Justin Spring & SOULSPEAK
SOULSPEAK poetry originated with poet Justin Spring and myself in the early 90’s. and is a contemporary version of the oral poetry of our ancient ancestors before reading and writing. Through the vehicle of a non-profit organization founded by Justin (SOULSPEAK/SOULMOVES), we were able to bring a specialized version of SOULSPEAK poetry into at-risk facilities allowing participants to easily express deep emotions in a beautiful, healing way. We also collaborated with artists, musicians, and dancers in our many programs and in art videos.
We had grand times with countless poetry collaborations, toured colleges, clubs and other venues in the northeast for several years, as well as making art videos and recording SOULSPEAK poetry in the studio (see below). I don’t know of anyone who affected my life more than Justin Spring. He was a friend, colleague and mentor; he opened a door for me and I never looked back.
Justin passed away on March 17, 2017. He was an award-winning poet, video maker and author, and received awards from the State of Florida, John Ringling Towers Fund and Academy of American Poets among others. In 2009 he received the Ringling “Ageless Creativity” award for his lifelong contributions to poetry. His written poetry will be covered in another post.
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STRANGEFIRE & the MANY VOICES of SOULSPEAK are musical collaborations grounded by the SOULSPEAK poetry of Justin Spring, myself, and the musical genius of musician George DeJong. Other collaborators on these albums were Jane Odle, Andres Sas and Brian Hawkes. These speakings and music were created spontaneously in the studio. Nothing was prearranged or written down. Most often there was a speaker and a responder in the antiphonal mode. While the sound quality may sometimes leave a little to be desired, the authenticity and immediacy of these speakings shines through. Most of these collaborations were recorded between 2002 and 2013.
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TO LISTEN TO THESE ALBUMS CLICK HERE
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TO CREATE YOU OWN SOULSPEAK POEM FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS. IT OFTEN WORKS BETTER IF SOMEONE ELSE GIVES YOU THE WORDS.
For the real skinny on SOULSPEAK poetry read Justin’s book: SOULSPEAK: The Outward Journey of the Soul.
Books: Amazon.com ~ $5.95 Kindle Edition
Free download
