THE PERFORMANCE, Part 1 (57 MB; approx. 13 minutes)
THE PERFORMANCE, Part 2 (58 MB; approx. 13 minutes)

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Who are we? We're the people who made the action poem "Who Are You?," performing it on Thursday, November 1, 2005, at 11:30 AM in the middle of a student dining area at Illinois State University. We are the students of a Fall 2005 ISU course led by Dr. Kass Fleisher: Introduction to Creative Writing.

Our poem and its performance, launched spontaneously in a crowded public space, was an attempt to challenge people to question themselves about their identity. Each of us "owned" one line of the poem, making a statement about who we are as individuals.

Who are you? All people at some point in their lives are faced with that question. In many cases this is an internal discussion and seldom talked out, rarely shared with others. Many things define who we are and who we will become. Some are negative; some are positive.

We believe that to truly accomplish something, we must step out of the norm. We must have a definitive, solid perception about who we are, as individuals and as a group. This poem challenges the audience to stare that question in the face, look deep within themselves, and attempt to form an answer.

I am soap and breathing deeper than I ought to. Two legs of contradiction trod through combat sands and ballet slippers.

I am the daughter of a society that is ordering me to be thinner, tanner and a photocopy of Paris Hilton.

I am a brother, son, friend, and grandson. I am a shoulder to cry on, a body to cling to, and a friend in time of need.

I am a man without a true identity. This mask is my real face, and what's behind it means nothing to me.

I am nothing but the stereotypes you place on me: white, Christian, athlete. I am lost.

I am getting mad!! It shouldn't be like this. There can be so much more. Can I share?

I am the silent voice in the corner, secretly desiring to be heard, yet wanting only to blend in.

Yo soy Latina, porque vengo de un pais centro americano, Panama.

I am the erstwhile oppressor / Himself oppressed / by red / and black / At last the victim of my own stratification / Model of mankind.

I am stressed out here / Procrastination all year / Thank God for beer / I love scotch...scotch, scotch, scotch. Br>
I am lifting the unliftable / Chasing the uncatchable / and seeking the lost / I am the proximity of infatuation.

I am a skinny woman in tight clothing, asking -- no, begging -- you to come and rape me.

I am a victim of Katrina / My life is floating past me / Water is waste deep / That is why you see me looting in the streets.

I am wading too slowly in the ripples of my own mind.

I am boundless, moving, changing, flowing.

I am solid, ripped apart and sewn together with the entrails of a lie.

I am hip hop. Somewhere between bling bling and 24's is a history of creativity and expression through spoken word.

I am, like I said, a cocktail of A.D.D. and soap.

WHO ARE YOU??