Poets of the Week: Chanel Dupree and William Evans
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Poets of the Week: Chanel Dupree and William Evans

"Poetry is the feathers of a bird I can't confirm exists."

56
Poets of the Week: Chanel Dupree and William Evans
Chanel Dupree and William Evans

Another week, another article! Keep up with all the latest articles here on my profile. With just a couple of handfuls of articles left, you don't want to miss a single one!

This week's Poets of the Week are Chanel Dupree, an inspiring New Yorker who leaves everyone in awe of her work, and William Evans, one of the founders of Blacknerdproblems.com who ruins your childhood with his recent article on why Simba is trash. Here's what they had to say about first venues, pop culture, Disney movies, and ridding the world of problems!


Q: Where was the first venue at which you ever performed your poetry?


Chanel Dupree: The first venue I performed at was the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. I was eighteen years old and there was a college slam happening. I had never performed any writing of mine and decided "what the hell". I actually won. Little did I know two years later that would be the exact venue at which I would have my first feature.


William Evans: A show called Mahogany Soul, which later turned into Black Pearl Poetry in 2005 in a venue called The Brownstone.


Q: When you aren’t writing poetry, what are you doing?


Chanel Dupree: I teach theater and creative writing at an after school program. So when I'm not writing poetry, I am trying not to kill my kids while consistently letting them know that their voices are hella necessary. I've also just recently found my own personal acts of self-care. Roller-skating in Brooklyn with a group of my closest friends is the best smile I ever get. It actually helps with me with my writing.


William Evans: Chasing my daughter around, trying not to drive my wife crazy and running the website Blacknerdproblems.com


Q: What is one piece of pop culture that you just cannot get on board with?


Chanel Dupree: Any memes degrading black women can honestly kiss my a**. I'll never be down with it!


William Evans: 98% of Network TV Dramas. And also emojis.


Q: What is your proudest achievement thus far?


Chanel Dupree: I think my proudest accomplishment would have to be when I got the opportunity to teach a workshop on Black Femininity and Cultural Appropriation at St. John Fisher College. I did a performance at Pink Door 2015 writing retreat reading about Kylie Jenner and her extreme interest in becoming a black woman. A woman saw me in the audience, loved my piece and asked me to conduct a workshop based around that topic. There was only one black woman in the class; everyone else was woman. The workshop was close to Halloween, I asked the students beforehand to look up "racist Halloween costumes" on Google and print them out. The entire class was extremely shocked, saddened and in disbelief. We had a lengthy conversation about the many black face costumes we saw depicting black women as anything but themselves. I then asked the class to write down something that is so dear to them, something that has truly shaped them to the person they are. Some people wrote some extremely personal things, they took those writings and put them into a huge bowl and everyone in the class got to pick randomly. They each picked someone else's writing and had to write a poem, story or essay speaking of someone else's personal testimony as their own without giving credit to it's previous owner and recite it. The entire class felt it to their core. I had never felt so proud in my life, I got a room full of women that probably would have never understood my day-to-day struggle to open up their eyes and see what it is like.


William Evans: Besides marrying an incredible woman and fathering the Avatar, I think to date, holding a book that I produced and felt proud of creating is my proudest achievement.


Q: What does poetry mean to you, personally?


Chanel Dupree: I am a very visual person and poetry is the only way I can show my insides in images.


William Evans: Poetry, to me, is the great chasm between what I know and what I have no idea about. It is the feathers of a bird I can't confirm exists. Poetry is where I believe in things I wish I could wrap my arms around or the things I draw ribbons around that I wish I could forget.


Q: If you could rid the world of one major issue in society today, what would it be and why?


Chanel Dupree: Black lives not mattering in this country and if I can slip this in, black women deaths/lives not being fought for. We do so much and no one even blinks an eye.


William Evans: I think the fear of confronting what is uncomfortable. A lot of laws, stipulations or behaviors that are popularized in society come from people not willing to confront what makes them uncomfortable or they feel puts them in an undesirable light.


Q: All time favorite Disney movie and why?


Chanel Dupree: Mulan was my sh*t! That girl was so d*mn strong, vulnerable, funny and dignified. It was the first time as a kid that I had ever seen a layered female character. And all top of all of that she could literally kick anyone's a**. I loved it.


William Evans: Mulan. I still rank her as the best hero that Disney has produced.


Q: In fifteen years, where do you see yourself?


Chanel Dupree: In fifteen years, I see myself being a show runner, writing for at least two other shows, developing a media writing company for POC. I also see myself with a few books published. And most importantly, so at peace internally and externally that I can hardly stop smiling.


William Evans: Still writing. Hopefully steadily better than I currently am.


Q: Anything else (poems, links, comments, etc)?


Chanel Dupree: Thank you so much for this! Too often in life we are so busy trying to survive that it's so surprising when someone wants to know what's inside of our heads.


William Evans: If my poetry fails you, it's because I've been pouring my energy into other nerdier aspects: Blacknerdproblems.com


Next Week: Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib and Danny Strack

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
the beatles
Wikipedia Commons

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

Keep Reading...Show less
Being Invisible The Best Super Power

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

19 Lessons I'll Never Forget from Growing Up In a Small Town

There have been many lessons learned.

71210
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

133251
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments