New Grant + BLM Spoken Word Performance

Death Sentence

I’m excited to announce I received a grant from the city of West Hollywood to create a digital BLM project titled, Death Sentence. Death Sentence is a spoken word performance commenting on Blackness, queerness, police violence, and survival using the last words of Black people murdered by the police. The goal, through the project, is to help viewers work through and heal from the trauma of police brutality against Black bodies. Death Sentence premieres on the city of West Hollywood’s website on October 23 at 7pm.

From Death Sentence, my digital BLM spoken word performance. TY to @Thesaltypoet for filming this & @WeHoArts for the opp#writing #poetry #westhollywood #LGBTQ #writerslift pic.twitter.com/tnEtxlxKmV

— Writer Victor Yates (@writervicyates) October 22, 2020

After the performance, I’m hosting a live Q&A on my YouTube channel with West Hollywood’s Poet Laureate, Brian Sonia-Wallace.

Please check out the performance and Q&A.

the wink and the nod: a poem

Copyright Abrilon

I wait for it
the wink and the nod

hand to waist
it’s dark enough
for this to be ok

come this way
no come this way
he walks his way

if I walk his way
we might be seen

he walks back by
hand to waist
a nod
come this way
no come my way
he walks my way

he takes my hand
and we’re dancing
this is the first time
I’ve done anything like this

is this the right place

for two men to stand

so close

like

this

dancing

(Updated May 14, 2011)

Related articles

• the wink and the nod: a poem (victoryates.wordpress.com)