On Art and Poetry:
The Rebecca Dupas Interview

Written by: luminoUS
Photography by: Quill Wordsmith of Marsalis Images

 

Although the rain drowned out our plans of an outside interview and photo shoot at Haines Point in Washington, DC, my meet-up with poet and educator Rebecca Dupas still turned out to be a lovely evening filled with questions, answers, dinner, and laughs all amid the rooftop of a chic DC restaurant. Nestled amongst the happy hour crowd, we settled in until we were comfy and enjoyed the laxity, a word that I learned from Ms. Dupas in conversation, which made for a smooth flowing interview. I hope you enjoy catching up on the state of affairs and going-ons with Ms. Dupas as we follow up with her 2 years after she graced the cover of the Fashion Issue. At the start of the interview, Ms. Dupas was actually writing a poem, which I saw fitting because she is indeed a poet and this interview is slated to be in the “Arts” issue of the magazine.

 

Artistic growth over the last 2 years, have you noticed any within yourself?

Rebecca: I don’t know. That’s a hard question. Having just taken a poetry class, I’m certain that I am using techniques that I didn’t use before or using them more now that I’m aware of them. I think growth might just be in my desire to be more open and honest in my poetry. I’ve listened to CD 1, CD 2 and CD 3 and there’s a different sound, but I think that there is a commonality in that I’m just writing about eXperiences, writing what I go through, writing what I think the people can relate to.

 

So, you mentioned CD 3, which was released not long ago…

Rebecca: Yes… (she says with a smile and a subtle clap of her hands to express her enthusiasm)

 

Give us a little insight on CD 3.

Rebecca: CD 3 is entitledTherapy Sessions: A Year of Epiphanies. This CD was about 3 years in the making. I attempted a live recording a few months ago—actually I would say mid 2009—and I wasn’t really happy with that one, so I went back into the studio with some live music and some tracks that I actually had from the first CD. This CD, even though it is entitled “A Year of Epiphanies,” really spans about a 3 year period… just some things that I have learned, some epiphanies, some ideas that have been made clear to me, and I chose the 12 that I think sort of best showcased what I’ve been through since the last CD. It dropped on July 24th. I’m eXtremely proud of this project. More proud of it than I was when I first attempted to do it and I hope that the people love it as much as I do.

 

“A passion to be a poet doesn’t mean that you are a poet. You have to practice whatever it is that you want to
do. So, you need to write with a desire to get better. If I think about some of the teachings from people that I’ve deemed mentors on the scene, not only do you have to write, you have to read the work of others. You
have to push the envelope…”

 

Great! Now, going back to what you said previously, you said that you’ve just completed a poetry class.

Rebecca: Yes.

 

How many years have you been performing your poetry?

Rebecca: Hmmm, I believe that this is my 9th or 10th year on the scene.

 

So, 9-10 years in, you still don’t see anything wrong with going “back to basics”, as some people might say, and taking classes or refining your art?

Rebecca: Absolutely not. I think that one of the issues with the scene is that many people assume that once they write a poem and get a round of applause at the end that they are a poet and they’re done, in terms of learning and growing. All they have to do is go home, write another poem, and get the same reaction. But, when I listen to great writers and great performers who are still on the scene, I realize that there is a lot of work for me to do. I never sat down and read the fundamentals of poetry. I just wrote what I was feeling and it rhymed and so, I sort of deemed myself a poet and I grew within my own supervision. But, I think that it’s a great thing when you sit down with other persons who write, people who may have been on the scene as long as you have, longer, even shorter. I’ve learned from poets who’ve only been doing this 3,4,5 years, but it’s never too late to learn and I think if more people would share and grow from one another then we would see a greater movement on the scene. But, a lot of people get stuck in their ways and I don’t want that to be me. I don’t want to get too comfortable.

 

You were saying that there is more to it than just writing a poem and getting applause to deem yourself a poet. What do you think it takes to be deemed a poet?

Rebecca: This is a great question. I’m going to play with the quote from Sister Act 2: If you wake up in the morning and all you can think about is poetry then perhaps you are a poet. But, I guess we should go a step further: if you get up every morning and all you can do is think about writing poetry, then you are indeed a poet. But, even still, that’s not the end all be all. A passion to be a poet doesn’t mean that you are a poet. You have to practice whatever it is that you want to do. So, you need to write with a desire to get better. If I think about some of the teachings from people that I’ve deemed mentors on the scene, not only do you have to write, you have to read the work of others. You have to push the envelope.

 

What is your writing process?

Rebecca: I think that it differs. In terms of the layout of the poem, I typically come up with the first line and just build on that and I create a title upon completion, but I don’t know. I’m inspired to write poetry from so many different things in life that I can’t really categorize it. I find inspiration at work, at home, subways, music, other poets... and then there are times when the thought ends up just being a concept on the poem, so it really changes depending upon the piece that I’m writing.

 

Would there happen to be a certain topic—I should already know the answer to this—Is there any thing in particular that you are eXcited about writing about?

Rebecca: I love writing about human relationships. The relationship that one human has with another. That typically transpires in male/female relationships. I write heavily on that topic. In fact, most people “know me for that”. What I’ve noticed is that I pay attention to how people interact with other people all of the time and I think that if I wrote a poem about everything that I observe, I’d probably wear the topic out, but I find myself just observing people’s interactions no matter where I am and sort of studying people and coming to these conclusions about what it is that I see. Typically, that transpires into my poems. So, mostly about relationships and, secondary, I tend to focus, also, on my job. I’m a school teacher, so I write a lot about my students: what it is that I want for them, what it is that I perceive that they want for themselves, my thoughts about the school system and its effect on children… Those two topics are most prominent.

 

“I think that one of the issues with the scene is that many
people assume that once they write a poem and get a round of applause at the end that they are a poet and they’re done, in terms of learning and growing. All they have to do
is go home, write another poem, and get the same reaction…”

 

Now, is there a topic that you want to touch upon that you haven’t yet? Is there anything outside of the box that’s typically “Rebecca Dupas” that you want to touch on?

Rebecca: Not in particular. There’s not a topic that I feel like I need to eXplore more. I guess I’m open to writing anything, but my desire really, at this point, is to be able to go deeper into the topics that I cover because people do eXpect me to speak about relationships and that is not going to change, you know? I will never fail to deliver that mission, but I would like to be able to go a little bit deeper than I already am to speak to a broader eXperience because what I hear from my male listeners is that I typically write for women, but I write in a way that men can also relate and some of my favorite poems right now, from other writers, speak universally. And so, more so than wanting to delve into a certain topic, I really want to be able to speak universally so that I don’t necessarily cater towards any one gender because I would love for men to be able to embrace my work the same way that women do.

 

Who are a few of your favorite writers?

Rebecca: I’d have to go with performances more so than writers or poets because, as a host, I’m just eXposed to the aspect more often and really, for me, a great performer is also a great writer. I love to watch Taalam Acey on the stage and there’s a new artist that I’ve been quite intrigued by and that’s Karega Bailey. I’m presently listening to his CD and most people who know me know that I don’t really sit down and listen to poetry CDs. I gravitate towards the live eXperience, but I’ve been listening to his writing and lately I’ve seen Taalam a lot and what I admire about both of them is that the writing is absolutely superb. The stage presence is commanding without having to do too much, you know? Because a lot of people always talk to me about my very calm, reserved presence on the stage and a lot of people encourage me to try something different in terms of my delivery. And that works for some people, but perhaps I haven’t quite changed yet because some of the people that I gravitate to do the same thing. It’s not a lot of hoopla. It’s not even that much movement, but it’s really just the power of their words. In fact, you do the same thing, just a subtly to the presence and a power to the words.

 

Where do you see yourself in a couple of years? Are there any new projects in the making?

Rebecca: Yes. Jokingly I told someone a few days ago that in 2 years I would be famous and I chuckled as I was writing it because I really have absolutely no plan to reach that particular goal. But, what I would like to do, I would say within the next year or two, definitely is to publish a book. When I was in high school, I told everyone that I knew that I would have a book published and that the title would be “Truth Be Told”. However, when I hit the scene in Baltimore, I was told that I should definitely do a CD, that I had the voice for a CD, and so I did a CD and now I have 3 CDs, but I’ve never actually brought the book to fruition. So, I’m going to be compiling some poems within the next couple of weeks for the editing process and I would love to have my book published by the end of the year. This whole “I’m going to be famous” joke, I guess, certainly could be a reality. I don’t really know why not other than ways in which I can hold myself back. I mean, as a poet, I don’t really know how much of the term “famous” fits because poetry is indeed underground, but I do feel like I need to do more work to get my name “out there”, so to speak. There’s a few states that I’ve been to and I hope to actually keep my word over the next two years and actually travel in the summer months when I’m not teaching so I can bring my poetry to people who haven’t heard me before and that’s really it for now: just perform, perform, perform…

 

Any closing words of advice to any aspiring poets, artists or anyone wanting to write but are afraid to actually let their voice be heard?

Rebecca: Yeah. Listen to track one on The Introduction, “My Apologies”. If you desire to be a poet, go to an open mic, go to several open mics, listen, and then go home and write your truth. I’m presently writing a piece, but it’s 3 pages long on “How to be a Poet”, so you know what I mean. Make it your business to continue to grow…

 

Much peace, love and light.

 

Name
Email Address
Comment