Pihtya: Literary/Spoken Word/Nu Mixed-Media Series
The last Thursday of each month
Moving Image Lab, CCA

A new CCA series called Pihtya (the word for "touch" in Keres, pronounced ‘Pee-tyah`), curated and hosted by local Santa Fe poet, scholar, and IAIA graduate Sara Marie Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo), is a first-of-its kind series dedicated to showcasing the new work of primarily local young artists working in multiple mediums: emergent literary, performative, and creative-intellectual talent, including but not limited to younger Native, Black, and Chicana(o) poets, filmmakers, fiction writers, memoirists, musicians, and visual artists. The ongoing series includes spoken word performance, screenings of films by younger local filmmakers, Q & A’s, music by young musicians and DJs, formal readings of published work and work-in-progress, visual art presentations, and artists-in-conversation moderated by young local artists themselves.

SAVE THE DATE!

Pihtya
Literary/Spoken Word/Nu Mixed-Media Series

Lyrical Content
Def-i, Leah “Whisper” Carpenter Kish & Lady Yasha
Thursday, June 26 | 7 - 9 pm | Moving Image Lab
$4 member | $6.50 nonmember

CCA presents an evening of film, music, and presentations by young Native visual artists, MCs, community leaders, and spoken word poets Def-i, Leah “Whisper” Carpenter Kish, and Lady Yasha.

The film Lyrical Content serves as a site of resistance that defies the attempted de-politicizations and silencing of Native peoples by non-indigenous America. This film is not a response to infamous practices of cultural appropriation and indigenous misrepresentation. Rather, by showcasing Native youth in Albuquerque and their utilization of genres like conscious hip hop, spoken word, and graffiti art, the film presents testimony of the lived realities of indigenous peoples who never lost their voices or the power of their self-determined means of creative expression.

Leah “Whisper” Carpenter Kish (Diné) is the director/writer of Lyrical Content. She is a writer, spoken word poet, and current graduate student at UNM, Department of American Studies. This is her first film.

Def-i is “Definition Rare,” a four-piece collective of local hip-hop practitioners—MCs Def-i and Wake, DJ OHM, and producer Cloudface, each born and raised in New Mexico. Their artistry is devoted to promoting peace and unity through song, spoken word, and dance. They specialize in various styles of Hip-Hop, ranging from Vocal Percussion to Turn-tablism, making their work accessible to audiences of all ages/nations.

Lady Yasha is a young Diné visual artist, mother, and community leader. Lady Yasha is an involved, inspiring, and motivated community leader active in Albuquerque, the Native community-at-large, and communities of color. Her work with the Albuquerque organization “Young Women United” reveals her commitment to supporting issues involving young women of color.

Pihtya
Literary/Spoken Word/N-u Mixed-Media Series

Taos High School Slam Team & Santa Fe Indian School Spoken Word Club
Where: Moving Image Lab
Series Launch: Thursday, May 22, 7- 9pm
Donations accepted

CCA presents an evening of spoken-word by youth, featuring members of Slam Teams from Taos High School (THS) and Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS).

pihtyaDirected by their coach, Taos Pueblo poet Juan Concha, and taught by Taos poet Anne McNaughton, the THS team was recently honored with first place in the New Mexico State Slam Championship. The team, along with poets from around the state of New Mexico, will be featured in an HBO film set to air in late 2008 about the burgeoning world and momentum of spoken-word by youth throughout the nation. With World Poetry Bout Association cofounder MacNaughnton's guidance, the THS Poetry Slam Team has won several State titles, and in 2000 placed third at Nationals.

pihtyaThe SFIS spoken-word club provides students with opportunities to perform poetry in both English and Native languages. The club consists of young spoken-word poets and scholars who perform locally, as well as in New Mexico and nationally. SFIS has participated in Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Slam in San Jose, CA and will represent Santa Fe in the upcoming competition in Washington DC. Recently they placed third at the NM State High School Invitational Slam Championships. They are mentored and coached by Tim McLaughlin, founding director of the SFIS Writing Center and the Spoken Word Club/Team.

Upcoming:
Whisper and Layli Longsoldier
Where: Moving Image Lab
When: Thursday, June 26 7-9pm
For more information contact: sandy@ccasantafe.org