Today we’d like to introduce you to Amir Safi.
Amir, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
When I first got into slam poetry in 2007-2008, I hated it. I thought — “Oh you think your poetry is better because you’re louder about it?” However, after attending a few slams, my perspective changed. I soon learned that it was a rare opportunity to share perspectives and art, and have people listen to you without interrupting you. Someone may not read a book of poetry you give them for free. But, if they listened to you for just a few minutes, they’d ask you where they could buy your entire collection of poems.
With my good friend Christopher Call, we ended up transforming an existing reading known as Mic Check into poetry non-profit as well as creating the largest annual slam poetry festival in the state of Texas known as Texas Grand Slam in my hometown of Bryan/College Station.
When I moved to Houston in 2014, I was done organizing. I was experiencing burn out and I wanted to just focus on my career. I first moved in with my friends, Gibby and Meagan, who were engaged and ready to be married at a venue named AvantGarden.
One night, we went to visit the venue and Gibby ambushed me and told the venue owner, Mariana, about my history of organizing poetry events. Mariana then proceeded to share with me about the rich history of poetry at AvantGarden and about how she wanted the poets back at her venue. She offered me Wednesday nights and all the support and autonomy our group would need to be successful. The venue was gorgeous, it was named AvantGarden and I believed it was a sign.
After polling the internet, we decided to call our show Write About Now. Since then, our show has met every Wednesday at AvantGarden at 7:30 PM. Our show has brought in some of the most renowned spoken word artists and amplified the voices of hundreds of poets, annually, including expansion to our video platform online.
Write About Now, some of our writers, poets and performers have been featured by everyone from Texas Monthly, Houstonia Magazine and the Houston Chronicle to Vibe Magazine, The Huffington Post, Everyday Feminism, We are Mitu, For Harriet, Afropunk, George Takei, Upworthy and more with no signs of slowing down.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I’m a poet and writer. I’ve written about everything from Whataburger to the Muslim ban. I use poetry as a lens to share my perspective with an audience. My personal poetry has been featured by A plus, Upworthy, The Huffington Post, Whataburger, Total Frat Move and more. Most recently, I received the 2018 Poetry International Prize.
In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
I think technology is really great and has made a lot of art more accessible and created more autonomy for artists. However, with increased accessibility comes more competition. It can be difficult for artists to separate themselves from the pack. Today, it’s not enough to just create. You have to be an artist, but then also a networker, a marketer, a manager, an admin, a graphic designer, a promoter, a publisher, a sound tech, an emcee and your own hype man.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
The best way to see my art is to google “Amir Safi Poetry” or check it out on Write About Now’s YouTube channel.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wanpoetry.com
- Email: wanpoetry@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanpoetry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanpoetry
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WANPoetry
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/WANpoetry
Image Credit:
The audience and Whataburger Photo: Amir Safi, The artist photo: Christopher Diaz
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
