Rachel Shukert, Emanuel Xavier, Deborah Collage Grison Headline The Inspired Word - Oct. 7!

Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word reading series, featuring Rachel Shukert, Emanuel Xavier, Deborah Collage Grison + 12-slot open mic (open to not only poets and spoken word artists but fiction/nonfiction writers, comedians, monologists, singers, and musicians).

When: Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010

Where: One and One Bar & 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 6:30)

Cover Charge: $10

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

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Rachel Shukert is the author the the critically acclaimed memoirs "Everything Is Going To Be Great" and "Have You No Shame?" Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including Salon, McSweeney's, Slate, Gawker, the Daily Beast, Heeb, and Nerve, and been featured on National Public RAdio. She has also contributed to a variety of anthologies, including Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists and Best American Erotic Poetry: 1800 to the Present. Her plays include Bloody Mary (NYIT nominee), Johnny Applef*&ker, Everything's Coming Up Moses, The Sporting Life and The Nosemaker's Apprentice (both with Nick Jones) and The Three Gabor Sisters, and have been produced and developed by Ars Nova, Soho Think Tank, the Williamstown Theater Festival, and the Ontological/Hysteric, as well as extensively throughout the Netherlands. With Julie Klausner, Rachel co-created, co-wrote, and co-starred in Wasp Cove, New York's favorite live prime-time 1980's soap opera. She is currently developing her first feature with Yarn Films in Los Angeles. Rachel is also a contributing editor at Tablet Magazine, and an alumnus of the Ars Nova Play Group. She received a BFA from Tisch School of the Arts, and now lives in New York City with her husband Ben and her bipolar cat, Anjelica Huston. For more info, visit http://www.rachelshukert.com/



Emanuel Xavier is author of the novel, Christ Like, and editor of several anthologies including the forthcoming, Me No Habla With Acento: Contemporary Latino Poetry. A spoken word/music compilation album, Legendary, and his new poetry collection, If Jesus Were Gay & other poems, were recently released. Recipient of the Marsha A. Gomez Cultural Heritage Award, a New York City Council Citation, and a World Pride Award, he has been featured on Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry and works for Random House. He also curates a monthly spoken word poetry series for El Museo del Barrio and was recently proclaimed a 2010 GLBT Icon by the Equality Forum for his activism and contributions to the gay community. www.emanuelxavier.com



Deborah Collage Grison is a native Chicagoan and has been writing and performing for over 20 years. She has shared the stage with some of the world’s greatest literarians and spoken word artists of our time such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Dr. Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Stacye Ann Chin, Regi Gibson, Saul Williams, KRS-One and The Last Poets. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College located in Bronxville, New York. Her work has been featured in various journals and anthologies. Collage’s first collection of work The Attic: words from the top (Writes of Passage Publishing Group) was published in 2001 received critical acclaim, as did her current publication A Love Supreme: a poemoir which was released in April 2010. This collection is a memoir told through poetry that tells the story of, with, to, through away from and back to the ultimate love of self, community, family, friendship and God. You can check her out at http://www.deborahcollagegrison.com/ or www.facebook.com/deborahcollagegrison.


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Inspired Word on Twitter: http://twitter.com/InspiredWordNYC
Inspired Word YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/NYCInspiredWord
Inspired Word Meetup Group: http://www.meetup.com/InspiredWordNYC/

NYC Open Mic - Poetry, Comedy, Spoken Word, Fiction, Nonfiction, Song, ANYTHING!

Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word - NYC Open Mic EVERY Thursday night!

Show us what you got in four minutes or less. Poetry, Comedy, Spoken Word, Fiction, Nonfiction, Song. ANYTHING!

Oveous Headlines Sept. 9th Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Event!

Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word poetry/spoken word event, featuring Oveous Maximus. + a to-be-announced poet and 10-slot open mic.

When: Thursday, Sept. 9

Where: (Le) Poisson Rouge (downstairs gallery)
158 Bleecker Street (between Thompson and Sullivan)
Manhattan, New York City
http://lepoissonrouge.com/
Phone: (212) 505-3474

Time: 7pm (open mic sign-up starts at 6:30)

Cover Charge: $10

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

*****

Oveous is a recording artist who tricked everyone into believing he was only a poet. He grew up in the Bronx and Washington Heights exposed to the richness of jazz, soul, hip hop, and latin music. An honorary member of the world-famous Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Oveous shares his own brand of "rap & spokenword". He became a National Poetry slam finalist three years in a row, is a multiple time winner at the Apollo Theater, has performed on the hit series HBO Def Poetry, and has recorded music with grammy award winner Louie Vega. Currently, you can download Oveous' albums ("Future Intentions" & "The Iambic Moment") online for free via his blog site: oveous.blogspot.com

"American Idol" NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Open Mic Night!

"Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it? Or just let it slip?"

- Eminem, Lose Yourself

Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word holds its FIRST EVER "American Idol" NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Open Mic Night.



When: Thursday, Aug. 5

Where: One and One Bar & 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 6:15; first come, first served)

Cover Charge: $10

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

*****

Are you a poet or spoken word artist who'd love to feature at The Inspired Word? Would you love to make some decent cash too?

Well, here's your big chance.

The first 20 people to sign up for the open mic will get a shot at not only winning a feature spot at an Inspired Word event (to appear before end the 2010) but a respectable $50 paycheck.

Here's how it'll work:

Each contestant will get ONE shot - for four minutes and four minutes ONLY (go over and you'll not only lose SERIOUS points with the judges but likely blow your chances of winning) - to show what they got.

WARNING: No hate speech of any kind will be tolerated.

The winner will be decided at the end of the night by a consensus vote from our panel of three judges, our own version of Simon, Randy, and Paula, who will offer no-hold barred critiques after each performance. Another warning: If you can't take the heat of some criticism, don't come cooking into this kitchen.

Second place winner will get 2 comps to future shows, third place 1 comp.

IF YOU'VE ALREADY FEATURED AT THE INSPIRED WORD OR SCHEDULED TO FEATURE, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THIS EVENT.

This will become a regular Inspired Word feature staged four times a year - in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

It'll be a great way to discover new talent.

Good luck to all of you !

"You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow."



Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer/Director

The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Facebook Group
The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Twitter
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The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Event - Hallie S. Hobson, Marcus Jackson, Nicole Sealey + Open Mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word event, featuring Hallie S. Hobson, Marcus Jackson, Nicole Sealey + 10-slot open mic!

When: Thursday, July 29, 2010

Where: One and One Bar & 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 6:30)

Cover Charge: $10

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

*****

Hallie S. Hobson is a poet, playwright and Cave Canem fellow. She has been featured at the LouderArts Project and Bryant Park Reading Room reading series and has read commissioned works in conjunction with exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Hallie received her bachelor’s degree from Yale and an MFA in playwriting from UCLA.

Marcus Jackson was born in Toledo, Ohio. His poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The Harvard Review, The Cincinnati Review, and Hayden’s Ferry Review, among many other publications. He has received fellowships from New York University and Cave Canem. His chapbook, Rundown, was recently published by Aureole Press. His debut collection of poems, Neighborhood Register, will be released in the Fall of 2011.

Nicole Sealey is a writer, editor and Cave Canem fellow. Her work has appeared in a number of journals including Callaloo, The Drunken Boat, Sou’wester and Torch.

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The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Blog
The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Facebook Group
The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Twitter
The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word YouTube Channel
The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Meetup Group

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer/Director

The Inspired Word/Thursday, July 22 - Shappy, Margot Leitman, Omar Ion, Ilya Khodosh!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word, featuring (in alphabetical order) Omar "Ion" Holmon (Slam Champion), Ilya Khodosh (Vanessa Hidary's Monologues), Margot Leitman (Upright Citizens Brigade), and Shappy Seasholtz (HBO Def Poetry, Bowery Poetry Club). + 5-slot open mic. + Guest appearance by poet/multimedia artist Joe Ray Sandoval, the co-writer of the new move "Spoken Word," featuring Ruben Blades and which hits New York City theaters July 23.

Where: One and One Bar & 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 6:30)

Cover Charge: $10

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

*****

Socially awkward with +87 charm points Omar "Ion" Holmon can usually be found standing in a Comic book store hallway talking about how he be in Comic book stores all day. His Slam trading card states accomplishments such as: 2010 Urbana Grandslam champion, 2009 Nuyorican Grandslam champion, Loserslam Grandslam champion (2009,2008).



Ilya Khodosh is a writer and performer in New York. He performs with the improv collective Rural Juror, and his work will be featured in the literary anthology NEXTbook, to be published this fall. He had previously toured nationwide as a company member of the storytelling/spoken word show, Vanessa Hiary's Monologues. Ilya was awarded a Hutchinson Fellowship in theater at Williams College (2008), and top honors at the Dialogue One Theater Festival (2007). He is the chief theater critic for the Berkshire Review for the Arts. He is the associate artistic director of the solo performance festival, United Solo, to take place in New York this November.



Standing 5-foot-6 by the fourth grade, Margot Leitman developed a thick skin and a sharp sense of humor instead of learning how to play basketball. Measuring 5-foot-10 today, Margot’s off beat, brutally honest, fearless comedy has earned her two ECNY “Best Female Stand Up” nominations and the “Joke of the Week” in Time Out New York. She’s appeared as various characters, including the cult favorite Gynoblast on “Late Night With Conan O’ Brien,” in addition to appearances on VH1’s “Best Week Ever,” ESPN’s “Cheap Seats,” AMC, the Style Network, E!, Comedy Central, MTV and NBC Broadband. Every month she and Giulia Rozzi co-host the wildly popular, monthly, sex-themed storytelling show “Stripped Stories." Margot has been featured in Glamour Magazine, and the books “Fifty Dates Worse Than Yours” and “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jokes.” She has written online for the Lifetime Network, College Humor.com, EHow.com and in print for Playgirl Magazine. She currently teaches storytelling through the UCB Theatre.



Shappy Seasholtz is the current Slam-Master of NYC-URBANA poetry slam series which runs every Tuesday at 7PM at the BOWERY POETRY CLUB where Shappy is also the surly barkeep. He's the head Dungeon Master of Spoken Nerd and runs the NERD SLAM every year at the National Poetry Slam. He has 12 long boxes of comics, over 100 Viewmaster reels and a complete run of Wacky Packages. He has been seen in DEF POETRY, SLAM PLANET and most recently as a Trekkie in the film FANBOYS. He can be heard on INDIEFEED SPOKEN-WORD PODCAST. He toured this past fall with the Elephant High-Dive Revival tour with WRITE BLOODY PRESS. He is the Chosen One.



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SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE

Joe Ray Sandoval, poet, multimedia artist, and the co-writer of the new move "Spoken Word."

http://www.spokenwordmovie.com/



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The Inspired Word Blog
The Inspired Word on Twitter
The Inspired Word YouTube Channel
The Inspired Word Meetup

*****

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

The Inspired Word/Thursday, July 15 - Caridad De La Luz (La Bruja), Conscious, Joanna Hoffman + open mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word poetry/spoken word event in New York City, featuring Caridad De La Luz (La Bruja), Conscious, Joanna Hoffman + 10-slot open mic!

Where: One and One Bar & 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 6:30)

Cover Charge: $10

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

*****

Caridad De La Luz is a Bronx-born poet/actor/activist known as LA BRUJA, considered one of America's leading spoken word artists. She is a renaissance woman, NY Times called her "a Juggernaut" after her 2009 run of her musical Boogie Rican Blvd. at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater. Her music has crossed over internationally with her debut album "Brujalicious" available on iTunes. Known for her captivating performance on Russell Simmons' HBO Def Poetry Jam. She is the Founder of the Latinas 4 Life movement and is a Board member of Voices UnBroken. She believes the power of word helps create positive change in the lives of countless inner-city youth and has taught poetry workshops for over 13 years to help build a foundation for self-expression and empowerment.



Conscious is an artist of many facets. A lateral thinker that not only contemplates outside of the boxes that society attempts to create for him, but reshapes them to fabricate art in multiple forms. For more info, please check out his site: http://iareconscious.com/

Joanna Hoffman has been on three DC/Baltimore National Poetry Slam teams. In 2006, her team performed on finals stage and ranked 4th in the nation. In 2007, she was the DC/Baltimore Grand Slam Champion and the Individual World Poetry Slam representative for Baltimore. Since relocating to New York for grad school, she has joined the Spoken World Almanac Project. She enjoys dumplings, parks and long walks down the lesbian bar.



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Inspired Word Blog
Inspired Word on Twitter
Inspired Word YouTube Channel
Inspired Word Meetup

*****

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

The Inspired Word/Thursday, July 8 - Corrina Bain, Sara Brickman, Brandi MacDonaldi + open mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word poetry/spoken word event in New York City, featuring Corrina Bain, Sara Brickman, Brandi MacDonaldi + 10-slot open mic!

When: Thursday, July 8

Where: (Le) Poisson Rouge (downstairs gallery)
158 Bleecker Street (between Sullivan and Thompson
Manhattan, NYC
http://lepoissonrouge.com/
Phone: (212) 505-3474

Time: 7pm (open mic sign-up starts at 6:30)

Cover Charge: $10

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

*****

Corrina Bain has worked as an assistant in a detox ward and an abortion clinic, as a rape crisis hotline counselor, and as a volunteer educator responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Mozambique. She has been writing and performing for over ten years, and is a former member of multiple national slam teams. Her work has appeared in issues of the November 3rd Club, decomP literary magazine, killauthor, and others. She lives in Brooklyn.

Sara Brickman is an author, performance artist, and ten year veteran of the spoken word circuit. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she cut her performance teeth as a core member of the renowned Volume Youth Poetry Project, leading her out of the wilds of the mid-west to join the Hampshire College Slam Collective. An instructor at the Bent Writing Institute and adult mentor for Youth Speaks Seattle, she was recently a finalist in Write Bloody Publishing’s manuscript competition, and has work forthcoming in Bestiary Magazine. She is currently preparing for performances at the 2010 Femme Conference and the Bumbershoot Music Festival. Sara prefers her ukulele tuned and her sweaters argyle. She gulps her breath-notes in Seattle,Washington.

Brandi MacDonald was a 2010 Slam Free Or Die slam team finalist. Her poetry has appeared in various literary journals, and she was a contributing artist for “Just Like A Girl: A Manifesta!” She represents the spoken element in the ongoing photography and poetry collaboration "A Thousand Miles" with Jessica Hosman and Sarah Coughtry. She has run slams and workshops in the southern New Hampshire area and is in the process of spearheading a monthly poetry series, Audio Graffiti. Brandi is eternally grateful for red wine, Jack Kerouac, and music that gets her lost on a dance floor.

The Inspired Word in NYC/Thursday, July 1st - Claudia Alick, Osagyefo, Sal Treppiedi + Open Mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word New York City poetry/spoken word event, featuring Claudia Alick, Osagyefo, Sal Treppiedi + 10-slot open mic!

When: Thursday, July 1

Where: One and One Bar & 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 6:30)

Cover Charge: $10

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

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Claudia Alick is a playwright, performance artist, actress, producer, teacher, journalist, and HBO Def Poetry poet. She produces the outdoor performance series "The Green Show" for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, has guest-lectured at New York University, Montgomery College, taught with Arena Stage and The Shakespeare Theatre, and was named by American Theater Magazine as one of 25 theater artists who will shape American Theater in the next 25 years. She has also served as the Artistic Director of Smokin' Word Productions, authored and directed plays staged at The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, LaMama E.T.C., Cherry Lane Theater, and the Hip Hop Theatre Festival, and is a member of the award winning NY Neofuturists. She lives in Ashland, Oregon.



Osagyefo is a Jamaican-born poet who never gives straight answers because he believes there are no straight answers in life. His words are filled with sound and power, the raw creative energy of the universe, as he "spits fiery rhymes,” Billboard once wrote of him. In other words, you don't just hear Osagyefo, you feel him. He has performed all over the world, from Africa to Jamaica, from Switzerland to England, and is the author of Psalms of Osagyefo…Chanting down Babylon. He was awarded the Zoo Award in 2002 for the best overall performer/reading for by the Farrago poetry society in London and currently resides in Brooklyn.



Sal Treppiedi is the author of two chapbooks: Random Thoughts of An Obese Mind (1998) and Tellin' Tales Out of School (2010). He was born in Brooklyn, NY, but currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico after a six year detour through Riverside, California. He has been an educator for almost 20 years, having spent the first 15 as a middle school English teacher and the last years as a high school activities director. Treppiedi is the founder of VE=NT (Voices Emerging=New Thunder), the annual New Mexico Middle School Poetry Slam. His work has appeared in several publications including Earthships: A New Mecca Poetry Collection, plus "Central Avenue," "Sage Trail" and "Lunarosity," an online journal. Treppiedi also headlined the recent Stepping Out Poetry Festival in Socorro, NM. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico (though his hometown is Brooklyn), is married to Deborah and has two daughters, Calle & Leah.



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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

Marron Cox
Hostess Extraordinaire

Ocean Vuong @ Mike Geffner's Inspired Word - June 17, 2010

The Inspired Word - Thursday, June 24: Sean Patrick Conlon, Rico Frederick, Jani Bomba Rose + Open Mic!

Mike Geffner presents The Inspired Word, featuring Sean Patrick Conlon, Rico Frederick, Jani "Bomba" Rose plus a 10-slot open mic!

When: Thursday, June 24

Where: One and One Bar & 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 6:30)

Cover Charge: $10

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

*****

A talented writer and compelling performer born and raised in rural Virginia, Sean Patrick Conlon is a dedicated student of the page and a firm believer in the power of spoken word. As a poet, his constant devotion to both the craft of writing and live showmanship has fast earned him a reputation as being one of the hardest working and most original artists in the spoken word community today. He's the current Intangible Collective Grand Slam Champion and also the workshop coordinator for LouderARTS. To find out more about Sean, visit his site @ http://www.thevanishingman.com/.



Rico Frederick, a self-described "Trini farm boi'" turned graphic designer turned national slam poet, is the current Grand Slam Champion of LouderARTS as well as a three-time Nuyorican Grand Slam Finalist and three-time Urbana Grand Slam Finalist. He freely admits to loving Gummy Worms and pistachio ice cream.



Jani "Bomba" Rose is a Nuyorican poet and performer born in Spanish Harlem and raised in the Bronx who began writing at the age of seven. She went from the public school system to an elite manhattan private school overnight where she developed a love for Plath and Method Man. She is an Acentos Fellow, the host of the Latina Empowerment series and founder of Poetry for the People and spends all of her time making stuff, reading, writing and taking care of her four sons.. To find out more, visit her site @ MusingsandScribbles.com.



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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

*****

Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

Marvin Mendlinger
Assistant Director

Erik "Advocate of Wordz" Maldonado
MC/Host

Marron Cox
Hostess Extraordinaire

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."



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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.



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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

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 Inspired Word Blog is Up and Running!

Please make sure to visit my new blog:

http://inspiredwordnyc.blogspot.com/

It's now the official of my all-star poetry/spoken word events @ (Le) Poisson Rouge in Manhattan, New York City.

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

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