The Abecedarian as Docupoem
In turning to multiple media as a narrative and interpretive tool I wanted to explore a medium which I think is best suited for a population gifted with multiple intelligences and diverse cultural backgrounds. The Abecedarian is a docupoem about the lives and world views of urban youth. (A docupoem is something that does what the latin root of the verb documentum suggests: provides human description, and is also derived from the French word docere: teaches). It is a docupoem of affirmation. It's about community and the ongoing struggle to constantly define decency and good practice. It heroizes everything valiant and worthy about resiliency and hope in the face of indecency and bureaucracy. It is a documentary of voices about urban children who slayed their labels, and the adults who armed them with love and the tools of intelligence and imagination.