Buddy Wakefield: Award Winning Slam Poet Visits WSC

Spoken Word Revolution at WSC

            What do a candy maker, a street sweeper, a bartender, a maid, a construction worker, the manager of a CD store, a bull rider and a booking agent all have in common?  They are all jobs held at one time or another by Buddy Wakefield, two-time Individual World Poetry Slam Champion. 

            Wakefield, who will perform at Western’s Quigley Hall Feb. 27, appears as a master of slam poetry, a type of performance art whose roots are found in the 1980’s Chicago jazz scene.  According to Wakefield’s website, this performance lifestyle is one he embarked upon in 2001 when leaving his job at a biomedical firm, Wakefield “sold or gave away everything he owned, moved to the small town of Honda Civic and set out to live for a living, touring North America poetry venues through 2003.”

            Wakefield continues to tour, being featured on NPR, the BBC, and HBO’s Def Poetry Jam as well as gracing stages from California to Scotland.  Wakefield’s WSC performance was put together by WordHorde, the college’s campus English club.  The organization’s president, Tiara Lopez, looks to Wakefield’s diversity as a huge draw for the event as well as her own personal artistic journey.

            “When I was introduced to Buddy over a year ago, I was hooked from the first line of metrical expression,” Lopez said.  “He has been on the road for approximately the past ten years, had many odd jobs, and met the world wearing different and broken-in shoes than that of the typical Gunnison college student.  His pockets are full of authenticity.”

            On board with Wakefield for the Feb. 27 performance is local spoken word artist and WSC alum Jake Danna, who will open for the visiting poet.  As a member of the WordHorde Performance Troupe, along with Lopez and several other Western students, Danna is a familiar face at community readings and poetry events. 

            “If you had told a member of WordHorde two or three years ago, when I had first gotten involved, they wouldn’t have believed it possible to get Buddy out here,” Danna said of the event.  The artist also expressed reverence and awe at being able to open for a poet like Wakefield. 

“If offered the opportunity I would sacrifice my physical being to christen a stage for Mr. Wakefield,” Danna said.  “Being his opening act is the opportunity of a lifetime, I’ve been shaking and sleepless since I was told.  Curled in fetal position with my thumb between my teeth.”

Lopez reiterates what an honor it is for WordHorde to have Wakefield perform at Western.  “We look to accredited slam poets like Buddy not only for poetic paradigm, but inspiration.  Basically, it means a great deal for Buddy to come to Western.”

The performance will be held at Western’s Quigley Recital Hall Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. and is free to all.  Buddy Wakefield could not be reached for comment, but for more information on the performer visit buddywakefield.com.