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Rebecca Dupas Verbatim: “It Is What It Is”
Part II
By: Ccep J. Dew
westcoasteditor@eXcapethematriX.com
The second part of this interview was filled with more laughs and finally an answer to how Rebecca Dupas can remain such a classy lady at all times.
On acting in The Love Electric and Deception And Denial:
“I don’t know if I would’ve even tried out for Lamar [Hill’s] play if I hadn’t had the experience of getting on stage and doing my poetry. I think that sort of opened doors for me to try different avenues in terms of performing… I was amazed at the reaction that I got from audience members in both of those plays because apparently they thought I was pretty good. [laughs]You know, I haven’t had any [acting] experience outside of those two plays and definitely no training. It was very fun and I did enjoy the task of taking on a different character. I think that was beneficial both ways, having done poetry, then taking on that experience and thinking about ways to bring life into my poetry. Taking on the persona of whatever or whomever I’m writing about. I would like to dibble and dabble in the acting arena if I had the opportunity to. I would love to do that again…”
On hosting VERBATIMondays:
“That’s my baby! I’m only four months into that game. It’s a monthly venue. I’ve only had four nights and I can’t wait until I’m on the one-year, two-year, five-year anniversary with that. What I like about VERBATIMondays is, of course that it’s my own and I can make decisions as to how I want things to go without necessarily running it past anybody. This is my venue done the way that I want it and that feels good. It feels good whenever you can say that something is yours. But, what I like the most about VERBATIMondays is that it’s cozy. It seats maybe thirty people or so and whenever we’re there I think that most people forget they’re in an open mic venue because it feels like you’re sitting in someone’s living room. And we share and we talk. And it feels so natural. And it just feels so comfortable and I really do love that about it…”
On down/free time:
“[laughs] I like to sleep because it doesn’t come often and whenever I get the opportunity I just like to get a nap in… I love to eat and shopping is also very relaxing for me and it doesn’t have to be anything big… Just to treat myself to something nice every now and again puts a smile on my face…”
On being a classy lady:
“It always shocks me when people say that because I really am somewhat oblivious to the perception that others have of me. I guess it’s such a compliment to be considered a lady at ‘all times’…”
“I don’t want to start lying… I wish I knew how to sing. I can cook a mean pot of spaghetti…”
“Honestly, there’s no pretense and I think that’s why it’s so hard for me to answer because I think whatever it is that people see in me, it’s natural. It is just how I am and I think that I’m speechless because I’m so appreciative of the fact that that is the perception and that is the energy that I give because I think that’s what I want to give. My mother always taught me that there’s always somebody watching. She’s always told me that wherever I go I’m representing her, the family, and myself and I learned a long time ago that the second and third impression is not as important as the first. Whether I’m in the classroom or the open mic venue I’m just looking for a positive experience. I’m looking to make sure that folks are gaining something from whatever it is that I’m involved in, even with my poetry students. I guess I’m just happy to know that something positive is coming across... I guess I should just thank my momma. [laughs]”
On four questions: Who/what is your favorite writer? Poet? Poem? Quote?
“My favorite writer is also a poet. Just thinking about the manipulation of language to tell a story or paint a picture, it would definitely be Sunni Patterson out of New Orleans, Louisiana…”
“My favorite poet…all-around poet… is definitely Archie the Messenger…”
“My favorite poem is… Jabbu out of Birmingham, Alabama has a poem entitled ‘Hope’. He performed it four weeks in a row at Warm Wednesday’s this year and I don’t think I’ve ever been so eager to drive from DC to Baltimore. Just knowing that he’d be there and that I could request that poem every single week… Oh, my goodness…”
“My favorite motto is, ‘It is what it is’, which is even a piece that I wrote. In life I don’t believe in regretting. I believe in learning from situations and moving forward. Not the whole idea of sort of beating one’s self up over mistakes that have been made or over the hand that was dealt. So, ‘It is what it is’ is not really meant to be 
nonchalant, but more so, ‘This is what life is presenting to me at the moment. I have to deal with it.’ And it tends to work in all situations: ‘The relationship isn’t working out. We tried a few times. You know, right now, it is what it is. Gotta let it go.’ Or ‘Right now I don’t have enough money for the bills. It is what it is. I need to make a way to make things work out...’”
On spoken word’s mainstream potential:
“One of the things that just troubles my spirit is that society tends to gravitate towards mere entertainment. I think that it’s the same reason why some of the more positive rappers complain about support, sales, or whatever the case may be because the positive messages aren’t the popular ones. The great thing about poetry is that ninety percent of the time audiences and hosts are demanding good poetry and quality messages and as long as poetry remains to be just that—people just needing to get out and share and get things off their chests, most of the time just positive messages—I don’t think the world is ready for that. I think Gil Scott [Heron] said it best, ‘The revolution won’t be televised.’ Poetry for me is revolutionary to me. I don’t care if somebody’s writing a poem about how their girlfriend got on their nerves. That little moment of venting might be enough to allow somebody else to vicariously vent through your poem. It’s still revolutionary. It changed somebody little pieces at a time. Or you have people like Taalam Acey educating people about the drug trade in the United States in a four minute poem giving them a lesson that would’ve taken PBS an hour to share. That’s revolutionary and unfortunately that message is not readily accepted and it definitely won’t pay the bills the way that entertaining music would. Even the radio stations… They have hours of poetry for love talk and slow-jams and eroticism, but how often will you come across a show that’s giving you just a full hour to share whatever it is that’s on your heart. Those opportunities are not granted…”
On lifetime changes:
“I can’t wait to see myself grow as an artist. I watch some of the older performers and I’m just amazed at what it is that they are able to give to the audience. I assume that with age comes wisdom and also the opportunity to grow into your own and I can’t wait to get to that point where my message is stronger and my deliverance is better because I’m more comfortable with what I know and what I have to give. I believe people become better over time. So, I would love to see that change happen…”
“As an educator I would like to see the bar raised. We have such low expectations for our children and they are working up to those low expectations. In most school systems you can pass the year as long as you don’t have more than three Es. That’s seventy-five percent of your education spent with you not having to do much but simply do enough not to fail which means that you’re not motivated to learn. And this is our future. These are going to be the same students that are raising children with that same ideology of just doing enough which isn’t good enough especially for Black people…”
“…I get closer to understanding who I am and a lot of people don’t know who they are. So, I think that’s an amazing journey to take and poetry sort of makes me do that…”
“I would definitely love to see us with a Black president. [laughs] Especially during this election year, I would love to see that happen. And I would love to see a new Black leader emerge… It’s a difficult task and I don’t even know if I could handle that burden, but… Especially having just read Frederick Douglass’ autobiography and my students and I just watched [the film] Malcolm X… I definitely see the need for a strong Black man or woman in our community to start preaching some good word to our people. Cosby tried to do that, but he was shunned. But, I seriously think that we need that…”
“I would like to see the Black family strengthen... I think that list could go on forever…”
On what’s next for Rebecca Dupas:
“What’s next would be for me to definitely release the second [spoken word] project. I’ve held on to it for so long. I’ve been so meticulous because I just want it to be so good. But, in the meantime, while holding on to it, I’m not sharing my work. So, what’s next is me finishing this CD and definitely getting it out prior to Summer 2008 and actually it’s almost done. I want to see VERBATIMondays grow to be what it can be in terms of all around the board. And I want to become a better poet and a better teacher. I think that everyday we should grow and become better at what it is we do, so… I don’t know what God has in store for me, but I’m hoping that many more doors will open especially on the poetic scene to allow me to share my work with a wider audience…”
On being One Step Closer to…:
“I think I’m one step closer to self-actualization… There’s a hierarchy where you go through these different levels and at the top of the pyramid is self-actualization where you actually understand who you are. I can’t even say it’s one step away, but I think that I’m a step closer. I think that with each poem that I write and each experience, especially the hardships, I’m learning more about me. Especially the challenges that come with sharing so much of yourself through your poetry and then ending up writing things that you didn’t want to share with people, but you end up putting it out there because you‘re just moved to do so. Poetry forces me to tackle my issues and I think that every time I do that I become a better person. Through poetry, I’ve come to grips with how my father’s absence has affected me. Through poetry, I deal with the relationships that I have or do not have with my immediately family… the insecurities that I have about myself… the areas in which I need to grow when it comes to relationships with my sisters and the relationship with the man that’s in my life. I think that as long as I continue to write, with each poem and each time that I really concentrate on the messages that I write—because I always right for me first—I get closer to understanding who I am and a lot of people don’t know who they are. So, I think that’s an amazing journey to take and poetry sort of makes me do that…”
For more on Rebecca Dupas:
http://www.rebeccadupas.com
http://www.myspace.com/rebeccadupas
http://www.myspace.com/verbatimondaysopenmic
http://www.onemic.tv