Marcus Amaker

Author archive

Poem: “CODE.”

If I write lines of poems like I write lines of code, no comma would be out of place and every quotation mark left open would throw the whole piece off center. Maybe coding is, in fact, poetry. Maybe life is, in fact, poetry and we are the result of a Universal code where X’s […]

Somewhere in West London …

I have many favorite artists. Most of you know about the heavy hitters on my list: Prince, Joni Mitchell, Ani Difranco, PJ Harvey, Tori, Tribe. On that list as well is Kate Bush, and she’s making news because she performed her first concert in 35 years last night in London. It’s part of a 22 […]

Poem: Brother Denmark

(about Denmark Vesey) the history books tell us that you won your freedom when you won the lottery, but freedom isn’t something you win – freedom is a birthright. freedom is as seamless as your name, even when it was changed by a captain who claimed to control the sea. But God is the only […]

Poster design for Sola Yoga’s “Yoga in the Park”

Was asked to do a poster for Sola Yoga’s “Yoga in the Park” event on March 16. See it below!

My favorite 13 albums of 2013

13. Heiroglyphics – The Kitchen 12. Justin Timberlake – 20/20 Experience 11. Pearl Jam – lightning bolt 10. Arcade Fire – Reflektor 9. Atoms for Peace – AMOK 8. Paul McCartney – New 7. Local Natives – Hummingbird 6. Boards of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest 5. Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle 4. […]

The Pecha Kucha poem

  the new foundation I. every moment that you are alive is the only moment that matters. the past is a glass house and we throw stones trying to shatter walls that need to come down. we are all architects of negativity – brick by brick of bold thoughts holding together bodies bound by blood […]

Album review: David Bowie’s “The Next Day”

I’ve always been a little intimidated by David Bowie. His discography is massive. His reputation is legendary. His influence is immeasurable. So, where do you start when you want to listen to him? Like most people, I started with the Ziggy Stardust album. Beyond that, though, I was finding it hard to connect to his […]

When a musician grows older …

i have a strange fascination with growing old. at 36, i feel better than i’ve ever felt. people pump fear into your mind about age: they tell you that your 20s are your prime and your 50s are when you should start thinking about mortality. as prince sung, “what if time’s only reason is to […]

Charlie Magazine – Pocket Poetry

Meet Marcus. Actually, wait. You know Marcus. Marcus Amaker. Charleston’s prized poet. Dude with dreads riding his bike. Sexy black man. Designer/musician/Prince fanatic. Yeah, you know him. But we want to re-introduce you, because he’s saying goodbye. Panic not. We mean he’s letting go of his older poems and transitioning into a new phase of […]

Press: Young artist holds the spirit of poetry

By Marjory Wentworth A week or two after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I heard Marcus Amaker perform his poem “jazz” at Monday Night Blues in downtown Charleston. He had composed the poem in the aftermath of the storm and all the horrors that followed. Marcus experienced the same disbelief and anger the rest of […]