August 25, 2022 Marks 1st Anniversary of the Death of Voice Porter, Longtime Bards & Brews Host

 

August 25, 2022, marks one year since Bards & Brews host Voice Porter died.

Thursday, August 25, 2022 marks one year since Birmingham lost Brian "Voice Porter" Hawkins, a poet and community activist who built a loyal following as host and creative director of Bards & Brews, the Birmingham Public Library's popular spoken word poetry/craft beer event.

Best known by his stage name Voice Porter, Hawkins was found dead in his Warrior home a year ago. He was just 42.  

His death shocked fans across Alabama, with Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and fellow poets giving heartfelt tributes in statements and on social media about the legacy of Voice Porter. 

 A year later, Voice Porter's legacy remains a vital part of Bards & Brews, said Poet Jamil.

 “Voice Porter was a vital piece to the creative arts community and to the city of Birmingham. Now it’s like a missing piece to the puzzle, but I believe that it’s on the living now or perhaps the youth to be inspired by his impact, carry the baton, continue to create legacy, build an infrastructure for future creative artists and most importantly to use their voice," Poet Jamil said. "Step up, step out and boldly use their voice.” 

Voice Porter reading a poem at Ferus Artisan Ales in July 2021, six weeks before his death at age 42

 A Birmingham native, Voice Porter's inspiring original poetry and stage presence helped build Bards & Brews into an event “that unifies the Birmingham arts community.”  

 During its Bards & Brews Poetry Slam at the Central Library on Friday, September 2, in which top poets will compete for $1,000 in cash prizes, BPL will hold a moment of silence in tribute to Voice.

 Ashley M. Jones, Poet Laureate of Alabama and executive director of the Magic City Poetry Festival, said Voice Porter was an inspiration to her as a spoken word artist. 

"Voice was a light in our Magic City," said Jones, co-director of PEN Birmingham. "Where there was poetry, there was Voice. And he made us all feel empowered to use our voices. He helped us illuminate this place." 

Jahman Hill, a longtime Bards poet and co-founder of Flourish Alabama, says a year later he is still grappling with the death of Voice Porter, his mentor in Birmingham's poetry scene.

"Voice is woven into the fabric of our community: Him and his work, everything he did," Hill said. "His imprint is still visible and still felt."

Lee Green, a member of the Bards & Brews Poets Committee, has written poetry most of his life and says Voice welcomed him from the time he first began attending Bards events shortly after BPL started it a dozen years ago.

"Voice was so encouraging to me and many others," Green said. "He lifted us up and built up the creative community. Voice was such a gifted poet, but his greatest gift to us was inspiration. He loved embracing more poets in the community. He professed to using S.O.A.P. - Support Our Artists Please. Not a day goes by that I don't feel his present and hear his words."

  

Voice also built a name as a poet nationwide. In August 2019,  Voice was featured by coffee giant Starbucks' "stories national community series"  for his impact on Birmingham. The Starbucks CEO was so impressed that he invited Voice to perform at a national Starbucks annual meeting shortly afterwards. 

In addition to being a poet and artist, Voice Porter was known as a community activist, musician and gardener. 

Two weeks after his death, BPL's Bards & Brews hosted a memorial tribute to Voice Porter at the Boutwell Auditorium. 

BhamNow in 2019 did a feature on impact Voice had on Birmingham entitled “5 Reasons Why Birmingham needs to Know Brian Hawkins 

Shortly before his death last year, the first book of poetry by Voice Porter was released.

Lynn Flowers-Martin, a BPL board member, said she only had the pleasure of hearing Voice Porter deliver poetry once -at his last event, the August 13 Bards & Brews.

 “Given that it was Voice's last time serving publicly as host of Bards & Brews, I am honored that I got to experience the joy of watching Voice Porter perform in person,” Flowers-Martin said. “He was truly a gem and strong advocate for the Birmingham Public Library." 

 Carrie Campbell, a member of the BPL Bards & Brews committee and grantswriter who wrote the winning grant Bards & Brews received from the Alabama Council on the Arts last year, said Voice remains an inspiration to those who are passionate about spoken word poetry. 

 "Love of the spoken word and an abiding kindness to all informed Voice's ability as an emcee to pull any crowd together," Campbell said. "On top of that, he'd have us pulling for one another."