Don’t be surprised if the next time you’re folding towels at the laundromat, Shawnte Orion stops by to share a few poems. He’s read in unusual locations — hair salons, laundromats, between bands at bars — spreading the word about poetry and pushing the limits of where poetry belongs. “Poetry shouldn’t be relegated to universities and classrooms,” he says.
Shawnte’s bio reveals that he attended Paradise Valley Community College — for one day. His personal poetic education is a combination of his unique view of the world and the influences and inspirations of popular and classic culture. “Although I didn’t go to college, my formative years and aesthetics were shaped by things like music and cinema. In hindsight, there was always a poetic core at the heart of my favorite songwriters, filmmakers, and comedians.”
Shawnte has published three collections of poetry, his latest called Gravity & Spectacle, and his work has appeared in many notable journals. Besides laundromats he performs often in local bookstores and cafes. Over the past few years he has joined the editorial team at indie publishers rinky dink press, whose mission is to “get poetry back in the hands (and pockets) of the people” by printing inexpensive micro-collections. This role has allowed him to discover and showcase new poets. “It’s been a rewarding experience to work with other writers and help portray their vision. I enjoy creating cover art and introducing readers to our authors when we set up tables at book fairs and conferences.”
Shawnte also appreciates creative partnerships with other artists. “Writing is mostly an isolated, lonesome pursuit, so it’s been exciting to venture into some collaborative projects over the past few years. Gravity & Spectacle was created with photographer/poet Jia Oak Baker. Then I had the opportunity to do a vinyl record with the San Francisco band Sweat Lodge. A musician friend, Robbie Cohen, added amazing soundscapes to my poems, and we got a great montage from Bay Area artist John Vochatzer for the cover. It was thrilling to see everyone’s work come together to create something greater than I could have ever manifested on my own.”
Shawnte’s poetry has the ability to elevate the ordinary into the extraordinary, uncovering deep reserves in day-to-day situations. His work can be both funny and aching, often within the same piece. He finds that poetry is unique in its ability to communicate much in only a few words. “My high-school French teacher used the poems of Jacques Prévert for us to translate and recite. I was captivated by how efficiently ideas and experiences could be conveyed through concise and quickened language.”
Shawnte says that his understanding of his own work expands when shared with others. “Live readings are rare opportunities to interact with an audience. When something gets published, you don't know if anyone ever ends up finding and reading it. It's just out there somewhere in the void. But getting to share poems in front of a crowd gives you a real-time glimpse of how people react to your work. Especially in this age of constant distraction, where everyone has a steady stream of text messages and notifications, it feels subversive when you and a room full of people suddenly click and connect enough to stop checking our phones and be present with each other for 20 or 30 minutes.”
The following poem succinctly captures the Arizona heat in short bursts of imagery. If you’re wondering about the title, Shawnte explains, “I always liked the mechanics of portmanteau; the melding of two words into a new term that blends their meanings (‘spork’ and ‘brunch,’ for example). So, the title is like a portmanteau, but with numbers. The area code for Phoenix is 602, and since it can be hot as hell, it felt natural to combine it with the biblical number of the Beast.”
For Shawnte, poetry can be found anywhere and everywhere. “I live west of Phoenix in a city called Surprise. I work in a factory that makes eyeglasses, so I’m always trying to sharpen someone’s vision. Maybe reality provides the most obvious metaphors.” Ultimately, he says, poetry allows us to profoundly understand the thoughts and feelings of others. “I love how a poem can transport you through time and geography into someone else’s experience and somehow make the world vast and tiny at the same time.”
More: batteredhive.blogspot.com
The Sonoran desert is an hourglass
knocked on its side
From each of the four directions
Saguaros flip you off
Remember not to feed or pet
squirrels without fur
called scorpions
Photo radar cameras
line the 101 corridor
making the Pima Freeway
the world’s most
expensive photobooth
The monsoon sun is a billboard
advertising back sweat
and the official
State Bird of Arizona
is the Ceiling Fan
Half the citizens of Phoenix
are transplants from Michigan
while the other half are trying
to move to Portland
The afternoon breeze
cauterized your ear
as clerks on a smoke break
prove that the sidewalk
is indeed hot enough
to fry a cigarette
Dee Cohen is a Prescott poet and photographer. deecohen@cox.net.
