BOOKOPHILIA'S parking lot was transformed two Fridays ago for a splendid display of young talent and energy. The 92 Hope Road bookstore was the venue for the first of three literary and musical showcases grouped under the banner, ART'ical Exposure. The theme for the night was 'Poetic License' with its focus on the spoken word.

Andrea Dempster, owner for Bookophilia, expressed that the event was "a huge success and really gave everyone a taste of the arts and crafts — culinary, visual arts, performing arts, music and, of course, the literary arts".

Headliners Yashika Graham and Ganja displayed two fundamentally different styles of expression, Yashika being calmly seated as opposed to Ganja's standing projection of verbal blitz. The final headliner, Jason Worton uttered his poetry smoothly against the backdrop of his acoustic guitar. A number of open mic segments gave volunteer participants the chance to perform in front of a sizeable and attentive audience.

"We're very happy with the turnout and support we got on Friday," said promoter, Peter Wright. "The overall feedback was very positive although we noticed some room for improvement. We will be working to ensure that the next event provides an even better experience for our patrons."

According to Dempster: "Anyone who missed it should plan to come out and enjoy parts two and three!"

The next ART'ical Exposure will happen on August 27 with the theme 'Roots Rock', featuring the likes of Protoje, Janine 'Jah9' Cunningham and Naptali. The third and final event of the series, 'Rhyme & Reason', will be held on September 10 with Kabaka Pyramid, Five Steez and Kariuki leading the pack. Shaq the MC will continue hosting duties and music will be provided by DJ Sawandi.

The event is organised by Manifesto|Jamaica, a new youth-run non-governmental organisation working to empower young people through arts and culture. There is no admission cost for ART'ical Exposure, but patrons are asked to make donations in aid of the Manifesto|Jamaica Festival of ART'ical Empowerment to be held October 14-17 at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Another upcoming Manifesto|Jamaica fundraiser is the Seh Sup'm: Omega Vibration on August 29.

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