Charlie Magazine – Pocket Poetry
August 30, 2013
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 his life and poetry. But first: his fifth and newest book, “The Spoken Word: Selected Poems 2003-2013,” an anthology of best-ofs, conveniently sized to your pocket.
But let’s go back to Prince for a minute.
Music. His first love. Marcus’ creative unfolding is as fascinating as those of his favorite musicians over their careers. Trent Reznor rode a downward-to-upward-spiral. Joni Mitchell shifted from folk to jazz. And Prince went from super sexual to….less sexual. In “Spoken Word,” readers hear Marcus’ voice transition from serious and self-focused (in works like “Side Effecting”) to softer and more aware (like “Sabbath,” a poem about “the most beautiful hangover.”)
“It’s really a snapshot of my growth as a writer,” Marcus says. “It’s my way of letting go of some of my older poems and sharing some of my newer work. It’s a greatest hits.”
Including hits like “Jazz,” a poem about New Orleans that “just came out of him, who knows from where” and arguably his best. There are classic nods to Charleston, like “Upper King,” which includes a captivating video in the book’s digital version. When you read his 222-page full color book-esque album, you’re holding not just his evolution. You’re holding time.
Pretty impressive for pocket-sized poetry.
For the ever-creator, sharing the work is as essential as writing it. Years of expressing what others have not been able to express have made him more conscious of universal connection. He wants you to know that he is not special. Or, that we are all special. But we’re all connected.
“I’m not unique in what I feel. I hope people feel inspired to write. Or create. Or do. Anything,” Marcus says. “If you’re feeling something, express it.”
Plenty of TBD upcoming performances to experience the book are on the radar: one at Redux, another at The Mezz. You can pick up your copy at Amazon or download the interactive version on iTunes. Or perhaps you’ll be one of the lucky sixteen to find one strategically placed by a statue or on a bench around town. Grab it immediately and slip it in the back of your skinny jeans, right next to your iPod.
You’ve always wanted to carry Marcus around in your pocket.
Story by: Jessica Kenny
Read it here
