Nestled in Downtown Nashville, the City Winery hosted the Soul Food Poetry Cafe for their fifth-annual “All-White Affair” on Aug. 30. The City Winery’s Hall was arranged with tables in a cozy, lit atmosphere, and all guests were on theme — dressed in all white. The dress code pays homage to the tradition of not wearing white after Labor Day, signifying an end of summer as fall begins.
Imani Rehema, founder of Soul Food Poetry Cafe, reflected on how Nashville shaped her journey.
“I’m originally from Nashville, born and raised on the east side,” Rehema said. “My father played a very instrumental role in my creative development. He made me read books and explain what they were about before I could go outside and play.”
Rehema’s first exposure to spoken word came through HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” in the mid-2000s. Inspired, she and a friend launched Soul Food Poetry Cafe’s first open mic in 2007.
“We’ve grown from an open mic with just 20 or 30 people into one of Nashville’s premier venues at City Winery, which holds more than 300 guests and often sells out,” Rehema said.
She also traced her artistic lineage to writers like Maya Angelou and shared her main goals for opening SFPC.
“I’ve been integrating much of Maya Angelou’s activist roots in my own writing,” Rehema said. “Other influences include K-Love the Poet and cultural icons like Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey. Every time new people come, this is their first time going to a poetry show. So, I really like to expose people to poetry while enjoying the live old-school R&B music.”
The All-White Affair is a celebration of music spanning from the 1970s to the 2000s, with the audience hailing from a variety of ages and cities across America. Right from the start, guests were welcomed by vibrant music played by a DJ, making the audience comfortable to ease into the main event.
Once the lights dimmed and the audience simmered to quiet murmurs, the first co-host brought the energy of the room back to life. A Nashville native like Rehema, Dichotomy opened with a very light-hearted and stand-up comedy vibe that got the crowd laughing along. Dichotomy made it an interactive experience that included the audience, providing them the opportunity to appreciate the poets and musicians that were on stage.
As a spoken word artist, his poetry incorporated an element of music, further elevating the atmosphere. His performance was fluid with added moments of improvisation.
Next to perform was The Voice’s Neci E., who took to the stage with powerful vocals that felt reminiscent of the ‘60s. Her stage presence across all four songs she performed was magnificent. She sung many covers from the soul genre such as “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown and “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, providing her own feminine twist that amplified her performance. Neci E. made an impression on the crowd, earning herself a round of applause when she finished.
Neci E. said the blending of music and poetry is essential to her artistic direction.
“Art comes in many different forms,” Neci E. said. “A song itself is poetry, only sung. Everyone has a different form of art, and even if we had a painter on stage while someone recited poetry and another person sang in the background, it would still all be art in its own way.”
Before the next act began, a marriage proposal took the spotlight as one of the performers took a knee and asked his now-fiancée to marry him. The initial shock of the proposal didn’t stop the crowd from cheering the couple on and giving their congratulations.
K-Love the Poet, the final act and headliner, exploded with a commanding presence that captivated the audience with her story of empowerment. Unlike the first act, her poetry was unaccompanied by music, allowing us to focus on her vulnerability. In an interview before the show, K-Love the Poet mentioned that the sass she had as a child allowed her to explore poetry.
“I was a smart-mouthed little girl, constantly getting in trouble for my mouth,” K-Love the Poet said. “Once I got introduced to poetry, I realized this was a place where I could use all my sass and all my wit and not get in trouble for it.”
K-Love the Poet’s presence extended beyond her words; her very appearance carried meaning.
“Sometimes, you can give a message without even opening your mouth,” K-Love the Poet said. “My hairstyle tonight is called Tanavoho knots, worn by women of the Tanavoho tribe in Madagascar. It’s a nod to those ancestors.”
She also offered encouragement to the next generation of creatives.
“Share your work every chance you get,” K-Love The Poet said. “Those little compliments go a long way for your self-esteem and confidence, and a lot of performing is about confidence.”
The All-White Affair is first and foremost a celebration of music and poetry that brings folks together, but it is also an amazing outlet for Black artists to take the stage and share their craft.
It is also an annual event, so make sure to be on the lookout next year before Labor Day!
