Aja Monet’s Nuyorican dream

Aja Monet’s Nuyorican dream
Poet Aja Monet. Flickr/Dakota Blue Harper
Aja Monet’s Nuyorican dream
Poet Aja Monet. Flickr/Dakota Blue Harper

Aja Monet’s Nuyorican dream

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The Louder Than a Bomb teen poetry festival wrapped up its annual competition last week, and gems from the event are already making their way onto our airwaves. Here’s another golden nugget, taken from one of the many performances associated with the series.

In this poem, Nuyorican Poets Café alum and Brooklyn native Aja Monet envisions herself sitting on a Bedford Avenue curb as a parade of deceased neighborhood icons saunter by - Biggie, Basquiat, Jackie Robinson. It’s a nuanced and nostalgic depiction of city life, and you can hear it in the audio posted above.

Dynamic Range showcases hidden gems unearthed from Chicago Amplified’s vast archive of public events and appears on weekends. Aja Monet performed before an audience assembled by Young Chicago Authors in March. Click here to hear the event in its entirety, and click here to subscribe to the Dynamic Range podcast.