As Loud As I Want: "At Home, In Bolton" by Brooke Manning

06/22/21 • 3 min

Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the experiences of young women in rural Columbus County, North Carolina through the COVID-19 pandemic. We use spoken word and sound to share what we've been feeling, seeing and hearing in our communities. This podcast was created by a series of workshops where we learned about poetry and the arts of sound. In this episode, Brooke Manning of Bolton, NC shares her piece, "At Home, In Bolton."
This workshop and podcast are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from North Carolina Local News Lab and the Working Narratives Production and Education Fund. Learn more about our work and other audio productions at www.shoresides.org.Produced by Coastal Youth Media, Community CPR, and Brooke Manning. Hosted by Indya Barfield.
"At Home, In Bolton"
When I was at home during the pandemic,
I just walk around my neighborhood,
Play with my dog,
Sit inside.
I see woods,
I see green,
I see poor dogs.
I smell that pollen,
I smell the sap on a trees, the dried up sap,
the wet sap that's coming down the tree.
I just see family around Bolton.
My daddy knows about everybody
In Bolton,
So I can't really do nothing
Bad.
Bolton is just a home where you could just relax,
But you can't get too comfortable.
You just got to be safe.
During the pandemic,
I spent more time inside
Than outside.
It used to be a trailer,
But they turned into a house.
My grandma, me, my cousin,
My siblings, my mom, my dad.
And then you got my aunt that lives there too.
Sometimes I just hear peaceful,
The birds are tweeting.
The most peaceful is at 4:00,
5:00 or 6:00.
The school busses come around 7:00
And sometimes come at 6:00.
It feels home,
It feels like I'm safe.
Music:
Unsilenced by Ketsa
Sounds:
Around the House - Desk Fan, Humming by Stuart Duffield via Artlist
Dogs - Alleyway Dog Barking by Craig Carter Collection via Artlist
Viaduct, Vehicles Passing Slowly and Braking, with Down Town Ambiance in The Background by Carlos Santa Rita via Artlist

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Previous Episode

As Loud As I Want: "Powwow Daydreaming" by Faith Jacobs

Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the experiences of young women in rural Columbus County, North Carolina through the COVID-19 pandemic. We use spoken word and sound to share what we've been feeling, seeing and hearing in our communities. This podcast was created by a series of workshops where we learned about poetry and the arts of sound. In this episode, Faith Jacobs of Buckhead, NC shares her piece, "Powwow Daydreaming."
This workshop and podcast is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from North Carolina Local News Lab and the Working Narratives Production and Education Fund. Learn more about our work and other audio productions at www.shoresides.org.Produced by Coastal Youth Media, Community CPR, and Faith Jacobs. Hosted by Indya Barfield.
"Powwow Daydreaming"
When I close my eyes,
I hear bells on men's regalias.
I hear them jingling
As they walk around the arena.
On the outskirts,
The men and women are around the drum
As they sing in unison.
I smell the sage,
Burned to bless the grounds.
The leather backing
From the beadwork on my regalia.
I hear the MC announce my category,
Teen Girls Traditional.
The singers prepare to sing
My contest song.
As I hear the first beat,
Boom.
I take a deep breath
And get ready to dance.
We move counterclockwise
To the beat of the drum.
There is a tension and a balance
Between grace and dancing hard.
The more I bend my knees,
The more my shawl sways.
I'm floating.
The first honor beat comes.
I start to bend
Slowly
And as the beat picks up,
I rise,
My heart beating.
I take deep breaths
To keep emotion from my face.
When I open my eyes,
I see the bright green walls of my bedroom.
There will be no dancing this year,
Just the hum of TV.
The whir of the fan.
I am alone with my daydreams of powwows.
Music:
Unsilenced by Ketsa
Sounds:
Foley, Jingle bells, repeated by DB Sound Artlist
Step it Up - Footsteps, Barefoot on Hard Floor, Walking, Slow Steps, Feet Brushing Surface by Fly Sound via Artlist
Parks and Suburbs - Walks, Children Play Voices, Distant Birds and Vehicles by La Burbuja via Artlist
“WARPAINT 3/3 @ Seminole Tribal Fair PowWow 2018” by TurtleIslandsFinest
Designed - heartbeat, dark, distant by Marcello Del Monaco

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Next Episode

As Loud As I Want: "It's What You Do" by Hannah Ellis

Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the experiences of young women in rural Columbus County, North Carolina through the COVID-19 pandemic. We use spoken word and sound to share what we've been feeling, seeing and hearing in our communities. This podcast was created by a series of workshops where we learned about poetry and the arts of sound. In this episode, Hannah Ellis of Whiteville, NC shares her piece, "It's What You Do."
This workshop and podcast are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from North Carolina Local News Lab and the Working Narratives Production and Education Fund. Learn more about our work and other audio productions at www.shoresides.org.Produced by Coastal Youth Media, Community CPR, and Hannah Ellis. Hosted by Indya Barfield.
"It's What You Do"
Nightmares exist.
Sometimes we can't escape them.
To each is own;
Everyone has an opinion.
Despair and destruction,
The world's darkest meaning.
Sometimes
We can't change
What they say
Or what they do.
But
It's what you do
That changes things.
It's your voice
That will bring the world
To light
Or darkness.
It's your choices
That will either bring
A call for peace
Or painful suffering.
Music:
Unsilenced by Ketsa
Sounds:
Anti-Mask Protesters Storm SoCal Malls and Markets | NBCLA via YouTube
Coronavirus update: WHO chief declares the coronavirus a global pandemic by CNBC Television via YouTube
Passenger forced off flight for not wearing a mask l GMA by Good Morning America via YouTube
Refusing to Wear a Mask in Defiance of Public Health by VOA News via YouTube