Prairie View A&M grads use spoken-word poetry to help their community

Cover Image: Se7en the Poet (aka Varion Howard), a middle-school counselor, and Dr. Jirma Proctor, a Houston Community College professor, have been friends for nearly 30 years and turned to spoken word poetry to express their feelings about life and thoughts about politics, poverty, racism and love. Howard founded Poetry Lounge Houston, a weekly poetry show, 23 years ago. Meridith Kohut/Contributor

On a Sunday evening, as many Houstonians are getting ready for the week, Varion Howard, also known as Se7en the Poet, prepares for his gig at a downtown nightclub, much as he's done for more than 20 years.

A middle-school counselor by day, Howard hosts Poetry Lounge Houston, which he founded in 2000 to spotlight Houston's brightest and most talented spoken-word poets and to offer a space for those new to the mic. He serves as the evening host while also performing some of his original poems. Spoken word refers to poetry that is written to be performed aloud.

The audience is a mix of ages, offering applause in the way of finger snaps and loud claps for deserving performances.

Howard's right hand for the event is Jirma Proctor, a Houston Community College professor with a doctorate in education; he's the chief financial officer for the business. The men met as students at Prairie View A&M University in 1994 and formed an unbreakable bond through their passion for poetry and helping youth in their communities.

"We are very much tapped into what's happening with our youth, especially our boys," Proctor said. "We're both inner-city kids, went to Prairie View A&M, discovered a different world and benefited from being around others who helped."

Howard and Proctor held a drive for school supplies and uniforms in late October. The drop-off sites for clothes, supplies and food were at multiple clubs and bars across Houston. They received hundreds of uniforms, backpacks packed with supplies and even laptops. The idea, Howard said, came from two students who were caught shoplifting uniforms and pastry tarts from a local store.

One of the boys shared with Howard that he and his brother only had one uniform, and they were hungry.

"When the student told me, 'Tomorrow my brother is going to look like me, I didn't realize what he meant.' But he was saying that he and his brother didn't have enough uniforms for school," Howard said.

If these boys were forced to do that, there had to be more children facing the same challenges, Howard said.

"This is our community, and there are a lot of obstacles in the way of our children with social media, bullying and trafficking. Uniforms and food should be the last thing they should have to worry about."

Howard, who holds a master's degree in counseling from Prairie View A&M University, earned the moniker "Se7en the Poet" in college. Majic 102 radio personality Kandi Eastman gave him the chance to stretch his creative skills when she asked Howard to write a poem about breast cancer after her diagnosis with the disease.

Before that, Howard said he had used anger as his muse. Now, his body of work spans all emotions, carrying messages of hope, faith and empowerment. He recently helped produce a spoken-word album, "Sunday Dinner," which features poets from across the city.

Howard continues to perform at concerts, churches and theaters around the country. One of his most popular poem videos, "Old School Mama," has more than 500,000 views on YouTube.

At the center of Howard's creativity is community. Helping the next generation is imperative, he said.

"I'm from Sunnyside. Jirma is from Fifth Ward. We come from underprivileged communities. We come from poverty. We know what many of these kids are going through, but I wouldn't be here if it weren't for education. I don't want to see our kids steal and struggle with basic needs to get an education," Howard said.

More than anything, they see themselves in the boys they help.

How two Prairie View A&M grads use spoken-word poetry to help their community