Description
A midwest native and a son of the Quad Cities, Aubrey Barnes, also known as "Aubs.", is a stimulating and thought-provoking creative, with a hunger to educate and an appetite to grow and succeed in his craft. Because of his love for literature and writing, Aubs. is a natural poet, author, and educator. He performs as a spoken word artist and a battle rap enthusiast. When Aubs. is not on stage or in the classroom where he often works with at-risk children, he contributes to The Black Thoughts Podcast as its co-founder and host. Aubs. performs and teaches workshops all over the world, from Chicago to Haiti. In 2019, the Iowa Writers Organization ranked Aubs. the number 3 best slam poet in the state of Iowa. Seeing a need for area artists to showcase their poetry, in 2014, Aubs. began Roaring Rhetoric, a live interactive poetry showcase. These shows have featured many professional artists from all over the midwest. Later Aubs. founded the Young Lions Roar Project. Its purpose is to teach the next generation of young poets, writers, and entertainers the art of writing and performing poetry. The class uses rhyme and other poetic devices that make learning easy and gratifying for the participating students. He teaches poetry at multiple camps, churches, and events.
Work Sample
This poem "Nicotene Neighbor" won second place in the international "You Don't Want that Smoke"challenge hosted by The Poet Life and The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council. This poem highlights the unjust promotion of Tobacco products in low-income and predominately black communities.
"You Wear it Well" is a poem I wrote and performed highlighting mental health pertaining to depression and the importance of expressing our mental afflictions as opposed to holding it in. I performed this one in Fulton, Illinois in 2021.
This poem "State and Church" was runner up in Button Poetry's national contest. It is a poem highlighting the unfairness of law in its advocacy for all peoples regardless of race or class.
The pieces that I submitted are all pieces that provoking thought and express out of the box creativity in some manner. Whether it be the words chosen to be used, the energy behind how the words are conveyed, the images displayed with the words, all my work has the goal of provoking thought in a creative manner.
History
A midwest native and a son of the Quad Cities, Aubrey Barnes, also known as "Aubs.", is a stimulating and thought-provoking creative, with a hunger to educate and an appetite to grow and succeed in his craft. Because of his love for literature and writing, Aubs. is a natural poet, author, and educator. He performs as a spoken word artist and a battle rap enthusiast. When Aubs. is not on stage or in the classroom where he often works with at-risk children, he contributes to The Black Thoughts Podcast as its co-founder and host. Aubs. performs and teaches workshops all over the world, from Chicago to Haiti. In 2019, the Iowa Writers Organization ranked Aubs. the number 3 best slam poet in the state of Iowa. Seeing a need for area artists to showcase their poetry, in 2014, Aubs. began Roaring Rhetoric, a live interactive poetry showcase. These shows have featured many professional artists from all over the midwest. Later Aubs. founded the Young Lions Roar Project. Its purpose is to teach the next generation of young poets, writers, and entertainers the art of writing and performing poetry. The class uses rhyme and other poetic devices that make learning easy and gratifying for the participating students. He teaches poetry at multiple camps, churches, and events.
Artistic Vision
The artistic vision behind my poetry is to create art that taps into creativity in the most thought provoking manner I can, while creating something that provokes conversation in a meaningful way.
Name
Aubrey Barnes
Type
Individual Artist
Address
Rock Island, IL
Contact Person
Aubrey Barnes
[email protected]
309.807.7935
Web Site
Artistic Discipline(s)
Spoken Word/Storytelling
Geographic Availability
Central Illinois
Chicago/Chicagoland
Northern Illinois
Southern Illinois
Western Illinois
Fee Ranges
$150-2000
Additional Services
Demonstrations
Lectures
Master classes
Residencies
Teacher Development
Workshops
Core Audience(s)
Adult
Children
Seniors
Youth
Additional Populations
Behavioral Disabilities
Emotional Disabilities
Hearing Impairments
Speech Impairments