There’s a renaissance of talent emerging in the city, from poets, singers, spoken word artists, and lyrist. You name it, it’s here. Tea and Performance (T.A.P.) on Thursday center stage those talents every 3rd Thursday at Winterbloom Tea in downtown Fayetteville. I was mesmerized and captivated by the talent displayed in Thursday’s spoken word night.
T.A.P. on Thursday will approach its first anniversary in April 2023. The mastermind behind T.A.P. on Thursday is Lejuane Bowens. Bowens is an award-winning spoken word poet with many accolades. Bowens has performed and hosted many poetry events for almost 16 years. Bowens received numerous prestigious awards for his poetry and performed in multiple festivals. He’s the founder/C.E.O. of Poetry-N-Motion. According to the company’s website, Poetry-N-Motion specializes in writing workshops, mentoring, and event hosting/planning.
Bowens shared that open mic generally has a short life span. Open mic has a strong following in the community, which he appreciates. “It means a lot to me for people to support these events. A lot of people in Fayetteville don’t know these events are happening. Getting it out there – saying there’s a poetry culture going on – means a lot. People out here see what’s going on in the city for the past 23 years and counting.”
Fayetteville is bringing Harlem Renaissance culture to the town, diversifying the art field’s talent. “We have tons of artists that come to open the mic. Whether they’re singers, musicians, poets, rappers, or lyricists. It’s always a beautiful thing”, Lejuane Bowens shared with the Exclusive Press.
“Everybody feeds off each other. When you have that energy in the same space, like-minded energy is constantly growing. This place is always packed. I enjoy it, and everybody is coming here to enjoy the art and culture.”
T.A.P. on Thursday is one of many poetry events in Fayetteville. Word Play is hosted Every 2nd Friday at the Big Apple, presented by Black-on-Black Rhymes Carolina, hosted by Nick Courmon. Open Mic Night, Every Wednesday Night at White Rabbit Pub.
There’s talent in the Ville. So, grab a seat on the Poetry Amtrak train to the Fayetteville Renaissance. Allow the rhythmic metaphorical words to inflate your imagination like a picturesque view of the sunrise beaming on nature. Allow the creative mixture of words to drift your mind into another dimension. W.O.W. your mind by captivating sculptures and landmark word scenes like a tourist in Rome, Italy. If you want to keep up with all the latest poetry events, you can follow the Facebook group page, Poetry in Fayetteville.