The Inspired Word/Thursday, June 17 @ One and One Bar & Restaurant - Carlos Andrés Gómez, Sarah Kay, Ocean Vuong + open mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word, featuring Carlos Andrés Gómez, Sarah Kay, Ocean Vuong, and a 10-slot open mic!

Where: One and One Bar and Restaurant (downstairs Nexus Lounge)
76 East 1st Street (corner of 1st Avenue)
Manhattan, NYC
http://www.oneandoneny.com/
Phone: (212) 598-9126

Time: 7pm (open mic signup starts at 6:30pm; ask for Adrian or Marvin)

Cover Charge: $10

Must be 21 years of age or older. Please make sure to bring ID.

*****

CARLOS ANDRÉS GÓMEZ is an actor, playwright, and poet from New York City. He is a Russell Simmons’ HBO Def Poet and the 2006 Toronto International Poetry Slam Champion. Named Artist of the Year at the 2009 Promoting Outstanding Writers Awards, he appears in Spike Lee’s #1 box office smash hit film “INSIDE MAN” with a lead role alongside Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, and Clive Owen. Over the past year, he's collaborated with Tony Award-winning tap dance legend Savion Glover on Broadway, represented the United States at the Poetry Africa International Festival in Durban, South Africa, and was a special guest performer at the MACY's Passport Fashion Show. For more info, please visit: http://www.carloslive.com/.



Sarah Kay is a Spoken Word Poet who grew up in New York City and began performing her poetry when she was only fourteen years old. Even though she was often the youngest poet by a decade, Sarah made herself at home at the Bowery Poetry Club, one of New York's most famous Spoken Word venues. In 2006, she joined the Bowery Poetry Club's Poetry Slam Team, NYC Urbana, and competed in the 2006 National Poetry Slam in Austin Texas. That year, she was the youngest poet competing at Nationals. Sarah was featured on the sixth season of the television series Russell Simmons presents HBO Def Poetry Jam, where she performed her poem "Hands." She has performed in venues across the country including Lincoln Center, the Tribeca Film Festival, and the United Nations, where she was a featured performer for the launch of the 2004 World Youth Report. She has performed side by side with Spoken Word superstars like Beau Sia, Taylor Mali, Buddy Wakefield, and many others. In 2004, Sarah founded Project V.O.I.C.E. to encourage teenagers toward creative self-expression through Spoken Word workshops. She has taught Spoken Word to students of all ages and most recently she has been teaching a weekly after-school spoken word class at Hope High School in Providence, Rhode Island.



Born in 1988 in Saigon, Vietnam, Ocean Vuong currently resides in New York City as an undergraduate student at Brooklyn College. His poems have received an Academy of American Poets award as well as two Pushcart Prize nominations. His work appears in Word Riot, the Kartika Review, Lantern Review, SOFTBLOW, Asia Literary Review, and PANK among others. He enjoys practicing Zen Meditation and is an avid supporter of animal rights.



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The Inspired Word Blog: http://inspiredwordnyc.blogspot.com/
The Inspired Word on Twitter: http://twitter.com/InspiredWordNYC
The Inspired Word YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/NYCInspiredWord

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Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

Marvin Mendlinger
Assistant Director

Erik "Advocate of Wordz" Maldonado
MC/Host

Adrian Wyatt
Open Mic Mistress

Marron Cox
Hostess Extraordinaire

The Inspired Word/Thursday, June 10 @ (Le) Poisson Rouge - Carvens, Seary, Ormerod + open mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word, featuring Carvens Lissaint, Jane Ormerod, JF Seary, and a 10-slot open mic!

Where: (Le) Poisson Rouge (downstairs gallery)
158 Bleecker Street (between Thompson and Sullivan)
Manhattan, NYC
http://lepoissonrouge.com/

Time: 7pm (open mic signup starts at 6:30pm; ask for Adrian or Marvin)

Cover Charge: $10

Must be 21 years of age or older. Please make sure to bring ID.

*****

Carvens Lissaint is a young performance artist, native from Haiti who resides in Washington Heights, New York. He first established himself as a spoken word artist in 2006 and went on to win multiple poetry slams in the tri-state area. He was the 2007 Grand Slam Champion of the highly acclaimed New York Knicks Poetry Slam, a member of the 2008 Newark, NJ slam team that placed 6th in the Brave New Voices National poetry competition, 2009 Slam Global Grand Slam Champion, a member of the 2009 Urban Word Nyc poetry slam team, 2009 Robert Redford Speak Green Team and has won poetry slams in various venues including the Bowery Poetry Club and the famous Nuyorican Poets Café. He has mentored and Coached the New York University Collegiate team and the New York City youth team in 2010. Carvens also debuted his one-man show called “Walk” (directed and co-developed by Queen GodIs, choreographed by Nicco Anann and sponsored by Urban Word NYC in collaboration with DTW) at Dance Theater Workshop where he was noticed for his high energy and crowd-capturing Theater skills. He is currently signed to Penmanship Books Publishing and has touched stages across the country performing at the Sundance Film Festival and in the United States Green Build Council. He hopes to share his art with the world, and become a better being of the universe.



Jane Ormerod is the author of Recreational Vehicles on Fire (Three Rooms Press, 2009), 11 Films (Modern Metrics, 2008,) and the spoken word CD Nashville Invades Manhattan. She is host of the reading series Emotional Rescue at The Cornelia Street Café, performs throughout the United States and beyond, and is a founding editor at Uphook Press. “One of the most imaginative, persistent poetry visionaries… (Jane’s) signature style is beyond belief—moving lightspeed with an astoundingly unique beat and the ability to communicate with complete command of language,” said Daniel Yaryan, producer of the San Francisco poetry series "Sparring With Beatnik Ghosts."



J F Seary is an educator/poet/actor. She has been writing and performing her poetry for over ten years. Her performance career began at Binghamton University. Since then she has performed at the Nuyorican Poets Café, the Bowery Poetry Club, Cemí Underground, 5C Cultural Center, Binghamton University, Cornell University, Columbia University, Penn State University, Rutgers University, University at Albany, SUNY Stony Brook and other venues. Seary is currently a member of the NYC Latina Writers Group, The Fantastic Latina Playwright's Lab and she is on tour with Urbintel's "HerStory."



*****

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

Marvin Mendlinger
Assistant Director

Erik "Advocate of Wordz" Maldonado
MC

Eliel Lucero
DJ

Adrian Wyatt
Open Mic Mistress

Marron Cox
Hostess Extraordinaire

The Inspired Word on Thursday, June 3 - Jane LeCroy, Puma Perl, SoSoon + Open Mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word, featuring Jane LeCroy, Puma Perl, SoSoon, and a 10-slot open mic!

Where: One and One Bar & Restaurant (Nexus Lounge)
76 East 1st Street (corner of 1st Avenue)
Manhattan, NYC
http://www.oneandoneny.com/
Phone: (212) 598-9126

Time: 7pm (open mic signup starts at 6:30pm; ask for Adrian or Marvin)

Cover Charge: $10 (students with valid ID half price!)

Must be 21 years of age or older. Please make sure to bring ID.

*****

Jane LeCroy is a poet, home-birthing mother of 3, teacher, atheist, vegetarian and front-woman of the avant-pop band TRANSMITTING trying to navigate her way in this world of limited norms and mores- has lots of recordings and books available- the most recent: book of poetry NAMES published by Booklyn, as part of their award winning ABC chapbook series and the TRANSMITTING CD “Dark and Full of Life” on Delphy Records. Jane works as a poet in the schools and performs all over, especially in NYC and you can get on her mailing list and receive poems fresh off her brain with each show invite and find out more about her at http://www.janelecroy.com/



Puma Perl’s poetry and fiction have been published in over 100 print and online journals and anthologies. Her first chapbook, Belinda and Her Friends, published in 2008, was awarded the Erbacce Press 2009 Poetry Award in a field of over 1400 applicants; a full length collection, knuckle tattoos, was published in early 2010. She performs her work in many venues, in and out of New York City. She lives and writes on the Lower East Side and has facilitated writing workshops in community based agencies and at Riker’s Island. She believes in the transformative and healing power of the arts.



SoSoon AKA the Sound Of Something Out Of Nothing is the self proclaimed Spike Lee of Hip Hop. His brand of music primarily focuses on heavy use of imagery to depict the stories of metropolitan cities all over the world. Primarily inspired by the diversity of early to mid 90’s Hip Hop, SoSoon’s drive as an emcee is to create a balance between the subgenres of Hip Hop, while showing the world outside of New York exactly what lies in between the two extremes that most New York emcees direct their focus: the realities and perils of living in a state of poverty, and a life of excessive wealth. From his director’s chair, SoSoon pans the camera, peeling away the glamour of both the ghetto and glamorous imagery, to uncover what it is really like to live in New York.



****

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

Marvin Mendlinger
Assistant Director

Erik "Advocate of Wordz" Maldonado
MC

Eliel Lucero
DJ

Adrian Wyatt
Open Mic Mistress

Marron Cox
Hostess Extraordinaire

The Inspired Word on Thursday, May 27 - Tara Betts, Dasha Kelly, Rich Villar, Open Mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word, featuring Tara Betts, Dasha Kelly, Rich Villar, and a 10-slot open mic!

When: Thursday, May 27

Where: One and One Bar and Restaurant (downstairs Nexus Lounge)
76 East 1st Street (corner of 1st Avenue)
Manhattan, NYC
http://www.oneandoneny.com/
Phone: (212) 598-9126

Time: 7pm (open mic sign-up starts at 6:30pm; ask for Adrian or Marvin)

Cover Charge: $10

Must be 21 years of age or older. Please make sure to bring ID.

*****

Recently named one of Essence magazine’s 40 favorite poets, Tara Betts is the author of Arc and Hue. She teaches at Rutgers University. She represented Chicago twice at the National Poetry Slam, coached youth who went on to Brave New Voices, and appeared on HBO's "Def Poetry Jam". Her writing has also been dramatized for the stage in several productions, including Steppenwolf Theater's "Words On Fire" and "Fingernails Across the Chalkboard". Her work has been published in Essence, Bum Rush the Page, Gathering Ground and both Spoken Word Revolution anthologies.



Dasha Kelly believes in words. All of them. In her outreach work, Dasha uses words to bolster the confidences of youth, artists, college students, inmates, executives, community leaders and, of course, writers. An accomplished writer herself, Dasha has scripted successes in a number of areas: a published novel, several poetry recordings, a collection of works released with Penmanship Books, feature articles for national magazines such as Upscale and Black Enterprise, online commentaries and blogs, and even collateral copy for regional advertising firms. Dasha performed on the season six premiere of HBO presents Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam; and her one-woman show, Anthems for Grown Folks, is being developed into a traveling production.



Rich Villar's poetry and prose have appeared in the journals MiPoesias: The American Cuban Issue, OCHO 15, Rattapallax, and the first edition of the chapbook series Achiote Seeds (Achiote Press, Spring 2007). He is a co-founder and director of the Acentos Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and publication of Latino/a poetry. He lives and writes en la madre tierra de New Jersey.



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NOTE: One week from the day, Tara and Rich enter into wedded bliss!

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THURSDAYS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME! THE INSPIRED WORD HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE THURSDAY FROM NOW ON!

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

Marvin Mendlinger
Assistant Director

Erik "Advocate of Wordz" Maldonado
MC

Eliel Lucero
DJ

Adrian Wyatt
Open Mic Mistress

Marron Cox
Hostess Extraordinaire

The Inspired Word - Thursday, May 13! Jeanann Verlee, Jon Sands, ShadoKat + Open Mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word, featuring Jeanann Verlee, Adam "ShadoKat" Bowser, Jon Sands, and a 10-slot open mic!

When: Thursday, May 13, 2010
Where: (Le) Poisson Rouge (downstairs gallery)
http://lepoissonrouge.com
158 Bleecker Street (between Thompson and Sullivan)
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 505-FISH (3474)
Time: 7-10pm (open mic sign-up starts at 6:30pm; ask for Adrian or Marvin)

Cover Charge: $10

Must be 21 years of age or older. Please make sure to bring ID.

*****

Bios:

Jeanann Verlee is an author, performance poet, editor, activist, and former punk rocker who collects tattoos and winks at boys. Her work has been published and is forthcoming in a variety of journals, including The New York Quarterly, FRiGG, PANK, decomP, Danse Macabre, and The Legendary, among others. Her poems have also been included in various anthologies such as “Not A Muse: The Inner Lives of Women” and “His Rib: Poems Stories and Essays by Her.” Verlee’s first full-length book of poems, Racing Hummingbirds (Write Bloody Publishing), was released in March 2010. She has represented New York City three times at the National Poetry Slam under two of the most highly-regarded poetry performance series in the nation: Urbana Poetry Slam and The louderARTS Project. She lives in New York City.



Jon Sands has been a full-time independent teaching & performing artist since 2007. He's a recipient of the 2009 New York City-LouderARTS fellowship grant, and has represented New York City multiple times at the National Poetry Slam, subsequently becoming an NPS finalist. Jon has performed and facilitated workshops with university and arts organizations throughout North America, and is currently the Director of Poetry and Arts Education Programming at the Positive Health Project, a syringe exchange center located in Midtown Manhattan, as well as a Youth Mentor with Urban Word-NYC. Jon's poems have appeared in decomP magazinE, Suss, The Literary Bohemian, Spindle Magazine, The November 3rd Club, and others. He is also one-fourth of the nationally acclaimed electricity-fest, The SpillJoy Ensemble. Jon lives in New York City, where he makes better tuna salad than anyone you know.



A New Jersey Native, ShadoKat has exploded upon the spoken word scene rousing audiences across the United States and Europe while featuring at venues such as The Green Mil Theatre in Chicago, Club Cargo in London, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and even garnering a 3rd place finish at the Apollo Theatre's renowned Amateur Night. In 2006, he reached another high level of acclaim when voters across the nation named him the National Underground Spoken Word and Poetry Award's Male Performer of the Year. Using hip-hop influenced style and cynical humor, his passionate messages don't shy away from various topics; speaking on social awareness, and community issues. His highly anticipated album, Rebirth of the Mic', was released in April 2006, and he won another National Underground Poetry Award in 2007 for his poem, “The Last Poet on the Open Mic”. In 2008, ShadoKat co-founded a touring poetry collective called “Words with A Pulse” and has been a featured performer and lecturer at many colleges and universities including Rutgers University, Depaul University, Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland. Currently he is working on his forthcoming Spoken Word Album and is performing as part of the Spoken Word Almanac Project creative cast.



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The NEW 10-slot OPEN MIC will go to the first 10 people to sign up at the door. Get there early. Each reader gets 2 1/2 minutes.

*****

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

Marvin Mendlinger
Assistant Director

Timothy Prolific Jones
Series Consultant

Sherri Eldin
MC

Eliel Lucero
DJ

Marron Cox
Hostess Extraordinaire

Adrian Wyatt
Open Mic Mistress

Poetry of Resistance - Thursday, May 13th

Poetry of Resistance
"Unnatural Disasters"

A Reading Sponsored by:

The NY Activists Poets' Roundtable and the Brecht Forum

Thursday, May 13, 7:30 PM
Brecht Forum: 451 West Street (at Bank Street)

Suggested donation $6, $10. No one turned away.
For more information email speakarttopower@optimum.net or call 917-602-4070

The Inspired Word - Friday, April 23 featuring Ngoma Hill, Jared Singer, Jade Sylvan + NEW Open Mic!

Date: Friday, April 23, 2010
Time: 7-10pm
Location: (Le) Poisson Rouge
http://lepoissonrouge.com/
158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 505-FISH (3474)
Cover Charge: $10

At (Le) Poisson Rouge, the hottest club in downtown Manhattan, The Inspired Word presents (in alphabetical order) Ngoma Hill, Jared Singer, Jade Sylvan. +Plus the NEW 8-slot open mic!

*****

Ngoma is a performance poet, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and paradigm shifter, who for over 40 years has used culture as a tool to raise sociopolitical and spiritual consciousness through work that encourages critical thought.He has been published in AFRICAN VOICES MAGAZINE, LONG SHOT ANTHOLOGY, THE UNDERWOOD REVIEW, SIGNIFYIN' HARLEM REVIEW, 'BUM RUSH THE PAGE/DEF POETRY JAM ANTHOLOGY,POEMS ON THE ROAD TO PEACE (Volumes 1,2&3)-Yale Press and Let Loose On the World(Celebrating Amiri Baraka at 75). He was featured in the PBS Spoken Word Documentary, "The Apro-Poets" with Allen Ginsberg. Ngoma has hosted the slam at the Dr. Martin Luther King Festival of Social and Environmental Justice Festival (Yale University-New Haven, CT) for the past 14 years. His latest C.D. "State of Emergency (The Essential Ngoma) Is a 2 Disc "best of "compilation is available on CDBaby.com and iTunes.com -For further info go to http://www.ngomazworld.com/ or check out myspace.com/notyouraveragestringthing.



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Jared Singer is a poet and audio engineer who lives in New York City. While he may have physically grown up with his peers, he has never forgotten the imagination, magic, and nerdiness that were cornerstones of his childhood. He hopes to remind others of these more creative times. He has been published by The Legendary and has also appeared on the Indiefeed Peformance Poetry Podcast.



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Jade Sylvan's first full-length collection of poetry, The Spark Singer, was published in 2009 by Spuyten Duyvil Press. Her first novel, Backstage at The Caribou, was published in 2009 by Ray Ontko & Co. She has performed and facilitated writing workshops across the country. Despite promises from adults that she could do anything if she set her mind to it, she never learned how to whistle as a child. She is currently at work on a second novel, an album of songs, and more poetry. You can find her at http://www.jadesylvan.com/.



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The NEW 8-slot OPEN MIC! Slots will go to the first eight people to sign up at the door. Line starts at 6:30pm. Get there early. Each reader gets 2 1/2 minutes.

*****

Please join us for an awesome night of passionate words.

Must be 21 years of age or older to enter. Please make sure to bring ID.

The Inspired Word - April 9! Hidary, Burrows, Gilbert, Doku, Plunkett!

The Inspired Word
Date: Friday, April 9, 2010
Time: 7-10pm
Location: (Le) Poisson Rouge
http://lepoissonrouge.com/
158 Bleecker Street (between Sullivan and Thompson)
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 505-FISH (3474)
Cover Charge: $10

Please join us for an awesome night of passionate words.

Confirm your attendance on Facebook!

MUST BE 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER TO ENTER. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO BRING ID.

*****

Internationally acclaimed poet, Ainsley Burrows has performed at festivals, cafés and institutions across Europe, America, Canada and the Caribbean, receiving numerous awards. These include Best International Performer of 2001 and 2002 from the Farrago Poetry Café in London, Munich’s International Poetry Slam Championship award in 2001.



Born in Chicago, Illinois to Ghanaian immigrants, Akua Doku is a working poet whose poetry has been published and performed throughout the United States. Akua was a member of the 2005 and 2006 Urbana Slam Poetry Team and a member of the Nuyorican Poets’ Café Slam Poetry in 2008 and earned the title of the first female slam champion at the 2005 Austin International Poetry Festival.



Up and coming actress/poet Sabrina Gilbert has performed at college conferences, venues and theaters along the east coast and in the Midwest. She continues to push the envelope in her work as she allows her writing to constantly evolve and defy the laws of gravity. In 2008 she became the Grand Slam Champion of Slam Richmond’s 2008 team, making her the first woman to do so! She also helped start Lyric Ave in 2003, which today is the largest poetry show on the east coast (consistently serving an audience of over 800 people). Her debut album "Come Get Me" took her colleagues by storm with it’s electrifying tracks and powerful messages! The album (executive produced by Ainsley Burrwos) has earned rave reviews from several internet radio shows, magazines and has not only touched fans in the U.S. but also those living in Toronto, Paris, London and Germany. Please visit http://www.burrowsink.com/



Vanessa Hidary, AKA The Hebrew Mamita, is a native New Yorker who seems to write a lot about Jews, men, race, and juicy thighs. She has aired three times on HBO’S Def Poetry Jam, was a finalist at Nuyorican Poets Café , and her solo show “Culture Bandit”, which has toured nationally, has been produced by LAByrinth theatre company, Roar @ Nuyorican Poets café, and the Hip Hop theatre festival, among others. She was featured in the award winning short film “The Tribe”, which appeared in numerous festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca Film. She is the director of the show “Monologues”: An evening of solo performances exploring Jewish Identity inspired by a 10-day trip through Israel . She received her MFA in acting from Trinity Rep Conservatory, and is currently working on a book that may be called "the Chronicles of The Hebrew Mamita.”



Meghann Plunkett is a recent Sarah Lawrence graduate, currently working as an assistant at Fourth Story Media, her poetry has been published in several literary magazines including Southword Press and The Shop Magazine. She will be the staff's poet-in-residence at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York this summer and teaching writing workshops that infuse improv, visual art and impossible thought. While she has somewhat adjusted to the real world, she assures you, she is not a real person.



*****

Sherri Eldin
MC/Host

Justin Woo
DJ/Sound Genius

The Mighty Third Rail @ Mike Geffner's Inspired Word - Feb. 26, 2010

Find The Inspired Word on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!

Twitter: http://twitter.com/InspiredWordNYC

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/NYCInspiredWord

Facebook: The Inspired Word

The Inspired Word dazzles the night every second and fourth Friday, 7-10pm, @ (Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, NYC!

The Inspired Word - First Video!

Sarky Arts

Sarky Arts www.Sarkyarts.com an internet relay chat server and a branch of www.BentMindProductions.com has opened chat rooms for artists. It is a free server, and open haven for artists to discuss their work, and make connections. We have rooms assigned for musicians, writers, and artists. If you enjoy open meetings with authors and book publishers, we hold live interviews periodically so you can ask advice on publishing and writing. In the near future we will be doing the same for recording artists.

Previous interviews http://www.exodusnight.com/forum/

We are easy to connect to and FREE, just go to www.SarkyArts.com and click the java link. The java chat will bring you to a room called ExodusNightOOC which is our out of character chat room for our medieval fantasy game on the server. We sometimes just chat there too, if the server is slow.

RHYME & REASON: Spoken Word Poetry Documentary

Mike Geffner's Inspired Word - Feb. 12!

In our strikingly elegant new home, (Le) Poisson Rouge, right in the heart of Greenwich Village, we continue our twice-a-month series with another amazing lineup: Mahogany L. Browne, Jason Reynolds, Megan Rickman, and Bonafide Rojas.

*****

In alphabetical order:

Mahogany L. Browne, a Cave Canem Fellow, is the Editor of His Rib: Stories, Poems & Essays by HER & Barbershop Chronicles, and author of several books including her latest book of poems: Destroy Rebuild & Other Reconstructions of the Human Muscle. She has released five LPs including the live album Sheroshima.Mahoganybridges the gap between lyrical poets and literary emcee. Her freelance journalism can befound in magazines Uptown, KING, XXL, The Source, Canada's The Word and UK's MOBO. She also facilitates performance poetry and writing workshops throughout the country, focusing on women empowerment and youth mentoring. She is the owner of PoetCD.Com, an on-line marketing and distribution company for poets and is the host and curator at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.



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Jason Reynolds (bio forthcoming)



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Megan Rickman is a nationally touring spoken word artist from Richmond, Va. In her short three years working amongst the Spoken Word world, she has headlined from New York to California and everywhere in between.In 2008 She was selected along with 6 other poets from across the country to compete in the "Last Poet Standing" Invitational, handpicked by Taalam Acey, and is the reigning Grand Slam Champion of Richmond, Va. Currently she is working on her sophomore project as well as teaching poetry workshops to students and creative writing staff across Virginia in her work with The Virginia High School League. She is a contributing columnist for Magazine33.com, and has released "All that I am", her freshman project, as well as a mix tape "All That I Was, All That I'm bout to Be" that will be available for purchase at the Inspired Word Event.



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Bonafide Rojas is a poet, musician and author of pelo bueno: a day in the life of a Nuyorican poet (dark souls press, 2006). he is the vocalist/guitarist for the band The Mona Passage, a poetic rock and roll art experiment. He's also the 2002 slam this! champion and has been on two national poetry slam teams, NYC/Union Square 2002 & wicker park 2003. he has appeared in Russell Simmon's "Def Poetry Jam" season 4 and he has been published in the anthologies: bum rush the page: a def poetry jam, rolecall: "a generational anthology of social and political black literature and art, the centro journal, the acentos review, and the calabash journal.



*****

Confirm your attendance on Facebook:

Click here

MC: Sherri Eldin

Date: Friday, Feb. 12, 2010
Time: 7-10pm
Location: (Le) Poisson Rouge
http://lepoissonrouge.com/
Click here
158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 505-FISH (3474)
Cover Charge: $10

Please join us for what guarantees to be an amazing night of passionate words.

MUST BE 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER! MAKE SURE TO BRING ID'S!

See you there,

Mike Geffner
Producer/Founder/Director, The Inspired Word

Assistant Director: Starvin' Marvin Mendlinger
Consultant: Timothy Prolific Jones
Logo: Gerard Cruz

Stop Being a Starving Artist. Think It Can Happen!

"Starving artist" can be a self-fulfilling prohecy. Think small and you shall get your wish. Maybe it's time to shift the paradigm, stretch the goals, blow the dreams up huge. Time to think positive. Think big. Think it can actually happen.

Mike Geffner's Inspired Word - A New Era Begins!

Catch the Magic!

In our strikingly elegant new home, (Le) Poisson Rouge, right in the heart of Greenwich Village, we officially kick off our twice-a-month series with an extraordinary lineup: Shanelle Gabriel, Caits Meissner, Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, and B. Yung.

*****

Shanelle Gabriel is a gifted poet and singer. She has toured nationally & internationally. Her animate personality and the distinct sincerity of her voice make her a force in the music and poetry world. She is best known for opening & featuring on HBO's Def Poetry Jam as well as in a promo for the 2007 NFL Draft. She was a member of the 2006 Nuyorican Poets Cafe National Slam Team and a competitor in the 2007 Individual World Poetry Slam Competition. She has performed and worked with artists such as Les Nubians, Erick Sermon, Nas, and others. You can also see her acting skills in Q-Tip's video for "ManWomanBoogie." Shanelle's tenacity has allowed her to become a shining star in any path she treads.



*****

Storyteller Caits Meissner uses an exciting blend of poetry, performance and music to deliver visually rich testaments to the complexities of the human spirit. Caits has moved audiences from street corners to Columbia University, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe to Rikers Island. Winner of the OneWorld Poetry Contest, Caits attended the 2008 inaugural Pan-African Literary Forum in Accra, Ghana where she studied under Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa and other luminaries from the literary African diaspora. In addition to her own self-released work, she has been published in various literary journals and has shared sets with musicians such as Immortal Technique, Grandmaster Caz, Boot Camp Clik and many others.



*****

Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai is a Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based, Chinese Taiwanese American spoken word artist who has performed her poetry at over 375 venues worldwide including three seasons on "Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry." Winner of a 2007 New York Foundation for the Arts Urban Artist Initiative Award, Kelly was listed as one of Idealist in NYC's Top 40 New Yorkers Who Make Positive Social Change in 2008 and AngryAsianMan.com’s “30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30” in 2009. She has shared stages with Mos Def, KRS-One, Sonia Sanchez, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Amiri Baraka, and many more. (www.yellowgurl.com)



*****

Though internationally known as the next face of the hip hop world, B. Yung has recently become a familiar face in the American Spoken word community. In the year 2006, he was offered a slot in "LA's Def Poetry Allstar show" by Stan Lathan, and after excepting, began a very successful career at his new found craft.

In 2008, while still keeping a pulse on the local and international Hip Hop community, B. Yung ranked 2nd in the Nation with Urban Word NYC's slamteam at the Brave New Voices National Competition. He also ranked 1st place in Robert Redford Speak Green Competition that was held at the world reknown Kennedy Center in Washington D.C which earned him a chance to perform at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

In 2009, B. Yung got back into the swing of music and joined the Legendary Us3 Band and began traveling Europe on the "Stop, Think, Run" tour. Later his song entitled "Love of my life" (produced by Geoff Wilkinson) premiered on MTV and VH1 Soul and is still running in heavy rotation.

Saul Williams says "[B. Yung] is nothing short of amazing". Natalie Stewart (1/2 of the nationally known R&B Female recording duo Floetry) says "B. Yung delivers passion filled poetry articulating the purpose of prose". Sunni Patterson says "B. Yung is an inspiration to "be."



*****

MC: Sherri Eldin

Date: Friday, Jan. 29, 2010
Time: 7-10pm
Location: (Le) Poisson Rouge
http://lepoissonrouge.com/
Click here
158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 505-FISH (3474)
Cover Charge: $10

Please join us for what promises to be an amazing night of passionate words.

MUST BE 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER! MAKE SURE TO BRING ID'S!

See you there,

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer/Director, The Inspired Word

Assistant Director: Starvin' Marvin Mendlinger
Consultant: Timothy Prolific Jones

Poetry Quotes of the Day

“Poets need not go to Niagara to write about the force of falling water.”—Robert Frost

“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.”—Emily Dickinson

“Everywhere I go, I find a poet has been there before me.”—Sigmund Freud

“The business of the poet and the novelist is to show the sorriness underlying the grandest things, and the grandeur underlying the sorriest things.”—Thomas Hardy

“Don't ask a poet to explain himself. He cannot.”—Plato
“There's no money in poetry, but then there's no poetry in money either.”—Robert Graves

“Poetry should be like fireworks, packed carefully and artfully, ready to explode with unpredictable effects."—Lilian Moore

“Poetry, I feel, is a tyrannical discipline. You've got to go so far, so fast, in such a small space, that you've got to burn away all the peripherals.”—Sylvia Plath
“A poet ought not to pick nature’s pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine nature accurately, but write from recollection, and trust more to the imagination than the memory.”—Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.”—Kahlil Gibran

Capicu Poetry Open Mic with Bonafide Rojas & Chango Bi - Nov. 20th!

Back at home base in Williamsburg Brooklyn with the November installment of the Capicu Poetry Open Mic, featuring some of NYC's most dynamic urban talent and music by DJ Sambarella.

Friday, November 20, 2009
Time: 6:30pm - 11:00pm
Location: Notice Lounge
Street: 198 Union Avenue
City/Town: Brooklyn, NY

Featured Poet: Bonafide Rojas
Poet, musician and author of "Pelo Bueno: A Day In The Life Of A Nuyorican Poet" (dark souls press, 2006). Also featured in HBO Def Poetry Jam (2004).
Bandleader/vocalist/guitarist for the band The Mona Passage, a collective experiment of puerto rican & dominican musicians who challenge the status quo on what music is Puerto Rican & Dominican.

Featured Artist: Chango Bi
A multi-media visual artist and co-founder of the Collective Soul artist collaborative based in New York City

The Capicu Poetry Open Mic
Doors Open @ 7 PM
Notice Lounge & Cafe
198 Union Avenue (between B'way and Montrose)
Williamsburg Brooklyn NY 11211
Right across from the 90th Precinct

$5 Cover
18 & Over
Casual But Neat

G Train to Broadway
J train to Lorimer
This Show Is Sponsored by Futuvision and Platinum Mic Studios

New York City Writers Unite on October 8th!

Writers Helping Writers/New York City B Bar Schmoozefest

When: Thursday, October 8, 2009
Time: 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Location: B Bar & Grill
Street: 40 East 4th Street @Bowery
City/Town: New York, NY
Phone: 2124752220

Writers, editors, literary agents, publishers, as well as all friends invited. Totally informal. But a great chance to make wonderful new connections. Just kick back and enjoy the camaraderie - and schmooze! We're over by the lounge against the back wall.

http://www.bbarandgrill.com/
Click here

By Subway:

*F, V, B, or D train to Broadway/ Lafayette
Walk four blocks uptown on Lafayette Street to East 4th Street, turn right on East 4th Street. B Bar is on the right-hand side towards the end of the block between Lafayette and Bowery

*N or R train to 8th Street
Walk one block east on 8th street to Lafayette Street. Make a right on Lafayette Street and walk downtown on Lafayette to East 4th Street. Turn left on East 4th Street. B Bar is on the right-hand side towards the end of the block between Lafayette and Bowery.

*6 train to Astor Place
Walk downtown on Lafayette to East 4th Street. Turn left on East 4th Street, and B Bar is on the right-hand side towards the end of the block between Lafayette and Bowery.

Look forward to seeing all of you,

Mike

Poems from Our Inspired Word Poets

Shannon Hardwick


8 Dreams and Nothing

Where’s the tender part,

baby-shell, bent light,
breaking through, guard it;
we might break our own
bodies, in fear of being stolen.


You asked

where I was going,
a basket of hearts,
ventricles, tied
to my side, broken?
I don’t own them.

I dreamed

you peeled from my thigh,
a zipper, with teeth.


Ant-lights against palm,

I gave you a map,
held out. What for?
Nothing, I said, stuck
lines inside my pocket--

I glow grids

at my thigh, whole cities
never discovered.

Daisies:

I gathered them
in my bed, (listen,
my heart will love
every one of you, but
whisper back to me).
They bowed their sides,
who am I? for them,
God provides.

After your letter,

bandaged-pain, I leant
on storm-walls, ready
for a barrage, waves
of anger. Finally, said:

let the water breathe;

I’ve missed you.

- Shannon Hardwick


David Lawton


Poetry


Everywhere I go
It’s poetry
Poetry
Is there for me
And if it’s there for me
It’s there for you
We are only
Different shades of blue

It’s John Ford’s Monument Valley
Or Miss O’Keefe’s red clay plateaus
The Giant Steps taken by Coltrane
And Debussy’s ringing glissandos

It’s Yastrzemski in left
Clemente in right
It’s MJ gliding into the paint
It’s number 4, Bobby Orr,
Suspended in air
With the winning score

The Chrysler Building’s silver flash
A lone figure in Tiananmen Square
The little Hispanic girl’s smile
In the Chinese restaurant
That album cover’s diamond raindrops
Sparkling Marvin Gaye’s hair

And Christ in the desert
To me the sweetest poesy
In the heat of that vast moment
A cooling ointment deeply burning into me

Wherever you go
They say that’s where you are
But poetry is what it does to you
Poetry is what you take away
Poetry is something to leave behind
When you reach your end of day.

- David Lawton


Jane Omerod


Shangri-ha

I look up I look down I look up I look down

Let’s have a picnic tomorrow
Leave before light Before the dreams
Of nurse and night maids
And the loot loot loot of the world

(feathers form)

I look up I look down I look up I look down
Thrice married One hundred times divorced
A public right of way
Inside and out
I have never been ravelled
Extra! Extra!

Landscape?
All flat or tall
Oceans?
So much the same
“Everything in sight is his,” they say
“Except the mountains”

(I own those too)

I could have been a racehorse
The close nose winner of the 4.30
I might have been a parcel A day gone by
Atlantic fantastical City

(and feathers fall)

Bengal tigers
Monkeys
One hundred thousand trees
Count Recount
Look up Look down
Look up Look down

Bedrooms are not the same as welcomes
You can pay a lot of money for a dame without a head
Elizabethan ceilings Hullabaloo
A quick word?
What about hasty? What about rapid?

(feathers cluster)

Principles are like flatulence
Promises like gentlemen in a toot toot marching band
The world’s largest diamond? The same size as a stuffed shirt

Feathers float my mouth
I look up I look down
Mantelpiece Picture hook Chiffonier
Hallucinations needed!
Noise! Damn colour! Bed vows! The ridiculous!

I cannot sleep with bread
I need to own To cut away To lack and lack lustre
Take it now
Own up Own down
A picnic One picnic A picnic from out of this world

- Jane Ormerod
First published in 11 Films (Modern Metrics, 2008)

Photos: Shannon Hardwick

Pics from The Inspired Word

MC/Host Marron Cox


Soraya Shalforoosh


Stephanie Sherman


Melissa Fadul


Patricia Spears Jones


Photo Credit: Shannon Elizabeth Hardwick




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