Savon Bartley is a black American neo blues poet, playwright, and storyteller from North Chicago, IL who documents the scope and sweep of black life in America in brief bursts of blues poetics. By washing his words with the music of modern language he strives to blur the line between poetry and song while considering the themes of race, culture, love, mental health, and masculinity.
As a poet, his work has been highlighted in The New York Times, Slate Magazine, Afropunk, Great Weather For Media, and The Odyssey. Bartley’s poetry has been published in The Careless Embrace of The Boneshaker Anthology as well as his collection of poetry and prose, Liquid Sunset. Cutting his teeth as a competitive slam poet and ranked 3rd in the world at Brave New Voices in 2013, Bartley has been writing, teaching, and performing poetry as an internationally touring artist for the better part of a decade. From The Apollo Theater to the United States General Assembly, he has shared stages with The Wu Tang Clan, Russell Simmons, JID, Common, and more.
Using poetry as an anchor in the fight for social change Bartley has worked alongside nonprofit and political organizations like The Black Panther Party, The United Nations, The George Floyd Foundation, and The Sierra Club to inspire action around climate change, racial equality, drug reform, and other social justice issues.
As a playwright, he is an Alumni of The Public Theaters #Bars Lab and Devised Theater Working Group. His play Holes in the Shape of my Father, a story about the myth and miracle of boys becoming men, premiered Off Broadway at The Public Theaters Under The Radar festival. His previous works have also been highlighted in Broadway World and Playbill.
Every day I record the history of black life and culture in America through blues poetics and the oral tradition of storytelling. I believe poetry is the most useful art form for Black people, as it relies on language–something we all have access to. It enables us to craft our experiences into stories that can transform hearts, minds, and ultimately, the world.
If you want to keep a story alive, make it memorable so that the person hearing it can tell someone else.
– August Wilson
As a writer, I’m interested in the musicality of modern language. I strive to blur the line between poetry and song to create an experience that not only teaches but also entertains. I aspire to tell stories that express the truths, tragedies, and triumphs of Black people so that they can live forever.
If art imitates life I’ll write a poem about you so even when you die you can still live forever.
– Savon Bartley
People’s minds are not easily changed but people’s hearts can be changed in an instant. I believe hate thrives in the presence of ignorance and that poetry can be an education on a new perspective. A form of philosophy grounded in lived experience and the witness of evils that mar the lives of those around us which can expand our capacity for compassion and welcome new ideas.
Life is about purpose, and my purpose is to challenge the erasure of Black history by writing my own.
