The spirit of community abounds in Ottawa’s poetry scene, and nowhere is it more apparent than in the latest CD The House of Words by Free Will, a member of the Capital Poetry Collective, writes Kathryn Hunt.

His album, The House of Words, takes its name from the Dogon of Mali, who have a house in each village where members can come to share their ideas and resolutions – as Free Will says, “No chiefs, no masters, no governance. Just community.” That celebration of collectivity and rejection of hierarchy resounds in the album, which is full of gracefully written, powerful and rhythmic poems set to music.

The poems speak about materialism, racism, police brutality, the gaps between rich and poor, the genocide waged against native peoples, and the fight against domination and authority, but also celebrate and praise the strength of truth and self-respect, contact with the earth, vegan lifestyles, and the ways in which all communities are bound by respect, affection, trust, and hope. The words drive the music, which is provided by a wide range of musicians, ranging across cultures, from jazz-like piano riffs to instruments and melodies drawn from reggae, Middle Eastern, African and Indian music, reinforcing the sense of a world-family and the similar, simple things we all have in common.

This album is one of several that have been recorded over the last few years by poets who have been performing their work at Capital Slam, the monthly spoken word show held by the Capital Poetry Collective. Free Will has been onstage at Capital Slam since it began in 2004, and now also takes his work
into schools to perform and educate. As he says, “I use my words to empower and inspire in a world of apathy and cynicism.”

A Capital Slam show usually has an open mic, a featured performer and a competition in which the poets perform their work and then are scored by judges chosen from the audience. The poetry is impassioned, often inspiring, funny, or politically charged (or all three at once.) Because of the judging and scoring, it might be assumed that a slam would be competitive, even cutthroat. But Ottawa’s slam performers, on the contrary, are an extremely supportive and collectivist group – the competition is completely secondary to the culture of mutual encouragement.

Many first-time performers have been warmly welcomed and encouraged to develop their skills by this group, and as a result spoken word has been booming. Five Ottawa spoken word artists performed this year at the Governor General’s Literary Award ceremony, and new poetry series are being started across the province.

CHECK IT OUT>> ARC Poetry Magazine website at www.arcpoetry.ca/portage/spoken-word provides listings for these sort of events. For information on getting a copy of The House of Words, contact info@capitalslam.com. See www.myspace.com/thedoctorfreewill for tunes.