Meet Arthur Bellfield Aka Art The Poet | Owner/Host-Colorado Springs Poetry Slam

We had the good fortune of connecting with Arthur Bellfield Aka Art The Poet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arthur, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process behind starting the Colorado Springs Poetry Slam was simple, I wanted to create a home for writers who didn’t fit into the technical aspects of the literary or art worlds, yet had all of these things to say about life & love as well as all the trauma and triumph in-between. These men and women deserved the stage and the mic, to say all the things that need to be said-even if they’re uncomfortable, woke, queer, or whatever testimony is on their minds-to someone who just doesn’t get it until they’ve heard the poem! Case and point, The Mercury Cafe in Denver is legendary and has produced some of best and most respected performance poets in the country, and I admire that! And, they’ve said some things that have made audiences cry, feel, or rebel within the streets of chao & social change! I dig that, because poetry when its allowed to be is a flame that ignites the inferno of thought! And, as a student of the Dallas Poetry Slam and Fort Worth Poetry Slams in Texas in the early 2000s I owe it to OG poets like Candy, Mike Guinn, and AJ Houston to keep poetry slams alive for the next generation of wordsmiths. And,

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets the Colorado Springs Poetry Slam apart from other poetry events is that we’re not tucked away in a coffee shop at an open mic full of closed minds, nor are we forcing labels on “poetry” by calling it things like BI-POC poetry or Queer Poetry because to us that’s limiting to who can perform at these shows as well as what audiences can attend. And, if you look at our audience you see yourself there…black, white, Asian, Hispanic, straight, gay, trans or whomever you are….and we celebrate you by allowing you to your true authentic self without using you as a marketing ploy!

The poetry slam was created to be a safe place for everyone and we take pride in that, and from that pride we’ve created the Poetry Potluck which is an event where poets, musicians, and comedians share food, jokes and philosophical conversations about things like simulation theories hidden within dead metaphors. We also have created the Poetry Puff & Pass a writer’ workshop, and the Erotic Poetry & Prose Open Mic which is hosted by Ni the Duchess.

What I’m most proud of is the fact that Visitcos.com acknowledged us during Black Business Month last August and Fox 21 had me on Living Loving Local to talk about the poetry slam and encourage more people to come out and see what these poets heve to say because a lot of local publications have honestly slept on this community. But, on a personal note I’m beyond proud of seeing people utilize poetry as a healing tool because the stage is my therapist-so I can relate.

I started as a visual artist and became a poet under the name Wise Slave and faced gods on thr mic at both the Fort Worth and Dallas poetry slams. I would later change my stage name to Art the Poet, because the name aligned more with my commitment to Art and Poetry. I’ve worked for several publications ouke the Blitz Weekly where I interviewed celebrities like Andrew Schultz, Copywrite, and Techn9ne. I’ve also habe writtened and published several comic books like Tainted Love, Black Villians Wanted, Agent Solo, and Lady Freedom.

None of this was easy, because I didn’t have any mentors or spiritual guides at those times to help me become a better creative or the creator economy. I was a broke bohemian sitting on the bus stop waiting to either finally live or die for my art.

I overcame the challenges by doing the work honestly, and being consistent with my intentions and art. A turning point for me was reading the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell because this book explained to me two things, the first being that everything that I’ve been doing up to this point including the relationships that I’ve formed along the way meant that I was at the nexus of it all..I was a Connector and having that knowledge of who I am and my relationship to others meant everything! Being a connector means that you connect souls with each other and to opportunities. The second thing is getting a firm understanding of popularity which translates to the guest experience. Anyone can have a poetry event, however what separates these events is the experience! And, the Colorado Springs Poetry Slam delivers a high-octane support experience everytime!

Spoken word is ancient and tribal like language itself and as a poet living within a post Beatnik world who was raised within the echos of hip hop I’ve learned that the more authentic you are with you art and words the more people respect your mistakes and misteps because we’re all learning to be a little more conscious and thoughtful as we embrace empathy. The third quid of existence is poetry.

I feel like I’m finally able to write about my life, without being unconscious to the fact that my story isn’t everyones’s story and vice versa. I’m a forty-nine year old black man living in Colorado Springs where the black population is 6% and they have a statue of black man, Seymour Williams looking at the courthouse within a former Sundown Town where movies like BlackkkKlansman were made. So, the choice is to either ignore all of that or utilize it as a means to educate and make people aware of the fact that despite his far we’ve come the echoes of the past still haunt us! There is a certain power that comes with self-realization and being comfortable within your skin, and sadly society doesn’t make that each for a lot of us. I once wrote poem that started off with the line “I denounce the term BI-POC because I don’t want to be a byproduct of so one else’s political agenda!”

And, when I read those words on stage and look into the audience I can see their auras shift and resonate with these words because no one wants to be a prisoner of someone else’s agenda, even if it seems righteous and just.

What I would like for people to know about Art the Poet is that he’s a flawed soul attempting to heal with hope and laughter accompanying his subsconsious as he rocks the mic with words of vulnerability and protest. He loves cheerleading for baby poets just as much as much as he does seasoned masters of the pen, because we all need someone in our corner, being the hype man even if we can’t believe our own hype!

I think the biggest takeaway for me is that I want people to know that the Colorado Springs Poetry Slam is all about literacy, wellness, creativity, and community….and show after show these poets embrace those pillars and each other. This maybe a performancr poetry competition on the outside, but it’s truly a family that supports and cheerleads for each other both on and off the stage! And, interviews like this serve as a living document that these men and women rocked the mic, and lived within their truths!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
That’s an easy question because I would take them to Supernova Bar & Arcade for some wings and to play video games. Next we would go to Josh & Johns for some ice cream! Then we would have to checkout Cottonwood Art Center and venture over to the Triple Nickel and hangout with the artsy people and the regulars for a bit. Afterwards, we would get in some scooters and head to Concrete Park and checkout some street art and maybe write a poem or create some art. Afterwards, it would be time to head over to the Block or Bar-K and drink and chill before heading acrsois to Dublin House to watch the locals sing their heart out. I would end the night at Vultures of Uktra Flst Black Gallery if they had a show!

The next day we would go to Red Rock Canyon and Sunwater Spa afterwards and just chill and grab some food at the Loft. Then check out a few galleries and shops in Manitou Springs before heading to Old Colorado City and get some coffee at Jives and take a nap in the park. We would go back to Supernova and hang out until nightfall.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout Don and the team at Ultra Flat Black Gallery for believeing in poetry and allowing me to create the Colorado Springs Poetry Slam, because it was a huge risk on their part by allowing poets to have a Saturday night to perform and talk about our feelings on a night that’s usually reserved for music and comedy shows at most venues! And, guess what? Since the very first show the poetry slsm has out performed most music and comedy shows across the city on a consistent basis. This year we moved the show to Friday nights to take advantage of the city’s First Friday art initiative.

I would also like to shoutout all the poets, musicians, and comedians that have made the poetry slam a vibe including Sarah Garlick, Ugly Face, Mike Harris, Sun, Jacinda Gabby, Desi, Blaire, Alpha the Musical, Bex, Sunny, Andrew Ingram, Alyssa Townsend, Miles of Magic, Jordan Burke, Caitlin Elizabeth, Regan, Avery D, Sara Lyn, Jayde Rose, Tessa, Laura Miller, XL Dub and more. And, the audience because without them there is no show!

Website: https://Coloradospringspoetryslam.com

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