Underground History Visual Poetry
Visual Poetry project
St. Petersburg has a rich and diverse community of spoken word artists and poets. Their talent offers evocative and creative voices to stories of culture, history and social justice. Underground History Visual Poetry will blend place-based spoken word poetry with filmmaking and public performances to present stories of erased histories in the St. Petersburg community. Filmmakers Polita Glynn and Devin Rice filmed and created four place-based visualizations of the poetry.
The themes of the poems address topics included in the recently completed Underground History documentary. These include history and remaining archeological sites of the region’s Indigenous Ancestors, the displaced contemporary African American communities and erased Black cemeteries, and historic waterways which once created a connectivity for these places and people. The themes in Underground History address broader themes of history, home, displacement and community.
The participating artists include:
• Gloria Muñoz is a Colombian American writer, translator, and advocate for multilingual literacy. She is St. Pete's first Latina poet laureate and is recognized through many writing awards. She wrote and recorded "Of Flowers."
• Walter “Wally B.” Jennings is an ordained minister, published poet, spoken word artist and community organizer who has conducted over 1000 performances, workshops and mentorship sessions in the national spoken word community. He wrote and recorded "Evolution of Salt and Light."
• Thomas Hallock, Ph.D., is a professor of English, Literature & Cultural Studies at the University of South Florida. His most recent book, Happy Neighborhood’ explores a sense of place through poetry and prose. He wrote "Water has Memory" and recorded the poem with Jacqueline Hubbard.
• Miesha Brundridge is known is the Studio@620 Poetry Showcase Curator and honored as the 2019 Keep St. Pete Featured Poet. She wrote and recorded "Underground History." Keesha King Brundridge wrote and recorded "Black Grounds Remains."
The Underground History Poetic Visualizations are produced with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Pinellas, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, and the State of Florida.
Production of Underground History Visual Poetry
Underground History Visual Poetry: Production and post-production
Matt Mayes and Devin Rice on camera and sound
Thomas Hallock and Jacqueline Hubbard record "Water has Memory"
Gloria Munoz records "Of Flowers."
Miesha & Keesha Brundrige record Underground History and Black Grounds Remains.
Wally B. records "The Evolution of Salt and Light." Devin Rice and Matt Mayes on camera and sound.
Devin Rice filming B-roll images
Devin Rice filming B-roll images
Film post-production
Devin Rice scores music for Miesha & Keesha Brundridge's poems, Underground History and Black Grounds Remains
Devin Rice creates graphics for "The Evolution of Salt and Light" by "Wally B."
Devin Rice composes and scores music for Wally B.'s "The Evolution of Salt and Light"
Still frame from Keesha Brundridge, "Black Grounds Remains"
Still frame from from Jacqueline Hubbard, "Water has Memory"
Still frame from Thomas Hallock, "Water has Memory"
Still frame from Miesha Brundridge, "Underground History"
Still frame from Wally B. "The Evolution of Salt and Light"
Still frame from Gloria Munoz, "Of Flowers"