By Tracey Morrison
Contributing Author
FAYETTEVILLE, NC – The season springs forth National Poetry Month, celebrating this outstanding form of creative and expressive word art. Almost 30 years ago, in 1996, the Academy of American Poets initiated the month of April as National Poetry Month. For centuries, this form of literary art dives into words through creativity, metaphors, analogies, and similes to stimulate one’s thoughts, evoke emotions, and give words a new form of life.
Poetry, in general, has made its strides in today’s society, with legends like Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Phillis Wheatley, Nikki Giovanni, Countee Cullen, and Zora Neale Hurston leading the way as some of the many Black pioneers of poetry.
Poetry has also made its impact in today’s society through like-minded individuals creating literary movements worldwide to promote the rich culture of artistic freedom, inspired by African American literary movements like the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s; Chicago’s Southside Black Renaissance, a period of cultural and artistic resurgence in Chicago’s South Side during the 1930s; and the Black Art Movement, a cultural movement that began in the 1960s.
The Fayetteville community, in particular, has a surge of talented poets. Poets and spoken word lovers have congregated throughout the city at places like Winterbloom, The Sweet Palette, and the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland to listen to thought-provoking poets share their rich words of creativity.
One of those talents is spoken word artist and traveling public speaker Law Bullock. Bullock is one of the well-known figures in the poetry scene in the Ville, participating in many of the city’s spoken word events and poetry slams on a local and national scale.
THE POETRY LAW
The Fayetteville native shared with Greater Diversity News (GDN) that poetry has given him a grand sense of purpose. His passion for poetry has spilled over into him, as he self-published several books, started an LLC, founded a showcase for poets in North Carolina, and even started his photography brand, MUG, LLC (MUG with Us).
Bullock’s poetry projects include Poetry My Memory (2016), Anatomy of My Love Poem (2018), Breaking the 4th (2021), Anatomy Second Edition (2021), and Abstract Intoxication (2023). He tours with two artistic collectives, HIS Push Team and 4Given.
He also galvanizes spoken word events on a leadership level as an event host, helping host the Black on Black Rhyme Carolina Presents Wordplay Friday and forming the NC Spoken, which he curates twice yearly since 2023.
According to his February 8, 2024 biography on Canvas Rebel (CR) Magazine, Bullock first spoke in front of a crowd in 2011 when he was asked to perform a poem for his church’s watch night program.
“I am [publicly] sharing my poetry for the first time in front of a standing-room-only crowd,” he told the magazine outlet. “The audience is with me as I spend about five minutes on stage, reading this poem off of my tablet.”
“I got off stage, and every bit of me is feeling accomplished for the first time ever in my life,” he shared with CR on that defining moment while realizing that he wanted to pursue public speaking as a career.
“Whether I did it with my poetry or just by talking, I knew I wanted to continue beyond that night,” he added.
Since then, he’s participated in an open mic event, which began three months after learning about a spoken word event at The Coffee Scene in Fayetteville in March 2014.
THE SPOKEN WORD ORIGIN OF LAW
Bullock’s origin of poetry began at Ponderosa Elementary School. He recalls his art teacher teaching the class the basics of every craft, including poetry.
Bullock shares with GDN that he had no interest in poetry before high school. It wasn’t until the death of his little brother in 2003 that he slowly made his way back into poetry, but in a different way, a testament to the transformative power of art in his life.
“In high school, a friend of mine challenged me to start thinking of rapping. I began to fill up books upon books of verses. In one particular notebook, I began experimenting with different writing styles until each page began to resemble a poem. Once I committed to journaling my pain, I was hooked,” he recalled.
FAYETTEVILLE POETRY MOVEMENT
After thirteen-plus years of traveling, Bullock shared that he loves the poetry in Fayetteville even more. Being on the road means a lot to him but performing in his hometown tops all. Fayetteville’s supportive and vibrant poetry scene has significantly shaped his career and influenced his artistic style.
“The scene here is just like the military base; we have a diverse and always-evolving population of artists here,” he stated, emphasizing the inclusivity and dynamism of the community’s poetry scene.
He states that the poetry scene in the state’s six largest cities is often overlooked, devalued, or not credited with what they have done for the state. According to a Google search, the popular poetry cities in North Carolina, such as Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Asheville, Boone, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Durham, appear on the result list. Bullock shared that every year, Fayetteville makes a statement, making other communities take notice of its poetry scene in Dreamville.
“We’ve had slow times, we’ve had fast times, and we’re still thriving despite all the changes that took place in the scene. No matter how far I travel, I’ll always love and carry Fayetteville with me,” he continued, instilling a sense of the city’s resilience in the spoken word community and his heart for his city outside of the 910.
Bullock continues his diligent work as a poet and spoken word artist. He’s planning several projects, including collaborations and solo works like his second spoken word album and his next full-length book. He’s also gearing up for a busy spring and summer, including the Southern Fried Poetry Slam Festival as an indie representing Fayetteville, NC.
Bullock’s law of poetry significantly influences his writing and voice. As a spoken word artist, he aims to push boundaries, igniting an even more incredible passion whenever he takes the stage while elevating himself to a new dimension.
