But as Simmons points out, they come from another point of view and sometimes they deal with questions that rarely are the subject of public polls and do so aggressively in spoken language and body language. Their concerns are much the same as poets throughout the ages - love, longing, frustration, death. Poets such as these have held the urban stage for about 20 years and have been models for young poets everywhere. There is enough arrogance and attitude to go around, but on the whole they are a likable lot with something to say that should be heard. ![]() Whoever they are, they are all terrific young performers who are able to grab and audience and hold its rapt attention with rapid-fire rhymes recited to hip-hop beats that reinforce the human pulse. They are varied in racial and ethnic background, ranging from white to black, Hispanic to Asian, and include at least one hyphenate, Palestinian-American. Acting as disk jockey for the show is Tendaji. ![]() The nine poets selected by Simmons to recite their poetry on the minimally decorated Longacre stage are not household names, at least in most American households, but all are prominent members of the poetry slam community. ![]() They have appeared before college audiences all over the country, competed in numerous slam team competitions, performed on radio and the "Def Comedy Jam" series on HBO television, in films, and in clubs from Nuyorican Poets Café in New York to Da' Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles. Simmons' versifiers are here and now performance artists, some of them working for Def Jam Records, which Simmons co-founded.
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