R.J. Wright: Dyslexia

What works in this piece:

• Opens with some light humor that he knows the audience will appreciate (“Words are really hard. Just ask any three-year-old…or Donald Trump”)
• Incorporates elements of dyslexia into the poem/performance reflects content, adding depth the piece as a whole
• Creates a performance (temporal) out of a disorder that is spatial in form
• The form and performance reflects the content, adding depth to the piece as a whole.
• Weaves in poignant social commentary while maintaining the construct – “What is being black in America if not an experiment in editing oneself?”
• Incorporates narratives of his own lived experience through the lens of dyslexia – “When you relive stumbling through Of Mice and Men in front of a jury of your adolescent tears – I mean peers.” (Note: Of Mice and Men is about a murder – by using this reference, Wright seems to convey the feeling of embarrassment caused by the disorder)
• Pacing, confidence, performance reflects passion but becomes subdued when Wright really wants to hit on a specific emotional point
• Ending: “Speaking life has never been my issue. It’s reading and writing it that scares me.”