Today we’d like to introduce you to Orville The Poet.
Hi Orville the Poet, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always loved words as early as I can remember.
My mom encouraged me to read often. She then upgraded to demanding book reports (no fun at the time, lol). I wrote my first poem for a family function on the car ride to the function. My mom was startled as she encouraged me to write something but wasn’t sure I would. She had a way of motivating you without you even knowing it.
Now that I think of it, I’m very sure I have some of that gift from her. My mom loved my poem and that day something else was birthed. I would then write for years and never share publicly. Not until about 2008 would I start to take my art seriously? Performed at every open mic, church, and community event that I could.
I then started my open mic called purepoetrylive in 2012. We celebrated 11yrs this past June of 2023
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A lot of the struggles early on were my learning curve. This was my first attempt at organizing an event ever! I made a lot of mistakes but I was never scared of making a mistake.
Also, the struggle, in the beginning, was a lack of support. I didn’t know anything about marketing, PR, patterns, social trends, or the best business practices.
As you know, we’re big fans of purepoetrylive. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Purepoetrylive is a safer space where different matters of the heart are addressed using different forms of art.
It’s like going out to your favorite spot with your friends, with good food, good music, drinks, hookah, good vibes oh, and good poetry! We’ve had a range of artists grace our platform from the first-timers sharing something they wrote to Grammy-nominated artists like Prentice Powell & Sean Williams to signed national recording artists like Kamauu.
You can expect anything from vocalists, poets, musicians, and more. We specialize in creating “a vibe” I can almost guarantee you haven’t experienced poetry like you will when you attend a ppl event. Brand wise we’re extremely proud of creating a space where people of color and all races can come and express themselves creatively and positively!
Ppl next show is Dec. 9th a Saturday! Usually, every 1st Thursday of the month at Karma in Washington, DC. People are like being “outside” without being outside lol. The perfect blend of art, fun, vibes, and just a good time.
@purepoetrylive (on all social).
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
Being able to take risks is something you have to be able to do! Risk-taking is a necessity to grow.
You must try new things. In trying new things, you make mistakes, you may even fail but it’s in the failure that you learn the most!
Risk aversion must also be a key skill set in your arsenal! Knowing when to take a risk and when the risk is too great to entertain.
Contact Info:
- Website: PurePoetryLive.com & Orvillethepoet.com
- Instagram: @Orvillethepoet & @PurePoetryLive
Image Credits
Mike Evenn and Antonio Diggs
