-specific sculpture by Korean artist Lee Ufan; and Xu Bing: Word Alchemy, featuring more than 50 woodcut prints, videos, drawings, installations, and other works by contemporary Chinese artist Xu Bing (b. 1955).
“This is the last week of the Xu Bing exhibition as well, so we’re hoping we can be of service to the community, and they get a chance to see the art before it goes back to China,” said Stephanie Todd Wong, Vice President of Communications and External Affairs, at Asia Society Texas Center.
FINAL WEEK: Charting almost 50 years of artist Xu Bing's linguistic experiments, the exhibition 'Word Alchemy' features new commissions and works never before shown in the U.S. Enjoy FREE admission before the exhibition closes on Sunday, July 14! »https://t.co/ZlEbPZc3QXpic.twitter.com/WNf1Eh0uVA
— Asia Society Texas Center (@asiasocietytx) July 10, 2024
Information on hours, parking, and accessibility can be found here.
Tickets for Asia Society Texas Center typically range from $5-$15, with members and children ages 6 and under always free, according to its website.
Poet Elizabeth Hsu / Courtesy of Writers in the Schools
Elizabeth Hsu, a student at University of Texas Online High School, has been named the 2023-2024 Houston Youth Poet Laureate, as appointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Hsu’s one-year term officially begins on November 16, 2023, following a commencement ceremony. She becomes the city’s 8th Youth Poet Laureate, succeeding Ariana Lee, who is now a freshman at Stanford University.
“I’m honored to name Elizabeth as the next Youth Poet Laureate,” said Mayor Turner in a statement. “She is thoughtful and civic-minded, and her poetry reflects Houston’s future, and through her work, she will demonstrate how youth voices continue to shape the story of our city.”
An active member of the youth poetry community, Hsu was a semifinalist and the Texas Representative for the 2023-2024 National Student Poet competition. She is an alumna of the Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship, the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, the Stanford Humanities Institute, and the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program: Between the Lines.
According to WITS, Hsu merges a love of place and identity into her poetry, and she loves the power of language, her friends and family, and her four cats. In addition to writing, Hsu is a classical singer and a member of the Houston Grand Opera Bauer High School Voice Studio.
at fifteen I feel like I’m barely a human. I’m fourteen pages of tests and charts, stuck all together with thumbtacks and flesh and a broken signature for feet.
As part of her appointment, Hsu will receive a $1000 scholarship and will work closely with Houston Poet Laureate Aris Kian as her mentor over the next year. Hsu will connect with the community through writing and poetry performance, as well as complete a project that serves Houstonians.
“My project is aimed at increasing youth accessibility to diverse literature and encouraging young people to write poetry, especially in the wake of library conversion and book bans,” said Hsu in a statement.
“Through public readings, workshops, and media outreach, the project aims to ensure access to diverse literature and nurture spaces for learning and exploration,” she said.
Leading up to her appointment by Mayor Turner, Hsu went through an application process, and then a selection process by a diverse group of poets, scholars, literary experts, and community representatives. This year’s committee included poet J. Estanislao Lopez, Raie Crawford of Performing Arts Houston, Rich Levy of Inprint, and Anthony Sutton of the University of Houston.
“Throughout the process, we were blown away by Elizabeth’s poetic talent and her thoughtful engagement with community issues,” said Giuseppe Taurino, WITS Executive Director in a statement. “We’re delighted to welcome another Youth Poet Laureate to the Houston stage.”
Attica Locke / Courtesy of Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View A&M University’s Toni Morrison Writing Program recently announced novelist, screenwriter, and TV producer Attica Locke as its 2023-2024 Writer-In-Residence.
A New York Times-bestselling author of five novels, Locke was nominated for an Edgar Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize for her debut novel, Black Water Rising (2009). Her second book, The Cutting Season (2012), was a winner of the Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and her third, Pleasantville (2015), was the winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.
A native of Houston who attended Alief Hastings High School, Locke began writing a series of thrillers set along Highway 59 with her novel, Bluebird, Bluebird (2017)—followed by Heaven, My Home (2019)—which she described in Texas Monthly as “a love letter to black Texans and a thank you to the ones who raised me.”
“Having Attica Locke as our 2023-2024 Toni Morrison Writing Program Writer-in-Residence is a winner for our students,” said Dr. Emma Joahanne Thomas-Smith, PVAMU Provost Emerita and Director of the Toni Morrison Writing Program, in a statement.
“She is a storyteller’s storyteller and so well versed in each aspect of writing. I am especially impressed with her adaptation of fiction for television and film production,” said Thomas-Smith.
Locke’s television career includes writing and producing the Netflix miniseries, When They See Us, directed by Ava Duvernay; Hulu’s limited series, Little Fires Everywhere; and the Fox drama Empire. Most recently, she developed and was the showrunner for the Netflix limited series From Scratch, starring Zoe Saldana and based on her sister Tembi Locke’s memoir.
Attica Locke (showrunner), far left, and Tembi Locke (executive producer), second from left, on the set of the Netflix series “From Scratch.” / Photo credit: Jessica Brooks/Netflix
According to organizers, Locke’s residency will include masterclasses with students, as well as public lectures in November 2023 and February 2024. In addition, she will visit local area middle and high schools to engage students in developing their storytelling skills.
The Toni Morrison Writing Program was established in March 2021 with a gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, a former student of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Toni Morrison. Scott donated $50 million to the University in October 2020, with $3 million of her gift to endow the program. The writing program also partners with the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice.
Lynn Wyatt Square / Courtesy of Houston First Corportation on X
The $26.5 million Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts, a reimagined green space and focal point of Houston’s downtown Theater District, officially opens to the public on Friday, September 22, 2023.
During opening weekend, the park will host free lawn games and live entertainment, including an interactive experience called “Bees” created by the Australia-based Polyglot Theatre.
Bordered by Jones Hall, Alley Theatre, and Bayou Place—and adjacent to the Wortham Theater Center and only a few blocks away from the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts—Lynn Wyatt Square will aim to enhance the experience of patrons and pedestrians in downtown Houston, as well as contribute to the cultural landscape. The new square features a performance lawn for free concerts and programs, a cascading fountain, gardens, trees, lighting and sound elements, a space for a future restaurant, and mini murals on traffic boxes created by Anat Ronen and Jessica Guerra (Guerra Girl).
Lynn Wyatt Square / Courtesy of Houston First Corporation on X
“This is a game changer for downtown Houston. I am so excited to see this square come to life as a public space that connects the arts and, more importantly, connects people to the arts,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner in a statement.
While owned by the city, Lynn Wyatt Square is managed by Houston First Corporation, which will maintain and operate the park, as well as oversee its year-round programming in collaboration with local arts partners and stakeholders, according to a press release.
Named after philanthropist Lynn Wyatt, who announced a donation of $10 million toward the project in 2019, the Square is a major renovation and renaming of the former Jones Plaza, which was constructed in 1966.
Lynn Wyatt Square under construction / Courtesy of Houston First Corporation
“I love Houston, I love the arts and I absolutely love this beautiful Square. I am thrilled to support the team bringing people and the arts together in the heart of downtown,” said Wyatt in a statement. “I look forward to all the good this Square will do now and in the future for the people of this dynamic city and our world-class performing arts community.”
In addition to Wyatt’s donation, the Downtown Redevelopment Authority committed $10 million; Houston First Corporation committed $5 million; and additional funding was contributed by The Elkins Foundation, The Cullen Foundation, The Fondren Foundation, The Wortham Foundation, The Herzstein Foundation, Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, Vivian L. Smith Foundation, and M.D. Anderson Foundation. The project’s funding is approximately 45% private and 55% public, according to Houston First.
Lynn Wyatt Square / Courtesy of Houston First Corporation
As Lynn Wyatt Square opens, the city’s 2023-2024 downtown performing arts season is underway—this weekend alone, Alley Theater offers its season-opening production, American Mariachi; Houston Ballet is in production with Tutu at the Wortham Center; Houston Symphony presents Broadway Blockbuster with Norm Lewis at Jones Hall; and at the Hobby Center, Ars Lyrica Houston performs the concert Fallen Angels and Performing Arts Houston presents an Evening with Isaac Mizrahi.
“Lynn Wyatt Square is such an important addition to the landscape of Houston. This project, many years in the making, shows what is possible when private philanthropy, municipal partners, and the arts join together in a shared vision,” said Hillary Hart, Chair of Theater District Houston and Executive Director of Theatre Under The Stars, in an email to Houston Arts Journal.
“Located in the heart of the Theater District it creates the perfect place for people who love the arts to connect, and those new to Houston’s thriving arts scene will be able to discover the work of the incredibly talented artists who are an integral part of this community,” said Hart.
Giuseppe Taurino / Courtesy of Writers in the Schools
The long-running literary and education nonprofit Writers in the Schools recently announced writer, educator, and arts leader Giuseppe Taurino as its new Executive Director. Taurino began his role on September 1, 2023.
“Writers in the Schools’ mission is to connect children and youth with professional writers and spoken word artists to unlock the joy and power of storytelling and creative expression. Giuseppe’s profound dedication to creative writing, education, and community engagement will undoubtedly elevate our mission and impact the lives of countless young writers,” said Kalinda Campbell, WITS Board President, in a statement.
Taurino comes to WITS after having served nearly a decade as Associate Director of the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. His previous roles include Manager of Capacity Building Initiatives for Houston Arts Alliance and Executive Director of Badgerdog Literary Publishing in Austin. A graduate of the UH Creative Writing Program (MFA, 2006), Taurino is an award-winning writer who has been active in the Houston literary community as a Fiction Editor for Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts and a co-curator of the Poison Pen Reading Series.
While Taurino is new to WITS’ leadership, he has had a long relationship with the organization, which began with his teaching writing workshops to young students in 2003.
“Between my time in grad school and the year following it, I worked as a WITS writer-in-residence at over 40 placements. I felt proud of the work I found myself a part of,” wrote Taurino in an open letter to the community.
“Here was a program (WITS) that not only facilitated the telling of young people’s stories but celebrated them. A program that granted permission and built a community that created a space for young people to engage the worth of their experiences and imagination because of the value they brought to the world,” he said.
Meta-Four Houston won First Place at the 2023 Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam. L-R: Alinda “Adam” Mac (Assistant Coach), Isabella Diaz-Mira, Myaan Sonenshein, Samiyah Green, Ariana Lee, Emanuelee “Outspoken” Bean (Head Coach), and Kylan Denney / Photo by Sandrella Bush
Founded in 1983, WITS works with local educators, writers, and spoken word artists to teach students the craft of writing. Programs include creative writing summer camps and free workshops and public readings at parks, libraries, hospitals, and community centers.
WITS also co-sponsors and coordinates the Houston Youth Poet Laureate program, established in 2016 as one of the longest-running programs of its kind in Texas, as well as the Meta-Four Houston Youth Slam Poetry Team, which is currently ranked as the Top Youth Slam Poetry Team in the country.
Taurino says that he believes that engaging children in the joy of reading and writing is transformative and empowering.
“Looking ahead, my vision for the organization is simple. I want Writers in the Schools to be an organization that acts with conviction,” Taurino said. “And I unequivocally believe that WITS helps bolster the work of educators by unlocking pathways toward critical and creative thinking, which are the foundation for lifelong education in and out of the classroom.”
2023 Cohort of the Black Theatre Coalition/Broadway Across America Fellowship program / Courtesy of www.broadwayfellows.com
The Black Theatre Coalition and Broadway Across America are now accepting applications for their 3rd annual Fellowship Program, which offers Black-identifying undergraduate college juniors and seniors, recent graduates, and early-career professionals an opportunity to learn about the commercial theater business and Broadway touring industry. The application deadline is September 29, 2023.
The paid fellowship is a 14-week program that takes place in the spring semester at one of the following Broadway Across America offices: New York City, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Louisville, Minneapolis, Ottawa, Salt Lake City, and Seattle.
Fellows will learn about administrative, management, and business topics, such as producing, presenting, ticketing, marketing, and operations. The program culminates in a four-day trip to New York City for networking, on-the-job learning, and Broadway shows.
The BTC•BAA Fellowship works to address and combat the lack of racial representation in the Broadway industry by introducing young, Black-identifying professionals to the commercial theater business and equipping them with the tools necessary to be successful in the industry. It also provides a foundation of mentors and colleagues to whom they can turn to for support as they pursue a career beyond the stage.
Broadway Across America, press release
While the opera and theater worlds have seen efforts to increase diversity both onstage and offstage in artistic positions, Black professionals “make up less than 1% of the theatrical workforce,” according to the Black Theatre Coalition.
“For us, it really is about not looking at those who are on the stages, but those who are behind the stages, those who are in the offices, in the companies that really support and make Broadway happen,” said Black Theatre Coalition Co-Founder and Artistic Director T. Oliver Reid, in a 2021 interview on The Broadway Show.
“For those who don’t sing, act, or dance, there’s still a space for you in the American theater. That may be in marketing or public relations, or that could be as a general manager or a facilities manager—all these things that we don’t hear about, those positions and those careers, as readily as those that are singing, acting, and dancing,” Reid said.
The Black Theatre Coalition/Broadway Across American Fellowship program will select 10 positions nationwide for its 2024 cohort.
Organizers said that one position will be available in Houston, where Broadway Across America houses its office in the Galleria area and presents its shows at The Hobby Center downtown.
Houston has engaged with the conversation about the lack of diversity in hiring in the theater industry, notably in 2020 when actress Candace d’Meza, with the support of fellow theater professionals, called for Houston theaters to reflect the community, asking for 40% of hires both on and off stage to be Black, Indigenous, People of Color.
The local theater scene has also seen other recent efforts to increase industry training opportunities for artists and arts administrators of color, including Main Street Theater’s BIPOC Fellowship Program, which was founded in 2022.
Federico De Michelis, bass-baritone and founder of The New Song Project / Courtesy of the artist
Houston opera singer Federico De Michelis says that the genre of “song” is so broad and accessible that it’s one of the great entry points to the performing arts—and it sparked an idea for a new arts organization.
“I want to build not only a project where [composers and writers] are supported and can develop their talent, but also a community around songwriting, storytelling, performing, and experiencing the power of music, theater, and literature,” said De Michelis.
With these goals in mind, the Argentina-born bass-baritone founded The New Song Project, which will present its inaugural concert on Sunday, August 20, 7pm at The Match.
The new song project (TNSP) looks to *support composers, writers and performers* to help them create new songs that speak to our contemporary society. 🎙️🤍
At the heart of De Michelis’ love of song is his belief in the power of storytelling, along with a desire to advance the “song” genre by commissioning works that reflect contemporary society.
“TNSP looks to support composers, writers and performers by creating a space in which new forms of song, literature and performance connect with the common goal of expressing the emotions and artistic expressions of our neo contemporary society,” states The New Song Project website.
For the project’s inaugural concert, De Michelis commissioned two song cycles, which explore themes of electronic communication, artificial intelligence, and anxiety. The program also includes a performance bilingual singer/songwriter Amanda Pascali, who created the “Immigrant American Folk Project.”
Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano / Ashkan Image
“These songs invite us to come in a person’s intimate space, and identify ourselves in their story,” said mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte, who will perform songs by Argentinian composer Lucho Guedes on the concert.
“I am excited to be part of this project because it pushes boundaries, and offers a variety of sounds and points of view into the world of new music,” she said.
***
Houston Arts Journal reached out to Federico De Michelis for the following interview about The New Song Project, his experiences in the Houston arts community, and more:
Houston Arts Journal: When, and why, did you start The New Song Project?
Federico De Michelis: I started working on the idea of The New Song Project a year ago. It took some time to give it shape, find the right partners to fund the pilot season of the project, and then of course find the right artists I wanted to work with.
I started it because I believe in the power of storytelling, and I felt there’s a lot to explore and develop. Performers need stories to tell, and TNSP aims to support those that write these stories both literally and musically.
HAJ: Based on your bio, you’ve been active in the Houston arts community for many years. Could you share a little bit about your relationship to Houston and experience in the local arts? Why did you choose to stay in Houston?
FDM: I moved to Houston in 2015 to join the Opera Studio of the Houston Grand Opera. I stayed in the Studio for two seasons, and then I began my career as a freelance singer. But I never left! I’ve been living here ever since.
Houston is a great city that still has tremendous growth potential in the arts. I love the diversity, the support we have from a very strong community of donors, the sports scene (as most Argentines, I can’t be too far away from a soccer pitch) and of course, the food! I met my wife here as well, and we are happy here. Now, having founded a new arts organization in town I feel an even bigger sense of belonging, and I want to help the development of the city’s cultural landscape.
HAJ: Were you trying to address a particular need in the community by creating The New Song Project?
FDM: A key part of this project is working on generating opportunities for writers and composers. There’s very little support, if any, for composers and even less for writers that are interested in writing for the performing arts. The genre of “song” is so broad and accessible for all that I consider it one of the great entryways to all the performing arts. I want to build not only a project where these creatives are supported and can develop their talent, but also a community around songwriting, storytelling, performing, and experiencing the power of music, theater, and literature.
HAJ: You wrote on social media that “The new song project (TNSP) looks to support composers, writers and performers to help them create new songs that speak to our contemporary society.” What do you mean by “new songs that speak to our contemporary society,” and why is that important to you?
Speaking to our contemporary society for me means speaking about our language, our expressions, our problematics, our joys, our fears … but it also implies the “How” we speak about these things. That’s why a very important part of the vision I had for this project is to work with writers.
One of the weakest points in the performing arts today is the development of writers. And we cannot have a good story without finding these writers, working with them, offering them support, classes, teaching them how to write for theater, for voices, showing them around the great masterpieces of theater, opera, chamber music, etc. We, as artists, must always remember the audience doesn’t come to see us onstage, they come to see themselves. As cliché as that affirmation is, I believe it to be true.
HAJ: Your website states that one of your goals is to “Create a safe space for composers, writers, and performers to explore and expand in their craft.” Do you think safe spaces for artistic experimentation can be hard to find? How do you create that supportive, safe space for artists?
FDM: I believe it’s a very tricky time. Freedom of speech is in check. And the arts are of course affected by this as well. What I want for TNSP is to create a space where artists can speak and create without fear or boundaries.
HAJ: You also note that another goal is to “Support composers and writers by paying them for new commissions.” May I ask how you’re funded?
FDM: We’re funded by our donors. I’ve been lucky enough to meet supporters in the opera industry that believe in my artistry on stage and now trust my vision as an administrator. These individuals not only have the enormous generosity to donate to these organizations, but most importantly they have the commitment to help artists grow in their crafts and understand the importance of the arts in our society.
HAJ: Tell me about your inaugural concert. What artists have come together to perform? Were new works commissioned for this program – and if so, what kinds of stories will be told?
FDM: We commissioned two song cycles for our inaugural concert and season. One composed by Argentine writer, composer, and researcher Lucho Guedes, and one by producer, singer, and composer Dominic Delzompo (aka Intrnet Boyfriend – yes, without the e).
Lucho Guedes, composer and songwriter / Courtesy of Federico De Michelis
Lucho is coming all the way from Buenos Aires and is one of my favorite songwriters of today. For TNSP he wrote three pieces for guitar and voice. The common theme in his writing for this cycle of songs is our new forms of communication, text messages, video calls, etc, and how we deal with them emotionally, how we relate to each other through them. He wrote the songs in Spanish, and his language is simple and colloquial as much as it is direct and profound. He will also perform some of his older songs with another great local artist, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte.
Dominic Delzompo (aka Intrnet Boyfriend), baritone and composer / Courtesy of Federico De Michelis
The second cycle is composed by Dominic. He wrote a cycle of five songs for voice and piano (I’ll be the singer for this one), in which the character is feeling anxious and lonely. While trying to find answers to his sadness, he starts a conversation, a sort of interview, a questionnaire, with an AI program. Dominic’s writing always draws me in not only because of the harmonic language he uses in his music (lots of references to French impressionism mixed with jazz in this cycle), but also because his characters always speak in a tender, human way that is so incredibly relatable.
We will also have a special performance by Amanda Pascali. Amanda is one of my favorite Houston artists. She created a genre she calls “Immigrant American Folk.” She always says this quote in her concerts, which I think is very relatable to many of us, particularly here in Houston: “too foreign for here, too foreign for home, and never enough for both.” Amanda will be one of our composers for next season, I can’t wait to see what we come up with.
I am very excited and really honored that these artists will be performing in our first season.
Amanda Pascali, singer and songwriter / Courtesy of Federico De Michelis
HAJ: Lastly, I’d like to ask about your personal love of music. Your bio states that you grew up listening to your father’s albums: “From Chick Corea to Piazzolla, from Willie Colon and Ruben Blades to Luis Alberto Spinetta and Jose Alfredo Jimenez, by the age of 13 he had a good idea of what music meant for him and the role it would play in his life.” What does music mean to you – and has it changed from childhood to adulthood?
FDM: Music is everything to me. It gave me everything I have and taught me everything I know. Like most of us, there isn’t one important moment in my life that isn’t musicalized in some way. It’s just a part of who I am.
What changed from childhood to now is the understanding that, for me, it was always the storytelling that kept me coming back. I realized that when I started in opera and began frequenting theaters and reading more about it—and understanding music from a theatrical, dramatical point of view. Even in music that doesn’t have words, the storytelling in the music and the way we are carried away and absorbed and touched by these harmonies is what I think is magical about it. Music makes a huge difference in everyone’s lives and that’s what I’m embarking on this journey.
Meta-Four Houston at Brave New Voices 2023. L-R: Alinda “Adam” Mac (Assistant Coach), Isabella Diaz-Mira, Myaan Sonenshein, Samiyah Green, Ariana Lee, Emanuelee “Outspoken” Bean (Head Coach), and Kylan Denney / Photo by Sandrella Bush
Emanuelee “Outspoken” Bean says that he is “immensely proud” of the 2023 Meta-Four Houston team and the poems that they wrote and brought to life this summer, which led to the team’s first ever win at the Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam.
Bean, a Houston Poet Laureate Emeritus, champion performance poet, and educator, has coached the youth slam poetry team since 2009. He says it “means to world” to him to have witnessed the teen poets at work and to have guided them through choreography, edits, and revisions to bring out their best.
“Meta-Four Houston has been one of the reasons why I anchored myself to this city and still call it home,” said Bean in an email to Houston Arts Journal.
“Poetry is a world that’s made of your thoughts and brings more out of you than one may realize. I have been impacted by poetry, and it has shaped my worldview and has been saving grace for so many people,” he said. “I have made a career here in Houston, and it’s because of the power of poetry.”
During the Brave New Voices International Poetry Festival—one of the oldest and largest youth poetry festivals in the world—Meta-Four Houston took first place at the Slam Competition on July 22, 2023 in San Francisco.
According to a press release, 20 teams from around the world competed in this year’s semi-finals. The top four teams (Houston, New York, Nashville, and Sacramento) then advanced to four rounds of spoken word performances in the finals, where Houston won.
While Meta-Four Houston has performed well at Brave New Voices in the past—ranking as a Top Ten team in 2014 and 2017 and scoring only a tenth of a point short of making the final stage in 2017, according to Bean—this year’s achievement is a historic win: the first time for Houston to take the title as the top youth poetry team in the country.
To prepare, the poets work together to come up with ideas and concepts, which often engage with social issues. Then they create and write group pieces, as well as individual pieces, which are set to original choreography. There are hours of intense practice, along with practice competitions.
At Brave New Voices, Meta-Four Houston performed poems that contemplated topics such as women’s health, the refugee crisis, the human condition, and race relations.
VIDEO: Meta-Four Houston performs their poem “Lifesaver” on the Brave New Voices Final Stage, July 22, 2023 at the Herbst Theater, San Francisco / Courtesy of Alinda “Adam” Mac
Founded in 2007, Meta-Four Houston is made up of six Houston teens, selected annually at the Space City Grand Slam, who represent the city at local and national performances and competitions. The program is run by Writers in the Schools, which aims to provide students with opportunities to discover their voices, amplify personal stories, and develop community and global awareness through writing and poetry.
The members of Meta-Four Houston are:
Kylan Denney, a 2023 graduate of Humble High School, who will attend Stanford University
Isabella Diaz-Mira, a 2023 graduate from St. John’s School, who will attend Washington University in St. Louis
Samiyah Green, a rising sophomore at Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Ariana Lee, Houston Youth Poet Laureate and a 2023 graduate of St. John’s School, who will attend Stanford University
Myaan Sonenshein, a rising 11th grader at Kinder HSPVA
According to the most recent survey of U.S. trends in arts attendance and literary reading by the National Endowment for the Arts, the share of 18-24 year-olds who read poetry more than doubled between 2012 and 2017, jumping from 8% in 2012 to 17% in 2017.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to the website Poets.org went up by 30%.
Texas has also seen an increase in the number of Poet Laureate positions, with Austin naming its first Youth Poet Laureate in 2021 and Dallas inaugurating both an Adult and a Youth Poet Laureate in 2022.
“Poetry has given me community and a way to more deeply connect with the world and other people,” said Ariana Lee in an email to Houston Arts Journal.
“This is my second year on the team, and I’ve been lucky to receive coaching from Outspoken Bean and Blacqwildflowr, as well as Adam Mac and Norah Rami, who were both previous members of Meta-Four,” she said. “With their help, I’ve grown more confident in my writing, speaking, and performance abilities, and I’ve made life-long friendships.”
Lee said that she discovered her love of poetry during the pandemic, when she started watching slam poetry videos online—and became inspired and compelled to try it.
“Some of the very first slam poetry videos I ever saw were of youth teams competing at Brave New Voices, so winning Brave New Voices was a full-circle moment,” she said.
Writers in the Schools will host a public celebration of Meta-Four Houston’s championship on August 15, 2023, from 7-9pm, at Stages.
The Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas Cultural Trust have announced that the application cycle is now open for the 2024 class of Young Masters, described as “a joint initiative that provides exemplary Texas student artists in grades 8-11 with the financial help they need to pursue advanced study in the areas of visual arts, literary arts, music, theater, dance, musical theater, folk arts, and media arts.”
Awardees will receive grants of $5,000 per year (for up to two years, with submission of a report and update required) to fund their studies in their respective artistic fields.
Applicants must be 8th through 11th grade students who are legal U.S. residents living in Texas and participating in a school-based program, a summer institute, or a specialized course of study or receiving private lessons from a qualified professional instructor, as stated in a press release.
A panel of arts experts from across the state will review applications based on artistic excellence, level of commitment, and quality of their proposed plan of study.
“The Young Masters grant program was created as a way to recognize and support young people pursuing the dream of becoming prominent Texan artists of the next generation,” said Gary Gibbs, Texas Commission on the Arts Executive Director, in a statement.
“We look forward to receiving applications from candidates who are already demonstrating outstanding artistic ability, talent, and dedication to developing their knowledge in their chosen discipline,” he said.
According to a press release, Texas Commission on the Arts and Texas Cultural Trust have given 401 grants to 184 Young Masters, awarding more than $1.2 million to date.
In 2022, 15 Young Masters were awarded grants, including four students from the Greater Houston area (Natalie Hampton, Houston – Literary Arts; Gabi Wager Saldivar, Houston – Musical Theater; Bryant Li, Katy – Music; Aarushi Lakhi, Pearland – Dance). The 2024 grantees will represent the 12th class of Young Masters, whose roster dates back to 2002.
“We are thrilled to help these Young Masters take their education to the next level and bolster their creative training. This program opens doors to opportunities never imagined for these young artists and cultivates the Texas legends of tomorrow,” said Heidi Marquez Smith, Texas Cultural Trust Chief Executive Officer, in a statement.
Applications and more information are available here. There is no application fee.
Artists with disabilities can find information on alternative ways to apply here.
Deadline to apply is November 1, 2023. Grantees will be notified by April 1, 2024 and will be honored at a celebration in spring 2024 in Austin.
Houston Arts Journal 