By Sarah Whitman
Her words can silence a room.
Adrienne Nadeau, 26, has always identified herself as a writer, scribbling out short stories and poems since childhood. As a student studying writing at the University of Tampa, she narrowed her focus to spoken word poetry. One night after a poetry performance in Ybor City, she was mugged and beaten to the point of needing stitches.
The experience left her with a permanent stage name, Warrior Woman, and a passion to empower people through spoken word. Warrior Woman Inc. was formed.
Nadeau performs and presents poetry workshops throughout the Tampa Bay area. She visits high schools and youth groups to share an art form that helped her through difficult times. She has visited Land O’ Lakes High School several times and Zephyrhills Correctional Institute, a maximum-security prison.
Q: How did your experience as a victim of crime change the way you looked at poetry?
A: That experience showed me how much I use poetry as a coping mechanism. I realized that I took that for granted and decided I wanted to work with others to help expose more people to poetry.
Q: What do you present at your poetry workshops?
A: I do an academic presentation where I talk about things like simile and metaphor by comparing say Edgar Allen Poe and Mos Def. A lot of times at high schools the students will get up and freestyle with me. I teach them about poetry as a form of expression.
Q: What is it like performing at a maximum-security prison?
A: I’ve been a part of the Poetry is Prison tour for four years, visiting correctional institutions throughout Florida. We visit Zephyrhills every year. It is a maximum-security federal institution but you will never get a better crowd. The inmates are amazingly appreciative and energetic. They are polite to us and sometimes we have to remind ourselves we are in a prison.
Q: How do you think hearing poetry benefits the inmates?
A: We hope to remind them that they are not forgotten, to bring them creativity, hope and light. We want to show them an outlet for overcoming obstacles. Some of the inmates send letters saying how we reached them.
Q: Do you write every day?
A: I write most days. Sometimes it comes in waves. I’ll be blocked and be writing but it’s nothing very good. Sometimes, I’ll write six new pieces in six months.
Q: What advice would you give young aspiring poets?
A: To believe in their own voices. Not to be silenced by critics or self-conscious. To know they are entitled to their own opinion and point of view.
Q: What has poetry meant to you?
A: It is so completely who I am.
Adrienne will perform at an open teen poetry night July 30 at Mattress Revolution on Busch Blvd. She is also a teaching artist at Ruth Eckerd Hall. For more information on tour dates and workshops or to schedule a performance or poetry workshop, visit www.thewarriorwoman.org
(poem)
Warrior Woman
I was born with a warrior cry
And all who saw me knew I would never die
Because I had been born a woman
I only dressed up in pink lace to pretend I was a child
So I could survive
And I don’t remember if I cried
When the blood flowed between my thighs for the first time
But after that, I was told to hide
And I chose the wrong women to immortalize
I wanted to be like the ones who had mastered the bedroom eyes
I didn’t realize that they silenced their warrior cry
So after careful consideration I’ve decided I don’t need the makeup
Generously provided by Mary Kay
Because cosmetics are a saving grace, but perhaps they get in the way
You begin with foundation to cover childhood scars
But without those, I suppose no one knows who you are.
So I stand before you today
Not hiding behind makeup, or product, or augmentation
Without fear, or self loathing, or hesitation
Speaking without my mind without worrying about retaliation
Because I am a woman who speaks her own mind
And you won’t be able to silence the warrior this time!
© Adrienne Nadeau 2005