NYC Open Mic EVERY Thursday Night in Downtown Manhattan! Open to ANYTHING!
Poets, comedians, spoken word artists, fiction writers, monologists, nonfiction writers, singers, muscians - you're ALL welcome!
10-15 open mic slots available every week.
Place: One and One Bar & Restaurant (downstairs Nexus Lounge)
76 East 1st Street (corner of 1st Avenue)
Manhattan, New York City
NOTE: Every SECOND Thursday of the month, we're @ (Le) Poisson Rouge (downstairs Gallery Bar)
158 Bleecker Street (between Sullivan and Thompson)
Manhattan, New York City
Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word event, featuring the dazzling talents of HBO Def Poetry superstar Lemon Andersen + a 15-slot open mic (open not only to poets and spoken word artists but also comedians, monologists, singers, and musicians).
When: Thursday, Sept. 23, 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.
*****
LEMON ANDERSEN is an original cast member of Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. The show took home the Tony Award for “Special Theatrical Event” in 2003 and the Drama Desk nomination for “Unique Theatrical Experience.” Lemon’s film acting credits include The Soloist, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx, as well as Spike Lee’s Miracle At St. Anna, Sucker Free City, She Hate Me, and he appeared opposite Denzel Washington in Inside Man. His theater credits include Slanguage, which was directed by Jo Bonney and premiered at the New York Theater Workshop to rave reviews and sold out shows. He is currently touring County of Kings the show which was produced by Spike Lee and the Culture Project at the Public Theater. The book based on the show is the Grand Prize Winner of the 2010 New York Book Festival. His poetry has been featured on everything from radio spots, to print ads, to the limited edition Absolut Brooklyn bottle and most recently on a viral spot directed by Rik Cordero. A native New Yorker, Lemon was born, raised, and currently resides in Brooklyn.
Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word poetry/spoken word event, featuring Molly Kat, Jamaal St.John, Tahani Salah, Justin Vinokur + 10-slot open mic.
When: Thursday, Sept. 2, 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.
*****
Molly Kat has a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Binghamton University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She attended an international honors poetry program at Cambridge University in England and has had work published in Ragazine, ETC, Pedestal Magazine, The Fib Review, Omega Magazine, Muzzle Magazine, Howling Dog Press, and Muse Pie Press. Molly started the Binghamton University Slam team and recently became a slam master of the PSI certified venue she started in Binghamton. She competed in the Women of the World Poetry slam in Columbus, Ohio as a storm poet. She also started, publishes, produces, and edits a literary publication called “Linus” that has published poets from around the globe. Molly has shared the stage with Ainsely Burrows, John Survivor Blake, Caits Meissner, Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, Shanelle Gabriel, Tantra Zawadi, Bonafide Rojas, Erik Words Maldonado, Tara Hardy, Tristan Silverman, and many other talented poets.
Jamaal St.John is a 34 year old poet who hails from New Rochelle NY. He is a 6 time Grand Slam Finalist for the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe. He is the 2008 Grand Slam Champion for The Nuyorican and is currently a member of The Nuyorican National Slam Team that just placed second in the nation during The National Poetry Slam held in St.Paul, MN. He is a 5 time winner of the Toronto International Poetry Slam and has performed all over the United States and Canada. He currently resides in West Orange, NJ with his wife of 8 years, Nile. He is also a member of a theatre ensemble known as The Male Ego who have performed extensively across the US. He has 3 CD's to his credit: Enterlightenment,Won't Catch Me Runnin', and Southpaw Stance.
Tahani Salah is a dynamic performer, poet and activist from Brooklyn. She’s a member of the 2007 Nuyorican National Slam Team and a graduate of Columbia University. She has a wide variety of work experience from the United Nations to non-profits like Urban Word NYC, Family International Support Team, and the AAFSC. She has been with Urban Word NYC for the last 8 years and is now the Youth Outreach Coordinator and has a place on the Urban Word Youth Board(word wide). Tahani is a 2006 Urban Word NYC Slam Team Member. She is also working on her collection of poetry available this winter titled *Respect the Mic*. Tahani has performed on a number of world famous stages from the Apollo Theater in NYC to universities in South Africa and Munich. Shehas appeared on the HBO series Def Poetry Jam. As a Muslim Palestinian-American woman, Tahani is committed to bringing light and solutions to problems faced by people from communities and experiences whose voices are silenced.
Justin Vinokur's poetry has been described as being repeatedly punched in the face. He has a degree in English and Creative Writing from Binghamton University, where he started Binghamton's only Artistic Development Group called "Breeding Grounds". Breeding Grounds is an environment aimed at fostering creativity between club members through the exchange of ideas, thoughts, and artistic works. Justin is a two time Binghamton Slam Team member, and was this year's Grand Slam Champion. He Co-hosts the Belmar open mic and poetry slam series with Molly Kat. Justin creates all the beats he uses for his tracks and is an expert on sound and intricate rhyme schemes. Some of his biggest influences are Pharaohe Monch, Tonedeff, John Coltrane, and Nat Turner.
Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word poetry/spoken word event in Manhattan, New York City, featuring poets/spoken word artists/performance artists Jee Leong Koh, lushTongue, Elliott D. Smith + 10-slot open mic.
When: Thursday, Aug. 26, 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.
*****
Jee Leong Kohis the author of two books of poems "Payday Loans" and "Equal to the Earth" (Bench Press). Born in Singapore, he lives in New York City, and blogs at Song of a Reformed Headhunter (http://jeeleong.blogspot.com/).
lushTongue is a duo of beautiful, sensual, poetic, dynamic, harmonious evolution of consciousness through song. Onome is a writer, vocalist and revelationary who inspires through unconventional beauty in unexpected places. Margaret Moon performs to co-create a society rooted in compassion, respect and love for one another and the earth that sustains us.
Elliott D. Smith, the artist formerly known as Start, lived the first eighteen years of his life in the same house in Louisville, Kentucky. Since then, he has lived in ten places in Oxford, Cincinnati, and Yellow Springs, Ohio, as well as four in Brooklyn, New York. He believes in the power of tattoos and reference books. With a degree in psychology, Elliott conducts research on masculinity, friendships, and identity formation. His writing tackles issues of gender, sexuality, and family, and is greatly influenced by the people, places, and theories he loves.
Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word poetry/spoken word event, featuring Caroline Rothstein, Tongo, Roberto "Simply Rob" Vassilarakis + 10-slot open mic.
When: Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010
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 6:30)
Cover Charge: $10
Must be 21 years of age or older. Please make sure to bring ID.
*****
Caroline Rothstein is a spoken word poet, nonfiction writer, and multimedia journalist. She is a member of the 2010 Nuyorican Poet's Cafe slam team, a member of the Intangible Collective, and a former member and director for the University of Pennsylvania's Excelano Project. Rothstein hosts a widely viewed YouTube blog about eating disorder recovery, and has been published as both a poet and journalist. She has a B.A. in classical studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.S. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Originally from San Francisco, Tongo leads workshops for people committed to using their creativity against the machine that incarcerates two million Black and Latino people a year. He has been teaching youth inside detention centers across the country for nine years. His work in Rikers Island has been featured in New York Times and Fortune Magazine articles. He taught a class at Columbia University called Youth Voices on Lockdown that brought Columbia students into Rikers Island to facilitates workshops with incarcerated youth. For four years, he produced a monthly show at the Nuyorican called “Write from Wrong” that features survivors of the prison industrial complex.
Activist, Youth Mentor, Role Model, Story Teller, Poem Scriber and Weaver of Dreams. Roberto "Simply Rob" Vassilarakis is a born and raised NY'er of Greek and El Salvadoran descent. Disowned at the age of 17 for being gay, he was forced to leave his mama's boy life behind. Taking to the streets and learning how to fend for himself paved the road for his spoken word journey with concrete inspiration. His life experience led him to dedicate himself to working with the "at risk" inner city youth of NYC focusing on issues of sex/sexual identity and HIV/AIDS prevention and education. He has been blessed to work with many LGBT adolescents, their straight counter parts and those who might be questioning. He is a founding member of El Grito De Poetas, the only all Latino poetry collective in NYC.
"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 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.
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.
*****
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
*****
NOTE: One week from the day, Tara and Rich enter into wedded bliss!
*****
THURSDAYS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME! THE INSPIRED WORD HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE THURSDAY FROM NOW ON!
Posts
