Artist Q&A: Tracy (T-Spirit) Stanton

Tracy (T-Spirit) Stanton is an award-winning international spoken word artist, trainer, workshop facilitator, community organizer, peacemaker, and certified well-being coach. She’s also been making meaningful moves to bring together the spoken word community and elevate poetry as an art form in St. Louis and beyond.

She uses the transformative power of spoken word poetry and storytelling as tools for personal and societal transformation.

As the producer of Some Things Must Be Heard: Spitting & Politicking, a closed/open mic series, she centers spoken word as a way to build community and establish a platform to feature artists and community organizers.

We caught up with T-Spirit as she gears up to host a major spoken word artist showcase, When We Speak, on Sunday, March 30 at St. Louis Artworks from 6:00 – 9:30pm.

Check out what Tracy has to say about STL’s spoken word scene, the power of poetry, and advice for folks interested in lifting up their voices for creativity and change.

Website: www.tspiritthepoet.com
Instagram: @tspirit2019

Q: When did you realize that poetry would be an outlet for you?
A: A mischievous chuckle always arises when someone asks me this question. Although poetry is R.A.P’s mother, hence Rhythm and Poetry, I believed that I was a gangsta rapper when I was about 12 years old. I wrote about what I saw in my neighborhood and what the rappers rapped about, all of which I hadn’t necessarily engaged in personally. I was also about 13 years old when I stumbled upon Maya Angelou’s, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and I was hooked. I dropped the beat and kept the lyrics – this is when I realized that poetry would be an outlet for me. As I read the rawness that was lodged in the pages, I felt the words spring from them as well – landing in the quiet untouched parts of my shame. I knew that I needed poetry far more than poetry needed me. At 12, life had already given me many experiences that threatened my sense of safety and identity. Here in the comfort of poetry, I could explore my truth without fear.

Q: Currently who and what inspires you?
A: What currently inspires me are the collective health and well-being of my people. What inspires me is the vision that I have for a just world and the taste of liberation that is lingering on my tongue. What inspires me is knowing that there are people all over the world whose suffering needs my voice to be acknowledged, validated, and uplifted.  What inspires me is being a memory keeper and carrying the legacy of the movement artists who came before me. Poetry keeps me hopeful and fighting.

Artists like Aja Monet, Sunni Patterson, Kendrick Lamar and others who I am in community with right here in St. Louis. My mentees Kristen (K-Money the Poet) Harris, Aaron (Juss Aaron) Hall, and Jamell (Flames Baldwin) Spann inspire me.

What inspires me is the breath—the spirit—that flows through my lungs. What inspires me is the person reading this article, the person listening to it, the person typing it, the person that I will share it with. What inspires me is you, and it’s me, and it’s us.

Q: Your open mic series “Some Things Must Be Heard” –– where did you get the idea to have poets and community builders come together in one room?
A: I got the idea to fuse community builders and poets together on my platform after a woman by the name of Allison Carson, the owner of AAA Fish House, lovingly and sternly informed me that it was TIME for me to create space for the people. She told me that I needed to host my own open mic because I had something that the people needed. This calling was gifted to me from my ancestors long before she mentioned it, so I knew that her declaration was the affirmation and the push that I needed to execute the Most High’s mission.

As an orator, a community organizer, memory keeper, and poet who understands the Black Arts movement and the role of the artist, which Amiri Baraka said is to raise the collective consciousness of the people, I felt like this was my way of doing what needs to be done. In my very humble opinion, art and organizing are one when it comes to social change and the development of political strategy I need for us to understand that poetry is not an accessory, an additive, or a side dish.

Spoken Word poetry is an invaluable tool, a shovel, a cleanser and a catalyst and it should be connected to a real strategy that extends beyond the stage. My platform creates sacred opportunities for the artists and the attendees to feel deeply – to feel seen. It just made sense. Poets are Organizers and Organizers are artists in their own right.

Q: Will you talk about your next event and why it was important to have an all-woman line up?
A: Oh my goodness, I am genuinely getting emotional while responding to this. My next Some Things Must Be Heard: Spitting & Politicking presents When We Speak, which is taking place on Sunday, March 30 at St. Louis Artworks from 6 to 9:30 pm, will be an unforgettable evening showcasing dynamic, multigenerational performances, the world premiere of the poetic visual When We Speak, an ode to the voices and transformative impact of Black womxn and an engaging artist talk. It was important to have an all-Black womxn lineup. We will be closing out Womxn’s History Month by stamping our imprint into the ethers, making the ancestors proud, and cementing our intergenerational connection through the use of art.

Thank you to the contributors to the project and to the overall health of St. Louis: Cheeraz Gormon, Kristy Cotton/Poet Lightening, Kristen Harris/K-Money the Poet, Debra (FoFeet) Warren, Maya McGrocery, Flora Brown El/MsNterpretation, Jessie Bady/Poetically Bell, Pacia Elaine, and Dacia Polk/Innergy. Additional Contributors include Kristian Blackmon, Jamala Rogers, Inez Bordeaux, Maya Lee, and Ohun Ashe.

Q: As a traveling poet, what have you learned performing in other cities and countries that’s different from St. Louis?
A: I can’t say that there is much difference in performing in other countries or cities, But the energy or the culture may be different, and I’ve learned to adapt and flow with that energy. It’s my responsibility to adhere to what they have created and to respect the ground rules or collective agreements set forth before my arrival.

I have learned that poetry means a lot to poets and people everywhere. Some communities are serious about ensuring that the atmosphere honors the presence of poetry, and some communities are more fluid. I have witnessed this here and other places. Oh, if I can say this, it seems like the nature of the relationships formed in the poetry communities, which are made up of human beings [Tracy laughs], may differ – some more scattered and some more connected. And I don’t think that this differs from St. Louis’s poetry scene.

Q: St. Louis has a deep and vibrant history when it comes to poetry. What are some things you would like to see happen with the poetry community in the years to come?
A: Some things that I would like to see happen in the current poetry community are more intergenerational opportunities for people to be in relationship, learning, studying poetry together, reading each other’s work, critiquing each other’s work, and creating more opportunities for relationship-building outside of the open mic scene. I would love for us to have opportunities to learn more about the history of the poetry scene and poetry. Having knowledge of the poets who came before us is needed.

Another thing I would really love to see is a poetry festival or conference, where we can learn, grow, and stretch together. An annual poetry event where we center poetry. It’s great that we are added or featured at a music or jazz festival here, but we deserve our own space so poetry can breathe and pulsate alone but together.

Q: With your many workshops, can you talk about “The Art in He(art)” Workshop and the ways in which you use healing as a tool for empowerment?
A: The Art in He(Art) poetry workshop centers creativity, compassion, collectivism, and connection while focusing on healing, transformation, and collective liberation.

The goal of this workshop is that participants leave with a deeper understanding of how spoken word poetry/art can be used to activate our bodies, stimulate our minds, and open our he/art center. We embark on a journey to deepen our connection with ourselves, the elements, and our community through processing and collective writing. Participants will be encouraged to utilize spoken word poetry/art as an apparatus for personal and societal transformation, a strategy for organizing, and a method to introduce political education.

Uncovering, undressing, and allowing ourselves to be exposed are all a part of vulnerability and vulnerability is the pathway for healing. Poetry fundamentally creates opportunities for us to be vulnerable, to be honest, to be messy, and to become undone which provides space for other folks to do the same. It also activates our power and honors our rage – all of which materializes into the collective healing that we must engage in and grapple with to be empowered. Poetry is healing and poetry heals.

Q: What would you say to the artist in St. Louis wanting to use their voice for change?
A: To an artist in St. Louis wanting to use their voice for change, I would first say that you need to start by finding your own voice. Dig deep within yourself to uncover what truly matters to you—what you care about, what you want to see in the world, and what is missing in the world that you want to bring to light. Think about how you can use your pain as fuel for someone else’s healing as well as your joy.

Next, you have to be committed. You must stay true to your values, your principles, and your goals. Commitment to the collective well-being of the community is essential. Then, move through any doubt, fear, or uncertainty. Ensure you are being yourself and bringing your vision to fruition—the vision that the Creator, or whoever you identify with as the most-high, has placed within you.

I would also advise getting involved in a campaign or organization. Find movement builders, study the work of those who came before you, and learn as much as you can. Don’t back down. Even when things get dark, confusing, or filled with doubt, keep pushing forward. Even when fear creeps in, keep going. The journey is tough, but your commitment to the cause is what will sustain you.