The volume of verse
By MICHAEL SMITH 8/11/2004
Deborah J. Hunter calls attention to the plight of the homeless in "My Poems Are Too Loud." CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
Spoken-word poet brings poignancy to plight of homeless
Poet, author and spoken word artist Deborah J. Hunter presents a powerful social statement written in poetic monologues about homeless women in "My Poems Are Too Loud," performances of her work scheduled at the Nightingale Theater.
With her one-woman piece "Amazons, Gypsies and Wandering Minstrels," Hunter aims to blast the stereotypes that people have about the homeless and the mentally ill. But more than that, she wants to move her audience to action, because she says there are so many cracks through which the homeless can fall.
"Often they aren't seen as being people, with lives and dreams and emotions," Hunter said. "What I want to do is to make these people so real that you can't look at them in the same way. You can't dismiss them so easily anymore."
Hunter's past work as a case manager at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless and as a grass-roots activist of the Tulsa affiliate of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill inspire and inform her work.
So does her daughter, who is homeless and living on the streets of Tulsa. The young woman is also delusional and doesn't believe that Hunter is her mother. The relationship, told in monologues, plays an important part in Hunter's performance.
"I feel like we have failed them in many ways, and I feel frustrated and helpless a lot of times," she said. "I just hope that if people come to understand the system better, maybe they'll become more involved and demand changes."
An idea of Hunter's skill in performance poetry and this subject matter was on excellent display at SummerStage 2003's 24-Hour Play Festival in her beautifully expressed piece about the people at a mental health facility. It offered some intriguing ideas on the difference between people considered to be "special" and people considered to be "normal."
This event, directed by Nightingale Theater's John Cruncleton, will combine Hunter's new work with some audience favorites. The recipient of the Tulsa Arts Council Jingle Feldman Grant for 2000 has performed several times in Tulsa clubs in recent years.
Fans of hers will recognize "The Red Shoes" and "Jazz on a Diamond Needle Hi-Fi" in this eclectic evening.
But why are some of the poems so loud?
"I end up submitting poems for publication and they keep coming back with rejections," she said, laughing. "Most of my poems are social commentary pieces, and I came to think that my poems were just too loud. (Publishers) wanted poems about vacations in Europe and sailboat rides, and that's not what I do."
MY POEMS ARE TOO LOUD
When:
8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, also 8 p.m. Aug. 19-21
Where:
Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. Fourth St.
Tickets:
$6-$8, 583-8487 [As of February 2007, 633-8666] and at the door