Capturing the Spirit of Spoken Word—A Conversation with A. Odessa Spence
By A. Odessa Spence
One of the things I miss most about pre-COVID life is bumping shoulders in the cozy atmosphere of my local poetry slam. While I won’t be snapping along to spoken word in person for the foreseeable future, spoken word artist and filmmaker A. Odessa Spence captures the intimacy of the medium on film.
The series, aptly titled Voetry, has garnered notice as an official selection in several film festivals this year including: the Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival, Montreal Independent Film Festival, Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival, and First-Time Filmmaker Sessions.
“I needed to create my own opportunities, period,” the artist told Purple Glow in an interview. As a first-time filmmaker spearheading her own project, Spence described her creative process as “structured chaos” and making “sense of nonsense,” going so far as to call the experience a “rude awakening.” Other than the actors and an audio tech, Spence was a one-woman crew. The artist’s creative chaos pays off in an earnest and intimate visual experience that complements the truth-sharing vulnerability of open-mic poetry while showcasing a variety of talent.
Portrait by Matthew Pompey (@designyoursoul)
The series comprised of short clips under five minutes features a plethora of different artists from different backgrounds and conveys themes ranging from cultural identity, to trauma, resilience, and love. Stand-out episodes include “How to Spell Distractibility” by Liam Galway (liamg_kos) about the experience of having ADHD and “Sexless” performed by Spence herself.
In "Sexless,” the artist demonstrates her near musical delivery as she laments lust, love, and heartbreak with an unabashed sense of feminine sexuality from the very first lines: “Sex, yeah, started with sex, watch me devilishly smirk and honestly confess that it was a straight up f*ck.” Spence attributed the sensuality and sexuality present in this piece–and throughout her repertoire—to her innate love of love. “It seems so cliché, but I was one of those girls who was always…writing about love,” the artist revealed. “I always had love to give.”
The poet shares her voice and showcases the marginalized voices of each individual artist throughout Poetry, with the majority of episodes focusing on Black artists. “It wasn’t particularly intentional,” Spence said regarding the prominence of Black voices in the web series. “It was a representation of my life and my surroundings. These are my family members, these are my friends, these are my norms.” Voetry is Spence’s truth as a Black female director and poet, and although she did not intend to make a statement, she provided the space for other artists to make one.
In response to this year’s reckoning on racial injustice and anti-Black racism, Spence expressed that she wanted to showcase Black lives even more. “They’re the ones that have been making this [project] happen, they’re the ones who volunteer for me. I’m not going to move away from that.” Spence was also reflective of her intention behind the first two seasons of Voetry saying “Maybe I’m taking the easy route where I don’t get political very much.”
“What’s been happening this year has been really affecting the art,” Spence expressed. “I’m not sure what that’s going to mean for season three [of Voetry]...I don’t necessarily know what my role is...I’m thinking about the voice that I have.” While she is still navigating her personal voice in the civil rights movement, Spence did tease an upcoming episode of Voetry that addresses this year’s events more head-on and challenges racist systems.
“As much as it may not be my voice...I want to be a platform” the artist stated. “I don’t want to shy away from it.”
Spence offers a gateway into the world of poetry for the uninitiated and a taste for long-time lovers of spoken word.
Voetry has something for everyone in its first two seasons that are available on thisisvoetry.com.
For more art and poetry, follow Spence @thisisvoetry.