Church Life

Poet Amena Brown Speaks the Truth in Rhythm and Rhymes

Faith stirs the spoken word poetry.

Stan Kaady

As a teen, Amena Brown listened to hip-hop and dreamed of being the next Lauryn Hill; she even had a stage name, "Teknique." But she never could quite make her rhymes mesh with the beat and the bars of the music, so she turned to spoken word poetry instead. Maybe she couldn't emcee, but when she took the stage for a poetry slam, Amena Brown was the bomb.

Today, her inspiring presentations are highly sought by churches and conferences (Catalyst, RightNow, Thirsty, and the National Youth Workers Convention, to name a few). In faith-based settings, Brown recites one- to four-minute poems with titles such as "Resurrection," "He Is Here," "Masterpiece," and "In the Beginning." In the secular setting of an open-mic poetry slam—often in Atlanta, where she lives—she'll perform rhymes like "First Crush," "Stupid Girl," and "A Few Good Men." All are delivered with passion, precision, and lively wordplay.

Brown believes the church is catching on to spoken word poetry. "More people are seeing how the spoken word form can articulate a message or make a point in a different way from a speaker or a song. And there are more poets performing God-ward content."

Question & Answer

You majored in English at Spelman College, right?

Yes. At first I thought about becoming a preacher. But I got into poetry, and wanted to get my MFA in poetry. I was denied at all three schools I applied to. At first I was angry at God, but then I started doing more with spoken word. It wasn't my plan, but it definitely was God's.

Why spoken word poems?

For a long time, I didn't want to perform my own poems. I would enter speech competitions, memorizing things by Maya Angelou or James Weldon Johnson, but I never won. My mom thought I should perform my own poems, but I didn't want to. She took one of my pieces and entered it into an NAACP poetry competition without telling me. I ended up winning, and had to go there and read it in front of them—and it was the most exhilarating experience. I was about 16 or 17, and it dawned on me that this is a gift from God that people want to hear. I've been performing my own work ever since she pulled that prank on me!

What makes spoken word poetry so effective?

It's on the line between what we love about hearing a person speak and what we love about music. It incorporates rhyme and rhythm, but also the passion of whoever is doing the work—a dramatic interpretation of the written word. I've seen it transcend culture and generation, and anybody can engage with it.

What's next for you?

I'm working on a poet and DJ presentation of some of the more worshipful pieces I've done. And I'm working on a CD, putting those same pieces to [background] music. I see myself doing this work for a while. My calling is writing and talking, and I feel that if I am doing that in a way that honors God for the rest of my life, then great.

More: AmenaBrown.com

Hometown: San Antonio

Church: Buckhead Church, Atlanta

Reading now: Jay-Z's Decoded

Listening to now: Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Under the Bridge"; Bobby Caldwell, "Open Your Eyes"

Favorite movie: The Godfather

Favorite Bible verse: Philippians 2:14

Favorite website: urb.com

Best meal you cook: Chicken marsala

Hobbies: Going to live music shows, movies, soul and hip-hop music

Copyright © 2011 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

See more at AmenaBrown.com.

Previous "Who's Next" sections featured David Cunningham, Timothy Dalrymple, John Sowers, Alissa Wilkinson, Jamie Tworkowski, Bryan Jennings, L. L. Barkat, Robert Gelinas, Nicole Baker Fulgham, Gideon Strauss, W. David O. Taylor, Crystal Renaud, Eve Nunez, Adam Taylor, Matthew Lee Anderson, Margaret Feinberg, and Jonathan Merritt.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

Proselytizing in a Multi-Faith World

God of the Schizophrenic

Evangelism as Sacrament

A Beautiful Anger

Why We Love Amish Romances

Books to Note

Excerpt

Counterfeit Gospels

Review

The Gods of the Checkout Aisle

Wilson's Bookmarks

Carolyn Arends Contemplates Her Own Death, and Yours

Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?

News

Sweat Lodge Prayers

My Top 5 Books On Poverty

Editorial

An Everyday Scandal

News

Rehab Revival: Evangelism Among Addicts Seeing Success

An Improbable Alliance

News

Tough Calling in Africa

News

Pushing Back the Desert: Niger's Christians Get Creative for Daily Bread

Readers Write

News

Exit Visa: Iraqi Christians Look for Safe Haven

News

Thanksgiving Question Nearly Deports Tortured Christian

What's a Congregation Worth?

What Christian Novel Should Be Made Film?

News

Quotation Marks

Two Peoples Separated by a Common Revelation

Multi-Faith Matters

News

Go Figure

News

Borders' Bankruptcy Affects Christian Orgs, Pregnancy Center Signs Violate Free Speech & More News

News

Should Congress Change Pastors' Housing Allowances?

Review

Rob Bell's Bridge Too Far

View issue

Our Latest

The Russell Moore Show

Civility, Calvinism, and the Coming Judgment Day

Richard Mouw still believes in Christian “uncommon decency.” 

Paul’s Prescription for a Polarized Church

The apostle’s ethic of welcome challenges our personal, social, and political instincts.

Spain’s Oldest Protestant Publishing House Began Underground 100 Years Ago

Now Clie celebrates a century of equipping the church through dictatorship and secularization. 

News

Donald Trump Takes the White House Again

In his late-night victory speech, the former president says God gave him a mission to “save our country.”

News

Florida’s Abortion Amendment Becomes the First to Fail Since Roe’s Reversal

On election night, pro-lifers cheered the news that a 6-week ban enacted under Gov. Ron DeSantis will get to stay, with further wins coming in South Dakota and Nebraska.

News

Conservative Anglicans Call for Archbishop to Repent Over Same-Sex Relationships Stance

As the issue continues to divide the Church of England, Justin Welby spoke on a popular podcast about how his views have “evolved.”

In a Polarized World, but Not of It 

On Election Day and beyond, conservative and liberal Christians can better understand each other and be ministers of reconciliation. 

Go Slow and Repair Things

We’re facing huge problems in our culture—problems an election alone can’t solve. But by God’s grace, we can do the small, daily work of repair.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube