In this blog post, I am excited to share the work of Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye, a skilled spoken-word couple. They are not a couple in the romantic sense. No, their love for each other is strictly platonic, but their passion for their work and their friendship is evident in all that they do. The two share a bubbly and gentle demeanor that wins over hearts and minds with crisp voices and eloquent words.
The two met while studying at Brown University, where they were both spoken word performers. Sarah and Phil come from surprisingly similar backgrounds. Actually, "surprisingly similar" is quite the understatement. Their backgrounds connect them on a level that few of us can understand.
While they both participate in their own side projects, together they created Project V.O.I.C.E, hoping to empower youth expression, especially through spoken word. Both have been featured separately as guests on TED, NPR, and many other media outlets as two of the best poets of our generation.
Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye function as mouthpieces of love for words. One of my favorite performances by them is "This American Life." The poem bounces from song to song, questioning the foundation of American life and what our society truly stands for. Their performance shows their gentleness but also their true passion and power.
In her 2011 TED Talk, Sarah Kay recalled her early pieces of poetry as "indignant," because all spoken word seemed to reek of displeasure and anger. Her work with Phil Kaye shows that power does not only come from the loud, with angry faces and tears, but also from quietness that packs a punch.
Below is their poem entitled "An Origin Story", which describes how the two came to be a pair. You will laugh and it will make your heart happy. Enjoy!
[embed width="600" contenteditable="false"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esgfG3BoAPc[/embed]
You can reach me at arabusa@asu.edu or on Twitter @marie_eo.
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