Interview with
Bettina "Gold" Wilkerson (a.k.a. Poet Gold)
Performance Artist, Poet & Community "Artivist"
Bettina "Gold" Wilkerson (a.k.a. Poet Gold)
Performance Artist, Poet & Community "Artivist"
Photo Credit: Eric M. Townsend
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A rare talent who grabs you by the heart and says, “Recognize,” Bettina “Poet Gold” Wilkerson, poet, author, performer, songwriter, community “Artivist” and speaker, is pushing the boundaries of poetry and the spoken word. Living with a chronic illness since childhood, Poet Gold, or as she is affectionately known as “Gold,” brings a soul-searching insight about the human existence, love, dreams, challenges and triumph.
Appointed the 2017 and 2018 NYS Dutchess County Poet Laureate, Poet Gold is the recipient of numerous awards. With countless recitations, she has opened for Grammy-nominated artists and has spoken at renowned organizations, such as Omega Institute and Self Employment in the Arts. Poet Gold’s speaking engagements and non-traditional poetry workshops engage audiences in understanding the direct connection between literacy, goal setting, and the achievement of their dreams. |
Currently, she is the co-host for the iHeart Radio podcast “Finding Out with Pete and The Poet Gold.” Her distinct voice will be heard, playing the role of God, in the upcoming animated short film “The Creation,” poem by James Weldon Johnson, directed by award-winning animated filmmaker, Steve Leeper.
Poet Gold is an activist of the heart. Her words inspire to explore the essence of humanity.
Poet Gold is an activist of the heart. Her words inspire to explore the essence of humanity.
Myrna Beth Haskell spoke with Poet Gold about her journey as a writer and poet, her performance art, and her voice-over work on the upcoming production of the animated, short film “The Creation.”
When did you first start writing poetry?
As a child. I grew up always writing…it’s always been in me. I was a songwriter, too. I was in a band in high school, and I’d break out and say, ‘I want to share some words.’ I’ve suffered with a chronic illness, and, at one point, I lost my ability to walk…but I always had my words.
What are you inspired by and what do you like to convey to your audiences?
I discovered at a young age that the power of words transforms. I grew up in the city…in Washington Heights, but I was a ‘Martin’* child. I like to diffuse escalation. I use words for people to see beyond the violence.
I’m inspired to tell people stories. It’s about being able to connect with others – to see their discomfort and pain and to translate these feelings into poetry. My chronic illness enabled me to identify with discomfort and an intense need to live a normal life.
*Bettina is referring here to Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who was known for his peaceful marches and protests.
When did you first start writing poetry?
As a child. I grew up always writing…it’s always been in me. I was a songwriter, too. I was in a band in high school, and I’d break out and say, ‘I want to share some words.’ I’ve suffered with a chronic illness, and, at one point, I lost my ability to walk…but I always had my words.
What are you inspired by and what do you like to convey to your audiences?
I discovered at a young age that the power of words transforms. I grew up in the city…in Washington Heights, but I was a ‘Martin’* child. I like to diffuse escalation. I use words for people to see beyond the violence.
I’m inspired to tell people stories. It’s about being able to connect with others – to see their discomfort and pain and to translate these feelings into poetry. My chronic illness enabled me to identify with discomfort and an intense need to live a normal life.
*Bettina is referring here to Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who was known for his peaceful marches and protests.
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What does performance poetry bring to the written form?
Laughing. It brings the sugar! Sometimes poetry is angry…sad…It’s like when your mom gave you medicine and told you, ‘Let me put a little honey in it for you’ to make it better. It’s a perfect way to present the work. I was always a performer. I took all kinds of classes in dance, theater, acting. I was always that kid. Is rap a form of performance poetry? What are some other forms? Yeah. It’s poetry, but it’s rhythmically different. Songwriting is poetry – Bob Dylan’s* work is poetry. How someone speaks can be poetry. Some politicians have that eloquent speech, like Barak Obama.** I told Marc Molinaro,*** ‘There’s a poet in you.’ Ha! I’m not sure he got it. It’s all poetry…it’s just a matter of how it’s presented. |
Poet Gold performs an original spoken word piece at the African-American Artists of the Hudson Valley Reception in Beacon, NY in 2017.
Video produced by Heather Mezynski (Hudson Valley News Network) |
Ciboney Cafe Open Mic Host
Photo credit: Bonnie Auchincloss |
*Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and visual artist.
**Barak Obama, 44th President of the United States, made history as the first Black American U.S. President. ***Marcus Molinaro is currently serving as County Executive for Dutchess County, New York. Do you always perform “freestyle,” and do you perform poems you’ve already written? I mostly perform work that’s already been written. The ‘freestyle’ is in the performance – it happens with the musicians, the melodic level changes you get with the music. The process for me is organic. I see patterns in my brain. I move with both the music and the words simultaneously. I also feel the room. If a vibe in the room is unexpected, I might choose to do something different than I had planned. I just look back at the musicians and tell them I’m changing it up. I want to find ‘the pocket’ – that feeling of ‘this is where I want to be.’ It’s the peanut butter and jelly in between. |
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Poet Gold clarifies:
‘Freestyle poetry’ [a.k.a. free-verse poetry] is poetry with no set pattern – Walt Whitman was a freestyle poet. Then there’s something we call ‘Off the Dome.’ This is when you’re creating poetry right on the spot – off the top of your head. I’ve heard that production has begun on the short film “The Creation” where your voice has been chosen to be the voice of God, a part formerly played by James Earl Jones. [“The Creation” is a well-known poem by James Weldon Johnson.] How were you chosen for this project, and is this the first time you’ve done a voice-over for an animated film? This is my first ‘real’ project. I’ve done voice-over before, but not something on this scale. I’m not a professional voice person. But the last two to three years, I put it out in the universe that it was something I’d like to do. I was speaking in Chicago at the SEA conference. [Self-Employment in the Arts (Conferences & Resources)] My platform was ‘Be the Poem.’ Steve Leeper was in the audience. He’s an award-winning animation film director, and he told me he had a project in the works that he’d love for me to be a part of. We discussed it a bit…and then, two years later [February 2020], I was at SEA again, presenting my ‘Dream Outloud Poetry’ workshop, and he asked me to record right then – right before the conference! We met at this beautiful recording studio [Tone Zone Recording], and they coached me through it. There’s still a lot they have to do before it’s complete – sketching, editing, etc. It won’t be out for a while...maybe in about two years. |
Open Mic in the Valley
Photo Credit: Elton Igunbor |
Are there any other projects in the works?
‘You Are My Blue’* is a collaboration with award-winning, Pawling, NY-based photographer Bibiana Huang Matheis. I was inspired by her photographs of nature and her photographs from the Appalachian Trail. The book incorporates poems I wrote specifically for her work. I still have six more poems to write because we’re expanding the original collection (which had a soft release). This complete and longer version should be out in the fall.
*This a moving body of work, containing original poetry by Poet Gold which is inspired by Bibiana Huang-Matheis’s "Blue" portfolio.
Where do you find sanctuary?
Right now…in Winter Park, FL. I go every July. My family is there. My mom had bone cancer – very scary…but she’s in remission now. This trip has become a very special time for me. It’s a chance for me to breathe. There are some beautiful lakes in the area, and I just love being around the water, and, of course, my family.
‘You Are My Blue’* is a collaboration with award-winning, Pawling, NY-based photographer Bibiana Huang Matheis. I was inspired by her photographs of nature and her photographs from the Appalachian Trail. The book incorporates poems I wrote specifically for her work. I still have six more poems to write because we’re expanding the original collection (which had a soft release). This complete and longer version should be out in the fall.
*This a moving body of work, containing original poetry by Poet Gold which is inspired by Bibiana Huang-Matheis’s "Blue" portfolio.
Where do you find sanctuary?
Right now…in Winter Park, FL. I go every July. My family is there. My mom had bone cancer – very scary…but she’s in remission now. This trip has become a very special time for me. It’s a chance for me to breathe. There are some beautiful lakes in the area, and I just love being around the water, and, of course, my family.
