The official blog of Mike Geffner's Inspired Word NYC open mic/performance series that happens every week in downtown Manhattan, featuring the best spoken word artists, spoken word poets, singers, musicians, comedians and storytellers. Upcoming open mic event info; pics, words, videos from past open mic shows; current news in the performing arts, open mics, poetry, spoken word, comedy, music, and storytelling.
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.
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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!
The Mighty Third Rail (Darian Dauchan, Ian Baggette, Curtis Stewart), which appeared at The Inspired Word in late Feb. and knocked everybody out, will be appearing @ Joe's Pub on May 29, 7pm, 425 Lafayette Street, Manhattan, NYC.
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.
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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.
