Ava Berg, the activist Poet and marijuana advocate, has died. I will miss her. Ava “The Hip Soul” Berg was a great friend of the Writers Wordshop. She hardly ever missed a Friday night “Spoken Word Café” sponsored by the Wordshop. Ava encouraged others to attend, and they followed her to the open reading forum, and lent their voice to the gathering of word masters. Ava always presented her original poetry and often shared a bit of community news that she felt was important to all present.
Ava will be missed because she had a voice and she used it. Her poetry was enlightening, powerful, and humorous. Whenever Ava “The Hip Soul” performed she just about stole the show. She called herself the “rapping granny.” Her poetry was a mix of rap, and social commentary. Ava was Jewish, but enjoyed interacting with members of the African American Christian community. Some of her poetry reflected her inner-struggle of faith. In one of her poems, which tells of her “Toe-Tapping” experience at the City-Wide Revival, she says of Jesus Christ, “That’s not my boss on the cross.” One of last request was to have her “Home-Going Service at St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church”, the place that inspired her poem. Ava was always pushing the boundaries while making keen observations about race-relations, and social issues.
Ava was a major advocate for medical marijuana, and the legalization of marijuana. Whenever there was a platform, a debate, or political gathering, Ava found a way to introduce the subject of marijuana. She had a voice and she used it. Ava spoke-up. She was intelligent, well informed, and passionate about her views. She didn’t mind if you disagreed with her, but she wanted an intelligent, informed discussion on the subject, not just raw emotion. I admired that about her. She was a breath of fresh air. She was different. She was a child of the universe. She was a voice crying out, and she was heard. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If a man is not willing to stand for something, he will fall for anything.” Ava stood tall for the issues she believed in. She was a great example of one small voice, one small soul, that lived one big life, just by using her God-given voice. Rest in Peace, my friend!
The life of Ava Berg was celebrated in a very special Poetry Reading on Friday, September 13th, at the Mid-Town Scholar Bookstore, 3rd & Verbeke Streets, Harrisburg. The program featured Carla Christopher, Poet Laureate of York, PA, and Host of the “Culture & Main” TV program.
Blessings!
Dr. Nate Gadsden
Author, Motivational Speaker, Poet
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Ava will be missed because she had a voice and she used it. Her poetry was enlightening, powerful, and humorous. Whenever Ava “The Hip Soul” performed she just about stole the show. She called herself the “rapping granny.” Her poetry was a mix of rap, and social commentary. Ava was Jewish, but enjoyed interacting with members of the African American Christian community. Some of her poetry reflected her inner-struggle of faith. In one of her poems, which tells of her “Toe-Tapping” experience at the City-Wide Revival, she says of Jesus Christ, “That’s not my boss on the cross.” One of last request was to have her “Home-Going Service at St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church”, the place that inspired her poem. Ava was always pushing the boundaries while making keen observations about race-relations, and social issues.
Ava was a major advocate for medical marijuana, and the legalization of marijuana. Whenever there was a platform, a debate, or political gathering, Ava found a way to introduce the subject of marijuana. She had a voice and she used it. Ava spoke-up. She was intelligent, well informed, and passionate about her views. She didn’t mind if you disagreed with her, but she wanted an intelligent, informed discussion on the subject, not just raw emotion. I admired that about her. She was a breath of fresh air. She was different. She was a child of the universe. She was a voice crying out, and she was heard. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If a man is not willing to stand for something, he will fall for anything.” Ava stood tall for the issues she believed in. She was a great example of one small voice, one small soul, that lived one big life, just by using her God-given voice. Rest in Peace, my friend!
The life of Ava Berg was celebrated in a very special Poetry Reading on Friday, September 13th, at the Mid-Town Scholar Bookstore, 3rd & Verbeke Streets, Harrisburg. The program featured Carla Christopher, Poet Laureate of York, PA, and Host of the “Culture & Main” TV program.
Blessings!
Dr. Nate Gadsden
Author, Motivational Speaker, Poet
