Lemon Grove Farmer's Market - Thrive Lemon Grove Presents Speaking My Truth

A Spoken Word & Jazz Experience by Calvin MansonLemon Grove, CA — Thrive Lemon Grove proudly presents Speaking My Truth, at  Lemon Farmer Maarket an evening of powerful spoken word written by Calvin Manson and live jazz led by poet Ira Aldridge Repertory Players’ poets Iris Anderson, Kim Calloway, Portia Gregory and Rene Minnefee, with acclaimed jazz musician Thomas Alforque on trumpet, Ceil McBee-Bass and Ignacio Arango- LeadGuitar on Thursday, December 18th at 5:30 PM at Treganza Park, 3200 Main Street, Lemon Grove.Speaking My Truth is spoken word in motion all the things you wanted to say, didn’t say, and should have said, carried on the breath of live music. It is truth set free, layered with rhythm, memory, and emotion. Backed by a live jazz ensemble led by Alforque’s expressive trumpet, the words move, bend, and return, turning personal truth into a shared experience.I stood on the corner of my own silence,
hands in my pockets, pockets swollen with words.
Truth ain’t timid; it don’t knock or wait.
It breaks the lock the moment you say enter.I buried things because fear made sense,
because the world doesn’t always applaud the honest.
Then a trumpet leaned close, warm as confession,
and jazz, slick, scarred, and holy, said, Tell it anyway.When one man speaks plain from his lived-in bones,
a room starts nodding as it remembers itself.
That’s how truth moves, it leaves one mouth
and comes back carrying everybody’s name.Calvin Manson’s performance seamlessly blends poetry, storytelling, and music to explore themes of honesty, community, and belonging. With jazz as the heartbeat, Speaking My Truth invites the audience into a space where vulnerability meets sound, and truth finds its voice.This free community-centred event reflects Thrive Lemon Grove’s commitment to arts, culture, and connection, bringing neighbours together through creativity and shared stories