Climbing poeTREE is a spoken word and poetry duo based in the Eastern United States, comprised by
Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman. They have released one spoken word recording entitled
Stethoscope.
This collection of outspoken poetry focuses on social issues involving race, class, gender and sexuality. In particular they detail the injustices of racial profiling in urban law enforcement and the U.S. judicial system, and describe the failing points of the "War on Drugs" in the U.S. and its impact on the poor and communities of color, as well its anti-drug counterpart in Columbia.
The liner notes to Stethoscope are a collage of haunting images, anatomical drawings of hearts, snippets of their own and other people's poetry and a very strong emotional suggestion of entrapment. The only colors used here are yellow and black.
Audibly, the recording pairs base tracks, bongos, organ and salvaged audio tracks from daily life, old speeches (most recognizably a track by Martin Luther King Junior, but -not- the "I have a dream" speech). In person this is on a lesser scale, but both women used their bodies and whatever else seemed solid enough to take it on the stage area, to emphasize their words. One track to listen for is Red all Over.
Climbing poeTREE's collaboration is forceful and evocative, bringing vivid imagery to the surface, while developing common threads which run through the piece, branching out to assault new and exciting flavors of hatred and prejudice. Alixa and Naima inspire while using their artistry as a tool for social change.