Dropping Tish Jones off on a deserted island might seem like the height of cruelty; she is anything but solitary. A veteran of the poetry slam circuit, a national scene known for its ultra-social and quite self-confident performers, Jones sometimes even performs her own work in ensemble form. Together with poets Ed Bok Lee, Reggie Harris, Isis, Ibe, and Mankwe Ndosi, Jones is part of Found in Translation, the spoken-word troupe that performs this month as part of the Minneapolis MOSAIC arts festival.
When we told Jones we’d be exiling her to the land of sand and solitude, she claimed she would not be able to live without her cell phone. Creative type that she is, we assured her she could rig up a substitute from coconuts. Barring the celly, here’s what she’d bring along:
1. My Tupac CD collection. Tupac is definitely my brother from another mother! So he has got to be everywhere I go.
2. A lifetime supply of paper and pens. I have to be able to write to stay sane. Plus I’d want to write up my life story, bury it somewhere on the island, title it The Treasure, then leave a map out and available for someone to find and search for it. And I’d probably take up architecture, so I’d need to sketch out blueprints for my new treehouse.
3. A volleyball. I could draw a face on it and have a friend while I was on the island, like Tom Hanks did in Cast Away.
4. My wallet. I find that no matter where you go, they always card you. So I’d wanna have my ID, just in case. And it would be nice to look at all the pictures of family and friends in the photo slots.
5. My collection of New York Yankees hats. Just to keep a smile on my face.
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