What Inspires Me? J. Ivy
If you’re reading this, the 2023 Grammy Award ceremony is over. If you watched, you watched history being performed as the nominees and winners of a brand-new award category were announced:
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
Whether you know it or not, poetry is alive and slammin’ in classrooms, coffeehouses— between b-ball games and cheer practice—gyms all over! Yes, Poetry!
Amanda Gorman brought poetry to the attention of the voting public when she read her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at Biden’s Inauguration in 2020.
But J. Ivy! By pushing, urging, writing letters, campaigning, insisting Spoken Word Poetry Albums be recognized as Grammy Worthy, Poetry—performance poetry—vibrant poetry—the spoken word is now right up there with Pop, Country Western, Blues…Spoken Word Poetry is the 1st or 91st of the 2023 91 Grammy Award Categories! As it should be, for as J. Ivy said in an interview shortly after the new Grammy category was announced:
“Poetry is at the base, the root, of song.”
While being nominated—perhaps winning (if you’re reading this you know)— was not J. Ivy’s reason for pushing for the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album category being added. His purpose was to give performance poetry it’s due and to help poetry creators & performers to be heard. After the category was added, he helped 20 or 30 other poet’ work through the award consideration submission process. But once you’re heard J. Ivy. you know he deserved a place on the list—in my opinion, at the top!
He’s nominated for his fourth album, 2022’s “The Poet Who Sat By The Door.” It’s a spoken word-musical opus that features contributions from Legend as well as Slick Rick, PJ Morton, Sir the Baptist, BJ the Chicago Kid and a number of other talents.
This year, J.Ivy is nominated alongside five other “Spoken” albums by, among others, Dave Chappell and our former POTUS Barrack Obama—none of which are poetry albums. The goal—J.Ivy’s goal for next year’s Grammys is to have “All five performers nominated be poets!”
Now that’s inspiring!
If, like me, you’re craving more of J. Ivy’s work, click over to J. Ivy’s YouTube Channel @JIvyTube settle back and enjoy!
