Since 1998 youth from all over the world have come together for Brave New Voices, a competition that unites youth from all walks of life through their love of language. Spoken-word poetry has become the medium that has made poetry relevant to young people in a way that would make Shakespeare jealous.
This past year Russell Simmons, the mogul behind HBO’s Def Poetry, set out to track eight teams of teenagers from across the country as they fought their way to the national finals in Washington DC. “Brave New Voices” fuses the heat of a poetry slam competition, the beauty of art and the struggle of life into one compelling series that you won’t want to miss.
The six-part HBO series is narrated by Queen Latifah and is scheduled to debut on April 5.
-Lukas Brekke-Miesner
