The Recipe Poetry Guild

The Recipe Poetry Guild L.L.C. is a minority managed performance group combining spoken word, theatrical interpretation and music into what we like to call, dramatic art in rhythm.    Desmond and Theodore two ten year veterans in poetry came together and launched in 2005 as a duo poetry team the Recipe. The Recipe chose to work in a team format to encourage peoples to work together towards common goals. We believe that by exemplifying excellence and team work as spoken word artist/activist we can influence change and quickly became known for our dramatic heart felt chemistry during performances. Combining props, music and theatrical interpretations to spoken word, audience acceptance and appreciation led to winning many local poetry slams, opening doors to do featured performances around the Kansas City, Mo area and nationally. The Recipe has performed for youth programs, churches, schools and at night clubs. The Recipe in 2006 combined with other local artist to perform as a group incorporating multiple artistic mediums to heighten the social conscious message becoming known as the Recipe Poetry Guild. Recognizing an interest in our youth for the written and performed rap poetry, spoken word, we thought we should capitalize on this interest and connect this interest to an educational format. In 2007 the Recipe started Expressions without Weapons a community spoken word and creative writing program for youth administered by Desmond “3*3*7” Jones and Theodore “Priest” Hughes promoting no generation gaps nurturing spoken word as an performing arts activity for students Kindergarten through twelfth grade. In our creative writing program we teach poetry form, poetry history, writing and speech.  Students attending our program learn poetry form though familiar poetic examples “Itsy bitsy Spider” and then by writing their own works in form every day. Poetry history is incorporated by introducing the student to works of past and present poets speaking on similar subjects as theirs and others despite being from different eras. Speech/communication is the main component of spoken word poetry so students recite or communicate their ideas everyday for self and instructive guidance. Concentration exercises are used to help improve focus during disruption. There is no generation gap since we all talk, the gap is in the sense we talk, or how long it has been since we talked  

The Recipe Poetry Guild operates on the belief that communication is the fabric of relationships both personal and social and that success is directly related to the effectiveness of an individual to communicate their ideas to another person. We believe the art of spoken word, an oral tradition of expression, encourages self and social awareness instilling self confidence in one's opinion and belief that words and not violence can cause change. It has been documented in case studies that youth and adults alike with inferior communication skills are more likely to express themselves violently when confronted with obstacles. The Recipe Poetry Guild uses spoken word to challenge our youth creatively, academically and introspectively to deal with personal, social and political issues effecting their everyday lives as well as generations to come. We start by being a presence together, aware of and involved responsibly in the future of our youth. We understand by giving young people the stage, our attention and direction through example we can improve society one young person at a time.

Pledge
 

As a spoken word artist I will walk through fire with a pen and a pad writing down the recipe of my history with the universal language of poetry. I will be consistent, persistent and resilient to express myself boldly, openly, and honestly demanding my audience's attention at all times. I write for prevention, intervention and ascension of my self, and others, by sharing the good and bad I've lived through keeping my opinions realistic. We are a legacy of instructions from various ingredients that lead to success, passed on, as we pass a way for eternity, traced in trails of led shooting memories feelings of developing identities in compositions of our history, collectively leaving a cultural identity of Expression without Weapons. Teaching by guiding our actions to equal destiny as a community. We are, spoken word the Recipe Poetry Guild.