Erik Bitsui is writer, musician, DJ, comedian and all-around headbanger. He describes himself as more than a poet; he’s a poem, as are the rest of us. “We are all walking, living poems. Each one of us is the main character in their own poem. Our life experiences are our unique lyrical lines within the world. Each person’s life is a poetic experience.”
Erik’s poems and essays have been published in Rinky Dink Press, Waxwing Journal, and Defunct Journal. He is proud to be included in The Diné Reader: An Anthology of Navajo Literature. His book, Mosh Pit Etiquette, Volume One: Secrets of a 21st Century Navajo Headbanger, contain essays and narratives that are comic, touching and, as always, poetic.
Born on the Navajo Nation in Blue Gap, Arizona, Erik has lived in Flagstaff on and off since 1982. He attended Northern Arizona University, where he concentrated on engineering till he took an English class, then another, then another. “I am still in contact with many of those same instructors. I always had people encouraging me to tell my own stories.” He then earned an MFA from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder Colorado, an educational course that focuses on writing that is outside the academic mainstream.
Erik performs his spoken-word poetry at open-mic venues in Flagstaff. From his years as a DJ and radio host he developed his narrative voice, a persona that he shares with his audience. “I played heavy-metal music for two hours every Sunday. In between songs I told jokes, shared trivia, relived memories of songs, and performed comedy bits using voice impressions of celebrities. This stream of consciousness flowed throughout my radio show, and I found an interesting voice to work with.” He uses this same technique in his poetry readings now. “When I’m on stage the voice takes over. I might be very nervous and unsure of my direction but, once the spotlight turns on, I go for it. When I perform, I want to give a show for the audience. I want to give them something they may have never experienced before. Performance art using my own writing is truly fulfilling.”
Erik is a founding member of the Northern Arizona Book Festival, an experience he found life-changing. “My literary world opened up. I met Luis Rodriguez. I broke bread with Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison. I met Simon Ortiz and Laura Tohe during this time — they later wrote blurbs for my first book. I introduced Sherman Alexie to a packed house at Procknow Auditorium, then I talked with him as he drove a rental car to Tuba City and Kayenta. I was a Navajo tarantula, feeling everything and talking everything during my time there.”
As a Diné artist, the community of Native American writers past and present is deeply embedded in Erik’s psyche. “I am filled with stories from my own people. Their memories and genetic stories are found within my DNA. When I dream, I share many of the same symbols they dreamt of as well. Coyote is still alive and well and is probably somewhere trying hard to swindle a poor soul. Some Navajo children are seeking their father right now. A young woman became Changing Woman this morning. These cosmological stories are within me, and I see them unfolding every day.”
Erik’s poem “Today on the Rez” is a beautiful slice of life that explores the significance of daily activities, each conveying the weight, comfort, humor, and homesickness of everyday traditions. For Erik, writing is meant to be shared and experienced. “Well, we’re filled with stories, right? We are all filled with experiences and testimonies and poetry. A poem can save lives. A poem can move mountains. Poetry can speak to one person that needs to hear those words. A poem can come along and knock someone out. But, in the end, anyone can be a poet. Poetry is for everyone.”
You can contact Erik at ebitsui@hotmail.com.
Today on The Rez (abridged)
Nali Boy visited us
before he left for the Navy
His Másání made him a bunch of frybread
to take with him
I walked him out to his car
and I gave him
all the money I had
twenty-three dollars and forty-five cents
Aunty ate three slices
of Sonny Boy’s birthday cake
then she drank two cans of pop
Then she took her insulin shot
We wanted to chop wood
but we couldn’t find
the axe and wheelbarrow
so we had to hike through the deep snow
to my other grandma’s house to get them back
Last night on the rez
Uncle and Grandma drove all around
until ten o’clock looking for the sheep
because me and my cousin
forgot to bring them back
We thought it was OK
but Grandma got worried
so Uncle took her looking for them
Me and Cousin stayed behind
We watched Uncle’s truck headlights
going down one way
then up another way
They weren’t even using roads
Uncle’s truck just rolled over sagebrush
Aunty called my mum on Saturday
She said she got a hotel room in Chinle
so my mum drove me and my sister
over there to swim with my cousins
We swam all day and had a lot of fun
My mum and Aunty just sat by the pool
They talked and laughed
When we finally drove home
my little sister fell asleep
with a bag of Cheetos on her lap
When I got home
I sure fell asleep real fast
because I was all tired
When I went to school
I smelled like smoke and mutton
that’s because we butchered at my grandma’s house
The silly janitor at school said to me
“Hey son you smell like a rich Navajo”
No one laughed just him
Then he said it again and laughed some more
all by himself
My teacher fell asleep in class again
She falls asleep because
she takes care of her dad
She told us kids
her dad is old and can’t take care of himself
so he lives with her
She said no one else will take care of him
Whenever she falls asleep like that at her desk
our class stays real quiet
and we just let her sleep
This weekend
I sang for the first time at a peyote meeting
I’ve always liked the four songs I sang
My uncle and I practiced them
for a long time before I sang those songs
After the meeting was over
Uncle came up to me
He hugged me and said he loved me
He gave me twenty dollars and told me
“Keep Singing”
Full poem: https://www.noazbookfest.org/e-bitsui
Dee Cohen is a Prescott poet and photographer. deecohen@cox.net.
