basslines boom, out of car speakers
the vibration looms
as the orchestra deepens
-Excerpt from “Inglewood Symphony” commisioned by the MTA for the K line
Malaika
jules
poet/playwright/creator
fka
J. Malaika Beckford//Eagle Nebula
My Canvas
I specialize in community based poetry and poetry projects for public art.
While I've been trained to write in different mediums, I use my foundation as a poet to capture, highlight and memorialize the urban mundane in my hometown of Inglewood, South Central LA and beyond. The goal of my work is to say to the world, we are here! We are beautiful!
My journey
Commisions and Artist Residencies
- June Jordan Scholar in Poetry, Pan African Literary Forum, Ghana, West Africa
- Co-Host Anansi Writers Workshop at The World Stage
- I-GAP: Inglewood Growing Artists Project creator
- Love and Hip-Hop Woman King Promo Poem
- Metro K-Line “Inglewood Symphony”
- Creator of The Inglewood Poetry Project
Pubilications and
Exhibits
- Cabinet of Wonders public art installation(poetry exerpt featured)
- “Sweet City” featured on Inglewood Public Art website
- “Funky Tube to Nubia” poetry manuscript (World Stage Press)
- One Woman Show “90s Hip-Hop Raised Me” Premier at Hollywoor Fringe Festival, winner of Hollywood Producers Encore Award
Sample Works
Sweet City
The Inglewood Poetry Project
Poem commision, Vinyl sound recording, community anthology
Year: 2014
Kanye Shrug
The Funky Tube to Nubia
Poetry Manuscript; World Stage Press
Year: 2016
Inglewood Symphony
Fairview Heights station dedication
Metro K line commision
Year: 2022
This
Number 40 bus
a caterpillar on skates
floats through lanes and time travels
Excerpt from the poem #40 bus written for The Inglewood Poetry Project
Commissions
Two slots per month
In order to ensure quality and to be able to give my clients as much attention as possible, I only open two slots for commissions every month.
contact me
malaikathejules at gmail dot com
Commission Timeline
Pricing and timeline will also depend on the specificity of the commissioned work. Feel free to message me for inquiries.
Book a workshop
Bring a poetry workshop to your school, organization or community space. I can facilitate Small groups to large, single sessions to multiple meetings resulting in a variety of desired outcomes. Learn the craft of poetry for new and seasoned writers.