Orville the Poet
Here at Li’el in a Staccato Beat Magazine we enjoy bringing to you the freshest artists of all kinds, and tonight we have the special pleasure of bringing to you the first interview of a spoken word artist!!! This artist is a friend of mine and a force in the world of spoken word in the DC Metropolitan area! He is going on tour, he hosts a few open mics in the DC Metropolitan area, and he is part of youth mentoring programs as well. I am honored to bring to you an Impactful Interview with Spoken Word Artist, Orville the Poet!
Li’el: Tell me the story of how you got into writing poetry and then performing it?
Orville the Poet: I wrote poetry for a long time before I felt comfortable enough to share. My little brother wrote, and it became a great outlet for me. When my great-aunt retired my mom asked me if I wanted to write something for her party. I ended up writing two pages in the car on the way there, and I shocked everyone. Everyone was asking my mother did she write it for me, because they just assumed she did. I started performing at church, then with my cousin Godson at open mics around U Street. At my first one I got a standing ovation.
Li’el: How do you want your poetry to impact people?
Orville: Oftentimes people don’t remember what you say, but they remember how you made them feel. I want my poetry to make people inspired and informed.
Li’el: What does your poetry, both writing and performing, do for you?
Orville: You know that feeling when you go up for the last shot in basketball, or throw the last pass to win the game – that is the feeling I get when I write or perform. It is my outlet.
Li’el: How do you balance everything you do?
Orville: Everything is woven together – Once you find your purpose, you find your passion, and vice versa. Everything is connected.
Li’el: How would you like to leave your imprint on history?
Orville: I don’t worry too much about history as much as right now, so many kids don’t know their history because today is a struggle.
Li’el: What advice would you give someone trying to enter into the arena of spoken word performance?
Orville: Be comfortable with yourself. You shouldn’t come for approval or applause. Do not compromise. Find your voice and stick with it. So many rappers start out one way and then find themselves writing what sells just to make money. Then they end up making music that they don’t even believe in. If you write what sells, you’ll start believing it.
Li’el: What is the best piece of life experience advice you have been given?
Orville: Why not go out on a limb, that’s where are the fruit are!
Li’el: If you could leave your audience with one word, phrase, or saying, and they not walk away with anything else, what would it be?
Orville:
Words are like bullets
And our mouths are the guns
And you can kill someone With five shots or a strategically placed one.
We are a lot more powerful than we think. What you put out there will come back to you.
I am so grateful to be able to sit down with Orville the Poet and to share his nuggets of wisdom with you all! Every interview I do is inspiring, and this one no less so. Check out Orville the Poet at the open mic he hosts at 1326 U St in DC, or Pure Lounge! Be inspired, and be blessed!
Li’el
