MDiv Student Dzidzor featured on WBUR.org
The following is an excerpt from the WBUR.org article “For Boston poet Dzidzor, performance is a lot like church” originally published on October 15, 2023 by Amelia Mason, featuring current Master of Divinity student Dzidzor Azaglo (‘24) and quoting Assistant Professor of New Testament Shively T. J. Smith.
It was nearing golden hour at Roxbury Heritage State Park on a clear evening in August just as a gathering of Black Cotton Club was getting underway. A band grooved serenely as Dzidzor, a local poet, strolled across a brick patio in the center of the park, microphone in hand. She invited the spectators scattered across the grass on blankets and Adirondack chairs to come to the mic. When no one volunteered, she coaxed them — warmly, but persistently.
“Some of us are being a little shy,” Dzidzor said. “But that’s ok. We family.”
Someone kicked things off with a poem: “We used to pinky swear under yellow lights/ You were sitting comfortably on my handlebars as we cruised through the neighborhood,” he intoned, as drums and bass vamped behind him. Then a woman took the mic. “I’m not a poet. I’m not a singer,” she said, a little nervously. “Enjoying the faces, enjoying the outside.” The audience cheered supportively. Another poet came up, and then a rapper. Before long, everyone was on their feet, dancing, as the band ramped up and the sun sank toward the tree line.
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