Local poets, comedians, and musicians will perform at the festivities.
Harper stated that this would not be a depressing experience.
Before relocating to Atlanta in the late 2010s and joining the Fox medical drama The Resident, Warner was involved in the local poetry community.He regularly participated in Queen Sheba’s Poetry vs. Hip Hop event and hosted Joyce Littel’s well-liked yearly Passion and Poetry.
Credit: (Dwayne Goins’s kind)
Credit: (Dwayne Goins’s kind)
Warner and Harper originally met at the Def Poetry Jam in New York City in 2004. Later, while eating at Burger King, they met up at the airport and swapped numbers. She claimed that each time he performed in Atlanta, he would either give me tickets or allow me to open for him. It began when he relocated to Atlanta.
He started attending spoken word and poetry gatherings in Atlanta on a regular basis. She claimed that he appeared frequently and forged a genuine bond with our poetry community.
He collaborated with Queen Sheba, a professor at Clark Atlanta University, on several poetry events. They would converse or text nearly every day.
According to Sheba, we shared books, poems, and business advice.
Harper claimed that despite Warner’s constant attention as a child, his parents kept him grounded. She claimed that his father forced him to understand history by putting Black literature in his hands. His identity has nothing to do with his occupation or a persona. His parents helped him become a full Black man because he wanted to be one. We met that person. We knew that person.
Additionally, they taught him how to play the trumpet, trombone, guitar, and bass, according to Sheba. They hoped he would be a multifaceted artist. “Perimeter,” Sheba stated.
Warner, who won the Best Traditional R&B Performance Grammy in 2015, played bass for the local band Biological Misfits.
Harper added that he never let his success or notoriety make anyone feel inferior and that he treated everyone with respect.
Harper remarked that he exuded an energy that made you feel significant.
If you go
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s celebration
Wednesday from noon to 3 p.m. $30 to $50, City Winery Atlanta, 650 North Ave. NE, Ponce City Market, Atlanta.citywinery.com
