Grace Taylor - Spoken Word Poet
Grace Teuila Evelyn Taylor is a poet, spoken word artist and teacher. Her heritage is Afakasi. Her mother is from Moata'a and Apolima, Samoa and her father is from Glastonbury, England. Nurtured in the heart of South Auckland, New Zealand, Grace is the mother of Darae Lomani Tamatoa Ipolito Kamali and spends her days carving spaces and creating platforms for the next generation of spoken word poets. She is co-director of Niu Navigations and co-founder of the South Auckland Poets Collective and the Rising Voices Youth Poetry Movement. |
The Power of WordsWatch the video below of Grace Taylor's TED Talks presentation on 'The Power of Words', including performances of 'Afakasi is Dead' and 'Rising Voices'. She believes in the empowerment of words, in particular through creative manifestations and providing spaces for people to tell their own stories. Grace's poetry ciphers strongly around dialogues about identity, with her believing that the exploration of a sense of belonging is underestimated in many facets of society.
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Being Afakasi"It is a true reflection of what it really felt like to be Afakasi - the internal and external racism, the love and the hurt... I shared my story of being Afakasi... There were grown men with tears in their eyes, and mothers smiling back at me and encouraging me, and I thought, 'My goodness, they actually connect with me!' And one-by-one people stood up and spoke of their connection to my story and this was the first time I realised the power of words... Spoken word poetry is the vehicle through which I can best connect with myself and with other people..."
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Afakasi is Dead'Afakasi is Dead' explores the problems and prejudice faced by people of mixed-heritage.
View the video of Grace Taylor performing 'Afakasi is Dead' and click on the link below to access a written version ('What is Afakasi?') from her anthology 'Afakasi Speaks'.
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Navigating Spaces |
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Once WereAt the 2015 Auckland Writer's Festival, Grace Taylor explained that 'Once Were' is a poem that explores the identity of Pacific young people, how they show strength, and how negative stereotypes influence them. Taylor wants the poem to help young people to look at themselves critically and to avoid conforming to stereotypes.
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Polytricks of Afakasi“Polytricks of Afakasi” directly engages the cultural roles to which mixed-race Pacific women are often assigned. Unsurprisingly, however, a major thrust... is a rejection of a fixed and knowable “I.” The title “Polytricks of Afakasi,” for example, emphasizes the multiplicity of identity — “poly is many.” Indeed throughout “Polytricks,” the Afakasi woman is identified in a variety of cultural spaces in which the politics of identity are enacted: a tattoo shop, language class, the kitchen, the stage, and government. Significantly, these spaces put the Afakasi body on display in different ways, suggesting a shape-shifting and arguably trickster quality of Afakasi identity.
Extract from Poetry Foundation website
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'afakasistory
This blog is a canvas for stories of the unique voice of inbetween. . .’Afa Kasi voices. My name is Grace Taylor, a ‘afakasi women residing in Aukilani, Niu Sila. I am a spoken word poet, youth worker and currently completing my Masters in Youth Development. I am passionate about ‘afa kasi identity, how it is shaped, explored and expressed. I am embarking on a malaga of empowering the voices of ‘afa kasi generations to be heard – this blog is one way to provide that opportunity.
Click on the link above to access Taylor's 'Afakasistory Website. |
South Auckland Poets Collective
View the short videos below that explore and explain the ideas behind the South Auckland Poetry Collective.
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Rising Voices Poetry Slam
“Let me hear your stories The bones and skin of it The grit and bite of it The truth of all of it.” Click on the link below to listen to the Radio New Zealand 'Arts on Sunday' podcast that discusses the concept behind the 'Rising Voices Poetry Slam': Rising Voices Poetry Slam |
Tuatai - Guiding Pacific ArtsTautai is an organisation dedicated to the mentoring and ongoing support of Pacific artists. Click on the image below to get additional information Grace Taylor's work.
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NZ Poetry ShelfNew Zealand Poetry Shelf is a poetry page with reviews, interviews, and other things. Click on the image below to get additional information Grace Taylor's work.
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