Interviewing Porsha O

On February 27, the SUNY Poly campus at Utica/Rome had a poet speak and hold a workshop on campus. That poet was Porsha O. As I looked up her videos, I was amazed to hear the poem that she spoke at the The Individual World Poetry Slam. That poem, “Capitalism”, won her the 2014 Championship. On campus, we rarely have poets. Comedians and musicians usually grace our stages, but never poets. So I was happy to attend the workshop before the actual performance. In the workshop, I was able to interview Porsha and gain some insight into what inspires her as an artist.

What are some of your biggest influences?

Ida B.Wells, Zora Neal Hurston, Octavia Butler and Audre Lorde.

Why do you write poetry instead of other forms of media?

I like poetry becauses there are rules to poetry. I like the aesthetics of poems. When I first form a poem in head, it's actually in essay form.

Why did you start writing?

I do not know, I use to rewrite music lyrics when I was younger. Then, one of my high school teachers took me to a slam concert. Ever since then, I have been writing slam.

Why do you still write?

I don’t know. Well I do not know how not to write. Also, they say the duty of the writer is to reflect the times, so I use my writing to do that. I want to be permanent.

What is your favorite poem? Why?

Power by Audre Lorde, because it is timeless. You can read it now and you will think it was written yesterday, but it was written many years ago.