Introducing Marquise!

I was so excited to get a message from Marquise saying that he wanted to be a part of this series. Marquise is someone you HAVE to know. he is so genuine, talented, and really speaks from the soul. Please follow and take a look at his work! Here he is, Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award Recipient, Marquise Jackson!

https://www.bcala.org/black-caucus-of-the-american-library-association-inc-bcala-ebook-literary-awards

1. What is your art form or styles of art?

I would say I have an innate urge for storytelling. Whether it be poetry, theatre or film. I just want to tell great stories. And maybe present them in a way we haven’t seen before. Poetry was my first love. It wasn’t that much of a surprise that I found theatre at Iowa— being that I would take on different personas when performing my poems live.

2. What has your journey with poetry been like?

I treat poetry like a real, intimate, partner-to-partner relationship. We fight sometimes. We’re romantic. I think of performing as taking different poems on dates. And sometimes we need space apart. We’re up and down, but we know we’re better together. I started writing sometime around middle school. And hadn’t performed until almost my senior year of high school. I had no desire to share my personal feelings with anyone besides a close friend of mine. Who eventually told me: “You absolutely have to get on stage. People need to hear your voice.” He noticed something that I hadn’t yet. But, I’ve always taken the step to see what’s next. I’m glad I took a chance on myself. It’s been a large benefit to my growth as a writer thus far.

3. What impact does studying poetry have in the classroom?

Poetry plays a large role in the classroom for students. I believe it should be implemented earlier within children’s education. Not just writing silly poems for an exercise or assignment, but have it be an actual program. And if it can’t fit into the given school’s curriculum, then we make poetry as something accessible for younger kids to spend an entire summer learning about. Many kids are highly creative and interested in the arts. Full of untapped emotion. But, don’t have the outlets necessary in conducting and nurturing their gifts. Introduction to poetry must start early. http://iforgetimonlyhuman.com/amazon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZKrl1C1xpo

I Forget I’m Only Human [MERCH]

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MarquiseJacksonCo