We recently connected with Keith Allison and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Keith thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Learning to write dates back to my college days in the late 90s. Expressing my thoughts publicly in writing took a big turn with the emergence of social media, where you could easily put your writing out there – whether silly and quick or deep and thoughtful – and have others immediately interact and respond. I had written poetry occasionally over the years, but very sporadically, until around 2015. I started going to some great local poetry events and open mics and hearing others express themselves beautifully or comically or angrily through poetry, and experiencing that was so powerful and exciting and my writing started to shift. When the world presented me with things I wanted to respond to, as it so often does, my words started to flow out as poetry.

Keith, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Angry Cow Poetry encompasses my creative outlets. I perform spoken word poetry, I write and have authored three books, two of poetry (Continuity Flaws and Screaming with my Indoor Voice), I host a monthly poetry event in Akron, Ohio (at the amazing Rialto Theatre) with a featured poet and an open mic, I produce and edit a video collection (now twelve volumes) that highlights some incredible spoken word artists (usually 20-30 each volume) performing one piece each, I love supporting the talented artistic scene in northern Ohio and beyond and have filmed and edited many different events as well as poetry and music videos for other artists. I enjoy putting my words to video to add in another element of performance. I have had pieces shown at the 2022 S.O.F.A. Film Festival, the 2022 Highland Square Film Festival, and the 2021 Monologues & Poetry International Film Festival (a spoken word piece from Dionne D. Hunter).

I love connecting with the audience, with other performers and artists, and am proud of the community I have helped build and the friendships and collaborations that have come with it. I’m excited to continue on.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Poetry is how I function in a world that surrounds us too often with injustice. It is my outlet, my way to respond and release emotions, my reason that I don’t just stand outside the door screaming at the pain and indifference we cause to other humans and non-humans. I can let it all out. It might be funny, it might be angry, it might be both; but my words can offer a light, however big or small, to hep others see into the shadows of things we try to avoid thinking about or pretend don’t exist. Maybe someone else walks away occasionally with a new insight, so it helps me put forth into the world some of the topics I think need addressed, while making sure those emotions don’t just stay bottled inside me until I scream.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Many years ago, I became really good friends with a local singer/songwriter, and started going to a lot of his shows. And in doing so, I realized that the music he was putting into the world was as exciting to me as the huge national tours. And I started discovering other local artists that felt that way too. That I could get that thrill, that brilliance, locally. And the atmosphere of pure love and respect and connection that came with it was incredible. I discovered that local music and poetry was exciting and fulfilling, with a fraction of the cost and a way bigger impact on my connections with the community around me. As a society, we need to better support our artists. Art is so important to all of our lives (try imagining your life without any recorded music or films), and yet when it comes time to pay artists, we forget that importance. And we can do better, at a national level, at a community level, and at an individual level. We also, as individuals, have a lot of chances to support artists where it doesn’t cost anything. Find someone you love and share their work (a song, a poem, a concert video) with friends you think would enjoy, or posting for all of your friends to see. We can write a review of their book or album. We can pass on the posts about their upcoming events. We can show up (some of these events are free) and listen and experience. We can send a message telling someone how impactful their work was to you. Simple, easy, often cheap or free things that can make a world of difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: angrycowpoetry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angrycowpoetry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angrycowpoetry
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgs3Ut6My7BzMKrv9SJvHg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@angrycowpoetry

Image Credits
Photo one (me in sweatshirt): Photo by Melvin Crockett Photo eight (me in performance): Photo by Ellen Stair