Lorna Pinckney held weekly open mic, spoken word events in Richmond and Washington, D.C., where this photograph was taken in 2014. (Photo by Anthony Chidi Njoku/Blue Lightning Photography)
Lorna Pinckney had a passion for purpose, and was an indomitable force of Richmond’s creative arts community. A crucial part of her own life’s purpose, she said last November, was leading the creation of Tuesday Verses, Richmond’s longest-running open mic poetry series. She intended Verses to be a unique space where local artists “share their poetry or songs or whatever it is that they created from the depth of their hearts.” On Thursday, Oct. 5, Pinckney passed away after a short illness at age 43. For thousands around the city and along the East Coast, she embodied Verses' mantra: She lived love.
A native of New York City's Brooklyn borough who lived in Richmond over 20 years and attended both Virginia Union University and Virginia Commonwealth University, Pinckney helmed Tuesday Verses’ open mic poetry events for 15 years. She was a writer, singer, graphic designer and business owner with a dazzling smile, “anything’s possible” attitude and infectious personality.
“I met her when my parents moved into the same building her family was living in, in Brooklyn, when I was about 4 or 5,” says Jamila Williams, Pinckney’s longtime friend and the daughter of area dancer and writer Julinda Lewis. “We’ve been family ever since.”
Williams describes Pinckney as a curious, extroverted young woman who was a proud Girl Scout, and who traded video games and jokes with another kid in their neighborhood: Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G, who would go on to an iconic rap career. After moving to the River City in 2007, Williams pitched in at Tuesday Verses, greeting attendees at the door.
“Lorna had me working the door for about 12 years, and I loved it, was happy to do it,” says Williams. “I was paid in money, but sometimes in dinners and smiles,” she laughs.
Iman Shabazz, an activist and artist, created a talent showcase series with Pinckey circa 2001 called Soul Kitchen, held at Captain’s Grille Restaurant in the John Marshall Hotel. “It was an opportunity to invite a lot of artists from across the region to Richmond,” says Shabazz, “so our community could be exposed and enriched.” After Soul Kitchen’s end, Shabazz assisted the launch of Tuesday Verses, and viewed it as the continuation of Jackson Ward's rich cultural history of black performance and art. “Verses carried on that energy that is so necessary to the development and growth of black artists.”
A fixture at community art events, Pinckney hosted a screening of “Chasing Trane” at Afrikana Independent Film Festival last month, leading a discussion with veteran hip-hop artist Talib Kweli and jazz musician James E. “Plunky” Branch Jr.
Afrikana’s founder and creative director, Enjoli Moon, met Pinckney in 2001, when Moon was working at Croaker’s Spot restaurant, then two blocks from Verses’ headquarters at Tropical Soul Café on Second Street in Jackson Ward.
“She would come in for food, and I learned about her poetry night,” says Moon. “I started going, went every Tuesday for about a straight year.”
Pinckney will be remembered as a creative visionary force in Richmond, says Moon. “Lorna saw the void and the potential in the black art scene, and she acted on it. She created something that was open to all, but that was authentically developed as a space where black people can connect with each other and support each other.”
In 2010, Pinckney expanded the award-winning open mic poetry series to Washington, D.C., dubbing it Wednesday Verses and retaining its trademark welcoming, creative atmosphere.
A special Tuesday Verses gathering and memorial service will be held Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m. at St. Paul’s Baptist Church (4247 Creighton Road). Tuesday Verses' 15th anniversary event is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Canal Club, featuring recording artists Carmen Rodgers and Zo.
If you’d like to share your memories of Lorna Pinckney, please post a comment below.
