Knew: The Poetic Screenplay

“Knew” is a hybrid lyrical screenplay in the heart of open mic night at the famous Blue Room in Kansas City's Jazz District. These poems are part of a story T.L. Sanders weaves around Dr. J. Dean, a quiet family man who leaves his job at Penn State to fly to Kansas City to mourn the death of a father he hardly knew. There, in the old neighborhood where his father Terry Dean performed, The Blue Room holds just another stage where anyone can spit some lyrics. But this night, a new vision awakes when a community grieves a prodigal father. Something new emerges in the hearts of those willing to speak their truth . . . and just who takes the stage might surprise you. What characterizes T.L. Sanders' spoken word poetry is his affinity for sound. He choreographs sound the way an artist chooses color. What we have here is an artist willing to let words tell their own tale, to rise up from the ashes and to weave characters you rarely meet on the blank page. However, you'll recognize these people-- people you’ve met in your neighborhood or in the reflection of your mirror.