Spoken-word poet, playwright and actor Marc Bamuthi Joseph (@bamuthi360) brings The Carnival of Animals to Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall this month.
Please tell me about The Carnival of Animals. It synthesizes working theories I’ve been developing about American-ness: the idea of forgiveness as a technology and the notion that inspiration is a constitutional right. In ways that are at turns whimsical and deeply provocative, [the show] affirms a collective memory in the American consciousness.
What do you hope audiences take away from the show? As much as some media members or the political class would have us think January 6 never happened, I hope audiences leave our show feeling that it is healthy to remember—and even healthier to vote accordingly.
What would people be most surprised to learn about you? I have three fantasy football teams every season. So, if I get up from the dinner table on a random Sunday in November and don’t return for 15 minutes, don’t take it personally.
Who would you most like to have dinner with right now? Kamala Harris—to discuss reapportioning a billion dollars from the Defense Department and using it to establish a Federal Bureau of Inspiration.
What are you looking forward to this fall? Continuing to fall in love, a hopeful election result, a trip with friends to Costa Rica and Scorpio season.
What’s your mantra? Center joy. Hunt pleasure.
Photography by: BETHANIE HINES
