"Her Story - Her Song" Festival Celebrates Women's Music And Culture
Christina Chaffin - Staff Writer
October 15, 2009
Blues, jazz and gospel music arranged and composed by African-American women will fill Sears Recital Hall for "Her Story - Her Song: Festival of African-American Women Composers and Arrangers."
The festival is part of an annual celebration of African-American music at UD.
Festival coordinator Dr. Donna M. Cox, a music professor at UD, has been celebrating African-American music on campus for 18 years.
According to Cox, the festival will be jam-packed with a variety of events.
"The festival will include recitals, presentations and interactive workshops, which invite participants to experience the music through hearing and singing," she said.
Throughout the two-day event, the audience will be invited to sing with a gospel choir and can learn from Rosephanye Powell, one of the nation's leading African-American choral composers.
"The atmosphere will be intimate, informative and non-hectic," Cox said. "Many opportunities will be included for others to get to know wonderful people who value the significant contributions of African-American women to American history and culture."
Dr. Linda Snyder, professor and coordinator of voice performance studies, is one of the performers who will take the stage as part of the Faculty Artist Series program.
Snyder said she has seen first-hand how large the production will be.
"The festival will include wonderful music, outstanding guests and faculty performers, and UD student and faculty collaborative performances," she said. "Most of all, the event will heighten awareness of the contributions of women composers to the world of music."
Cox said her goal is for "the audience to get an insider's view on a body of music that most would normally not get to hear."
"I also hope to see people communicating in ways that cross the boundaries of UD students, community members and professional musicians," Cox said.
Two UD student recitals will occur at 1 p.m. Friday and 10:50 a.m. Saturday, Snyder said.
Guests from other colleges and universities including Claflin University in South Carolina, Berea College in Kentucky, Central State University in Ohio and Wright State University will also perform at the festival.
"This is a great way to support your peers, as well as take a short and uplifting study break," Snyder said.
Both Cox and Snyder said they are looking forward to the festival and hope others are touched by the many components of it.
"Remember it takes a composer, performers and listeners to make music happen," Snyder said. "You, the audience, are essential."
The University of Dayton community will have the opportunity to journey from Africa to the United States on a musical voyage this weekend.
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About Freedom Verse Cafe
Freedom Verse Café (FVC) was created as a venue for spoken word artist in the winter of 2008 from a previous venue called "Mic Check" which began its broadcast in June of 2007. Since this venue's inception, it has gone through evolutionary processes to better accomplish its premise of promoting the art of spoken-word poetry and the artists who perform it in a major capacity, but we have also expanded to blending poetry with jazz and soul to create the ultimate experience of spoken word/poetry.
Freedom Verse is geared to promote the artists—who hit the stages, spoken-word venues, and publish their works anywhere that they can—while entertaining and educating listeners all over the world. In FVC we focus on imparting those who audience the genre of spoken-word poetry to its history, disciplines, and its potential impact on mainstream culture. This venue hopes to touch its patrons mentally and spiritually. In this we learn to appreciate the creativity, relevancy, and intentions of the artists.
FVC promotes using online broadcasting and digital downloads of mix-tapes that focuses on providing a positive form of entertainment and educational programming in poetry, jazz, and soul of artist who are destined to change the world.
1st & 3rd Saturdays of each month at 2pm EST/1pm CST
If you have any of the following:
Comments| Air Drops | Venue Announcements | Shout outs
Please call (206)338-1187 and leave a message and we'll get it on the air for FREE!
~Live Chat and Call-in Line!~ reaching more than 490,000 listeners globally, with listeners from S. Africa to Vladivostok, Russia and all across the United States to Europe.
Are a compilation of Spoken word poetry, jazz, and soul blended for the ultimate listening experience. These mixtapes are free to download and are designed to promote the artists who make it possible to provide positive music in a less positive industry. So please support the featured artists by purchasing their work and stopping by their pages and showing some love.

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Let's Talk Spoken Word | Abiodun Oyewole (The Last Poets)
Komplex | MahogonyDiva | Sekou (Tha Misfit)
Taalam Acey | Maximus Parthas | Queen Sheba
Autum Ashante | Kamal Imani | Abyss One Truth
S. Pearl Sharp | Future | Ngoma | Chenyelu Bomani
...and many others here
Freedom Verse is geared to promote the artists—who hit the stages, spoken-word venues, and publish their works anywhere that they can—while entertaining and educating listeners all over the world. In FVC we focus on imparting those who audience the genre of spoken-word poetry to its history, disciplines, and its potential impact on mainstream culture. This venue hopes to touch its patrons mentally and spiritually. In this we learn to appreciate the creativity, relevancy, and intentions of the artists.
FVC promotes using online broadcasting and digital downloads of mix-tapes that focuses on providing a positive form of entertainment and educational programming in poetry, jazz, and soul of artist who are destined to change the world.
Show Schedule
1st & 3rd Saturdays of each month at 2pm EST/1pm CST
If you have any of the following:
Comments| Air Drops | Venue Announcements | Shout outs
Please call (206)338-1187 and leave a message and we'll get it on the air for FREE!
Freedom Verse Cafe MixTapes Edition
Are a compilation of Spoken word poetry, jazz, and soul blended for the ultimate listening experience. These mixtapes are free to download and are designed to promote the artists who make it possible to provide positive music in a less positive industry. So please support the featured artists by purchasing their work and stopping by their pages and showing some love.
click image to download
also available on
Interviews
Let's Talk Spoken Word | Abiodun Oyewole (The Last Poets)
Komplex | MahogonyDiva | Sekou (Tha Misfit)
Taalam Acey | Maximus Parthas | Queen Sheba
Autum Ashante | Kamal Imani | Abyss One Truth
S. Pearl Sharp | Future | Ngoma | Chenyelu Bomani
...and many others here
What is Spoken Word?
Spoken Word poetry is a very newly revived form of poetry that has been around since the 90’s. Spoken word is a transformation from an art that began deep in the heart of what was known as the beat poet era of the ‘40s and ‘60s. These were poets who challenged mainstream politics and culture to incite mental revolutions against what I would dub as “idle conformity or assimilation” by government rule; speaking out against oppression, racism, and war. In most cases this was the only form of thought expression albeit a dangerous one regardless of the first amendment that is designed to protect all of our citizens. Spoken word as a genre has always been seen as non-musical selections like famous speeches and orations, but never as a poetic art deserving of it's on section. Even today this still is the case when you walk into a record shop or shop on iTunes you won’t find a legitimate genre for this beautiful and ageless art form. Poets today are working diligently and hard to change this mindset.
Today, Spoken Word poetry is a very general category of poetry that is meant to be both performed and to make a powerful statement. Unlike some of the Beat poets who focused mostly on the corruption of government, economic and social status, and world awareness, Spoken Word has taken a major turn which some like myself observe with a watchful eye. Spoken word has gone from just being a revolting art, but has become more interested in voicing the thoughts of love, life and still that resounding need for revolutionary thought.
All Spoken Word poetry is meant to be read aloud, but not all poetry that is read aloud is Spoken Word. Spoken word has a select few elements that are best known for identifying its class of poetry. I like to call this technique “R3” for Rhythm, Repetition, and Rhyme; these are key element that the artist generally focuses on when performing this style of poetry also called performance poetry.
This is an important part about spoken word poetry, as I often see this as a common mistake amongst new poets who don’t study the art or its history and are elated to lay their vocals down on a nice melodic track and will dub it “Spoken Word”; spoken word poetry is sometimes performed with music, and sometimes without music. If a poet uses background music, it is only to enhance or compliment the poetry and to add a rhythm. The poetry itself is center stage and not the music, this is the case in any good piece of work.
host and producer of Freedom Verse Cafe
Tshombe (the Poet)
Today, Spoken Word poetry is a very general category of poetry that is meant to be both performed and to make a powerful statement. Unlike some of the Beat poets who focused mostly on the corruption of government, economic and social status, and world awareness, Spoken Word has taken a major turn which some like myself observe with a watchful eye. Spoken word has gone from just being a revolting art, but has become more interested in voicing the thoughts of love, life and still that resounding need for revolutionary thought.
All Spoken Word poetry is meant to be read aloud, but not all poetry that is read aloud is Spoken Word. Spoken word has a select few elements that are best known for identifying its class of poetry. I like to call this technique “R3” for Rhythm, Repetition, and Rhyme; these are key element that the artist generally focuses on when performing this style of poetry also called performance poetry.
This is an important part about spoken word poetry, as I often see this as a common mistake amongst new poets who don’t study the art or its history and are elated to lay their vocals down on a nice melodic track and will dub it “Spoken Word”; spoken word poetry is sometimes performed with music, and sometimes without music. If a poet uses background music, it is only to enhance or compliment the poetry and to add a rhythm. The poetry itself is center stage and not the music, this is the case in any good piece of work.
host and producer of Freedom Verse Cafe
Tshombe (the Poet)
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