Carefully choreographed
The telling of tales
Grandfather Stories
Curated in the front seat of a Buick LaSabre
On black top highways across the Lone Star State
Grandchildren of the Greatest Generation
In the back seat, ready for the ride
The adventures ahead
Little papa, my Papacito
The keeper of stories
Had a gun that he kept at his side
When he drove men and boys
Whose skin looked different than ours
To scout meetings and church
So children could change the future
In 1964, he was fighting Jim Crow
Carefully constructed
Wisely weighted words
Train jumping into Louisville
Before the war to end all wars
With milk teeth still in gums
To watch men hanged
He couldn’t recall crimes or Names
But he knew the color of skin . . .
Excerpt from the book, “ENOUGH say their names.”

Annie Benjamin
Annie Benjamin is lyricist, poet and musician—a powerful combination for delivering messages in virtually any venue. Annie Benjamin’s music is a lot like the weather in Texas—unpredictable and constantly changing. She has sung everything from country to smooth jazz, rock and roll to old-time gospel. As a performer, she feels at home on the theatrical stage, in concert halls, and piano bars and honkytonks. As a human committed to social justice, she performs in schools, at protest rallies and demonstrations, and in front of civic and business leaders. Annie believes passionately that the arts have the power to heal hearts and minds while inspiring to bring about social change. Her music has been featured on NPR’s Car Talk and in films and documentaries. In 2013, she and several of her colleagues at Dallas’ Echo Theatre received the Dallas Column Award for best new locally written play for “The Echo Room Presents: Her Song”, which went on to have five successful runs. She won the prestigious B.W. Stevenson Singer/Songwriter Contest in Dallas in 2017. Annie collaborates with numerous local non-profits and often writes specifically tailored lyrics and music for benefits and events seeking to raise awareness. In recent years, she has been working with organizations seeking to increase access to fresh, locally grown food in urban food deserts in North Texas. After raising her two sons, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in English in 2019. She can be reached at the following email to schedule engagements, or to explore other socially conscious and artistic projects.