From the metaphors and similes to the melodramatic or sensitive, when you think of poetry, chances are you don't typically pair it with a stage production.
What you've likely seen is one microphone, one man or woman and the raw expression of emotions through words. That's until now. The 2017 Poets In Autumn Tour aims to redefine that atmosphere for crowds across the country.
"People are going to get not just a poetry show, but a total experience," Ezekiel Azonwu said. "People's hearts will be melted, challenged, provoked, stirred up, all types of things.”
Azonwu is just one of four internationally known poets traveling the country with the PIA Tour. Azonwu, Jackie Hill Perry, Preston Perry and Chris Webb will all hit the stage in 28 cities before the end of the year. The poets combine spoken word with skits, props, videos and even costume changes.
"It's not just a snapping night. People need their Kleenex," Azonwu said. "This is going to be like a rollercoaster."
Friday night, the PIA Tour made its first stop at Graceway Church in Raytown, performing in front of nearly 600 people. The poets laid it all out on the stage, tackling topics such as marriage, relationships, the church and politics with one goal in mind.
"It all comes down to the love of God," Azonwu said. "By the end of the day, we're challenging people to love God more, to see God differently so that they love God more, but also love each other well."
Azonwu says with everything that's going on in politics and in communities around the country, they want their poetry to encourage people to focus on what really matters. He says that means focusing on each other.
"If we can't love each other then we don't have anything,"Azonwu said. "What we're doing is preparing people with encouragement and with exhortation so they can take that and move into these dark times with light."
Friday's performance was the third time local outlet, 4HisWill chose to bring the poets to the Kansas City area.
"Since we're the only Christian venue out here, to bring someone like the Poets In Autumn Tour for them to showcase their God given talents, that just changes the entire dynamics of what we do,"4HisWill founder Ed Rollins said.
The poets not only chose the Kansas City area as the first stop on their tour, but decided to hold their live DVD recording in the city. Azonwu says Kansas City proved to be its livest city in 2016.
"We're just trying to pay homage to the city that showed us love by showing them love," Azonwu said.
This year's shows will also include a local singer and a local poet from each city. Poets and singers submitted their work to the PIA team over the summer. Poet Brent Rice was selected in Kansas City.
"It felt really good. I haven't performed in a long time so it was refreshing just to get back out there and perform and just share my heart," Rice said.
He shared a poem titled, "Truth." Rice said he wrote it after studying and temporarily practicing different religions.
"I went through a crisis of faith in which I really was questioning if Jesus Christ was the way or not. Something just kept pulling me back to the truth of scripture and what God says," Rice said. "Every other religious figure says, 'here's the rules, you go do it for yourself.' Christ says, 'forget all of that. I paid your debt. I took your punishment for you.'"
The PIA Tour doesn't only seek to give local poets and singers a platform, but Azonwu says he hopes it will open the door for more artistic expression in every city they reach.
"Hopefully, it creates more events locally and even for us to say, 'hey look, let's push the local move of poetry in this area,'" Azonwu said.
The next stop on the PIA Tour will be in Oklahoma City on August 31, 2017. To find out when they're headed to your city, head to ThePIATour.com.
