PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A local poet has called on elders within the Philadelphia art community to work together on a literary project of healing during the pandemic.
Debrah Powell-Wright has performed spoken word in Philadelphia for more than 20 years, and along the way, she’s built a sisterhood.
As the pandemic went on and protests spread throughout the city, she decided it was time to gather that sisterhood for a collaboration in "Philly Jawns for Women Revisited."
“The pandemic, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor. What does this moment mean in this entirety and how Black women are centered in it?,” she said.
She pulled together 40 Philadelphia poets to contribute to the book of poetry, which carries the theme of beloved artist and vocalist of the civil rights movement Nina Simone.
Powell-Wright said the book is a call to action, so all of the contributing poets will perform their work from the book at events scheduled throughout spring of 2021 to spread the word of hope and healing.