Poet of the Day: Rudy Francisco
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Rudy Francisco
uses personal narratives to discuss the politics of race, class, gender, and religion while simultaneously pinpointing and reinforcing the interconnected nature of human existence. He is an amalgamation of social critique, introspection, honesty, and humor. His is one of the most recognizable names in spoken word poetry today. Rudy seeks to create work that promotes healthy dialogue, discourse, and social change. Furthermore, he has made conscious efforts to cultivate young poets and expose the youth to the spoken word genre via coaching, workshops, and performances at preparatory schools and community centers. Rudy has also received admiration from institutions of higher education and has conducted guest lectures and performances at countless colleges and universities across the nation.
He has shared stages with prominent artists such as Gladys Knight, Jordin Sparks, Musiq Soul Child, and Jill Scott. He is also the cohost of the largest poetry venue in San Diego, competes in domestic and international poetry slam competitions, and has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Ultimately, Rudy's goal is to continue to assist others in harnessing their creativity while cultivating his own.
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This poet belongs in our classrooms because…
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his poems are intensely relevant. His deft mix of humor and poignancy have a way of cutting to the heart of life’s questions and challenges. And when we read his work, my high school students immediately connect and are inspired to write poetry of their own.
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"Definitions"
Envy is when someone walks around with a pocket full of “That should’ve been me”.
Insecurity is when you turn up the volume on all the wrong voices.
Hate is what happens when you put a shotgun to the face of understanding and it cowers in the corner.
Courage is ripping your heart from your chest and saying “Here, hold on to this for me."
Truth is everything you tell yourself when you realize you are the only one still paying attention.
Self is whoever you become when the door is locked.
Trust is jumping into someone’s arms and knowing you won’t have to pick yourself up when it’s over.
Faith is doing what you love and watching the bills pay themselves.
Victory is standing in front of the school bully with no intention to back down and a fist full of irony.
Success is explaining to your mother exactly what you do for a living without feeling ashamed. It’s falling asleep at 2 A.M., waking up at 4 A.M. and going to work with excitement stitched into the fabric of your smile.
Success is a thank you letter from a kid who lives in a city that you’ve never even been to. It’s breaking up a fight between a person and everything that’s telling them they will never be more than what they are.
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Selected Works and Resources from Rudy Francisco
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Poetry Collections
Helium
No Gravity
No Gravity Part II
Getting Stitches
Scratch
Rudy performing his works (YouTube)
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I’ve found great success using this mentor text protocol in my classes. It works with any poem or other text that you think students might connect to.
- We read and watch the video of Rudy Francisco’s poem “Things I Strongly Believe”.
- Students annotate the text of the poem for what they notice and think, circling or underlining words/phrases/lines that stand out for them.
- We discuss students’ noticings. Sometimes we do this aloud in a whole-class discussion, sometimes we do it silently using an online discussion board, such as padlet.com or the question option on Google Classroom. Either way, this is a crucial part of the activity to help students collaboratively make meaning of the poem.
- After discussing meaning in the poem, we analyze the poem again, but this time for author’s craft. How does Francisco structure the poem? What types of poetic devices does he use to create meaning? We work together to create a menu of ways Francisco puts his poem together.
- Using some or all of Francisco’s techniques, we create our own poems. This activity provides students who may not be comfortable writing with some scaffolding and students write poems they are proud of, all while learning new writing craft from a published poet. Here is a poem my student wrote during this activity just a few weeks ago:
A Few Things
Dark chocolate can cure anything
and orange juice is
my holy water.
Writing and journaling
are the sunflowers
that grow on either side
of my life path
and
cuddling while crying
is like the rainbow that
rises while a warm rain
sprinkles down on a
sunny cloudy day.
I believe everything,
and I mean EVERYTHING,
happens for a reason and
smiling to the ones you
pass on the street
can cure the worst in us.
I believe books are
why I’m alive.
Reading is the meaning
the world has snuck upon us.
Brianna —15 years ofd
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Jori Krulder
is a teacher of more than 20 years whose excitement in the classroom has been sparked anew by the incredible connections she’s made with other educators on Twitter. Her passion for poetry, literature, engagement, and improving teacher development has led her to write articles for Edutopia, The Teaching Channel, APLithelp.com, and to contribute a chapter in Brian Sztabnik’s The Best Lessons Series books:
Literature (Volume 1)
and
Writing (Volume 2)—15 Master Teachers Share What Works
.
She’s led workshops in discussion and close reading techniques that work across the curriculum, most recently at the 2019 National of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Lately, she’s discovered the joy of mentoring teachers and students through the College Board’s AP Literature and Composition mentor program and the National Math Science Initiative. Connecting educators is key when it comes to improving learning.
Her students read a lot, write a lot, and discuss, discuss, discuss. Her ultimate goal is to build students’ independence in their ability to understand and make themselves understood in this world.
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