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's "American Idol" Spoken Word Poetry Open Mic Night - Fall Edition.
"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
For all those poets and spoken word artists looking to feature at NYC's hottest new spoken word poetry event, The Inspired Word, here's your big chance.
No more claiming to be the greatest - prove it! Put your money where your mouth is and your mouth where the mic is!
The first 25 poets/spoken word artists to sign up for the open mic will get a shot at winning a PAID feature spot at an Inspired Word event during 2011.
Here's how it works:
Every contestant gets ONE shot to blow - for 3 minutes and 3 minutes ONLY (go over the time limit and you'll not only lose SERIOUS points with the judges but likely blow your chances of winning).
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 be offering no-holds barred critiques after each performance.
Another Warning: If you can't take the heat of some criticism, don't come 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 is a regular Inspired Word feature, staged four times a year - in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
It's our way to not only level the playing field but ti discover great new talent.
Good luck to all of you !
Remember: "You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow."
Host/MC/Judge: Advocate of Wordz.
Other Judges: Thomas Fucaloro and Seraph Treadwell.
Don’t you hold your tongue
try and look to the left or the right
you better stare me in the eye
hope you aint blinded by the light
Claudia the unbelievable
Claudia the unforgettable
Claudia the unbeatable
Claudia the undefeatable
You just try and forget this
I aint that easy to miss
I’m the hot disabled black bisexual chick
I’m a fill every demographic
Give me a box and I’ll check it
Give me a stereotype and I’ll wreck it
Give me a barrier, I’ll break it
Give me a scholarship and I’ll take it
Cause I’m the ultimate minority
Posterchild for diversity
Daughter of an immigrant
And us 2nd Gens know we gotta make it
Cause when you got odds against you
Only choice is to be excellent
And when you go both ways you got more places to go
When you get where folks is at you get where they coming from
So here I am letting all my seams show
Cause who gets it better than one of your own
We all belong to the same family
I can’t promise to be polite or PC
But this life’s on loan so I’ll speak with all honesty
So here it is the agony and the ecstasy
The gifts of privilege, the history of slavery
The suffragettes progeny, the medical mystery
The strivers dream, the cynics bravery
Cause I’ve Gots to believe it all turns out fine
That every challenge that kicks my behind
Just gives me more opportunities to refine
The mad skills I got that blow your mind
So Give me a box and I’ll check it
Give me a stereotype and I’ll wreck it
Give me a barrier, I’ll break it
Give me a future and I’ll create it
Cause I aint quittin till this game is won
Even if it’s rigged and they aint given ya nothin
You just try and tell me this shit aint fun
Cause I might not be able to run
But I roll hard and I roll fast
Like I got the devil on my ass
I’ll never be caught last
So what did I ask
What I ask
The unbelievableThe unforgettableThe unbeatableThe undefeatable
Dana Gioia
Poet; Former Chmn, National Endowment of the Arts
Question: What is poetry?
Dana Gioia: Well poetry is humanity’s answer to mortality. I mean if you had to talk about what poetry is about – what all poetry is about – it’s about time and mortality; that we live these finite existences through the world. Because the world, every year, renews itself in spring. And we see this kind of cyclical aspect of natural life. And yet our own lives are linear and finite. And it makes, in a sense, something enormously precious. If we were gods, if we were eternal, we would not need poetry. We would not need the arts. We would have existence unchallenged, unlimited. But because we’re mortal – because we face death – we have to in a sense constantly stop and understand our lives in different ways.
HBO Def Poetry Star Gemineye @ Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word NYC spoken word poetry event
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010
One and One Bar and Restaurant
Manhattan, New York City
Award-winning poet Patricia Smith @ Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word NYC spoken word poetry event
Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010
One and One Bar and Restaurant
Manhattan, New York City
Lea C. Deschenes @ Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word NYC spoken word poetry event
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010
One and One Bar and Restaurant
Manhattan, New York City
The Inspired Word is New York City's hottest new poetry/spoken word series that happens every Thursday night in downtown Manhattan, produced by longtime writer/journalist and former Village Voice columnist Mike Geffner and hosted by Erik "Advocate of Wordz" Maldonado.
Poet Victor D. Infante @ Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word NYC spoken word poetry event
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010
One and One Bar and Restaurant
Manhattan, New York City
The Inspired Word is New York City's hottest new poetry/spoken word series that happens every Thursday night in downtown Manhattan, produced by longtime writer/journalist and former Village Voice columnist Mike Geffner and hosted by Erik "Advocate of Wordz" Maldonado.
Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word features the amazing poet Suheir Hammad, one of the most imporant voices of our time.
In addition to Ms. Hammad, there will a 15-slot open mic (open not only to poets and spoken word artists but fiction/nonfiction writers, comedians, monologists, singers, and musicians).
What: Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word NYC spoken word poetry event
When: Thursday, Nov. 18, 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
Cover Charge: $10
Must be 21 years of age or older. Please make sure to bring ID.
*****
Suheir Hammad is the author "breaking poems", recipient of a 2009 American Book Award, and the Arab American Book award for Poetry 2009. Her other books are "ZaatarDiva", "Born Palestinian, Born Black" and "Drops of This Story". Her work has been widely anthologized and also adapted for theater. Her produced plays include “Blood Trinity” and “breaking letter(s)”, and she wrote the libretto for the multimedia performance “Re-Orientalism”. An original writer and performer in the TONY award winning Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, Suheir appears in the 2008 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection, "Salt of This Sea". She is the Artist in Residency at the NYU’s APA Institute for 2010.
The Inspired Word Presents "Shimmying the Spoken Word with Sugar Shack Burlesque," featuring original work from some of New York City's most original performers - burlesque superstars such as Dr. Lucky, Darlinda Just Darlinda, Tigger!, Bunny Love, James Habacker, The Incredible Edible Akynos, Nasty Canasta, RunAround Sue, Cherry Pitz, Scooter Pie, Clams Casino, and Mary Cyn.
You've seen them bare their souls in dance, now listen to their spirit in words.
A spoken word poetry event unafraid to push the envelope!
There will also be a 5-slot open mic (open not only to poets and spoken word artists but fiction/nonfiction writers, comedians, monologists, singers, and musicians).
What: Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word NYC spoken word poetry event
When: Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
Where: (Le) Poisson Rouge (downstairs Gallery Bar)
158 Bleecker Street (between Thompson and Sullivan)
Manhattan, New York City http://www.lepoissonrouge.com/Phone:
Time: 7:00pm
Cover Charge: $10
Must be 21 years of age or older. Please make sure to bring ID.
"The Godfather of Boylesque" & "The Original King of Boylesque" JAMES TIGGER! FERGUSON is a Stripperformance Artist/Actor/Dancer who has performed in New York & abroad for 22 years. A Pioneer in the 90s burlesque revival who has been stripping for over 18 years. Won the 1st-ever Mr. Exotic World title (Best Boylesque) at Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas 2006. Won 5 Golden Pastie Awards, including "Most Likely to Get Shut Down by the Law" & "Most Unpredictable Performer." Named the Top Male Burlesque Performer of 2009 in an international online poll. Called "the Boylesque King...a heart-pounding climax" by LA Weekly, "hysterical and acrobatic"..."waspish élan" by The New York Times, "disturbing, funny and oddly riveting all at once" by Vancouver Sun, "delightful...simultaneously hilarious and titillating" by TheaterMania, "the taboo-defying dynamo" by NEXT Magazine. He has acted in Shakespeare, Apollinaire, Wedekind, Horváth, Williams and numerous original works with Taylor Mac, Julie Atlas Muz & other geniuses. Recently performed in: Denmark, Cyprus, England, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, France, Vancouver, Toronto, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, Key West, Richmond, DC, Sag Harbor & Provincetown.www.facebook.com/TiggerJames
MISS MARY CYN is a classically trained actor with a BFA from NYU who takes her clothes off in bars. In the world of burlesque she is known for extreme geekiness and epic debauchery. As a writer she is building a name for herself through her heartfelt prose, deeply personal stories, and hot sex scenes. She has three blogs and is currently writing a novel about two people who fall in love and probably shouldn't. Look her up on facebook under her muggle name, Alithea Howes.
Called "a burlesque queen" by the New York Times, “spectacular” on the New York Post’s Page Six and an “NYC Culturemaker” by Time Out New York, CLAMS CASINO is a nationally recognized producer and one of New York's favorite stars of the bump 'n' grind. She has brought her unique mix of sexy hilarity and curvaceous glam to a wide variety of stages across New York City, and to Las Vegas, Boston, Washington DC, Key West, Atlanta, Toronto and many more cities around the country! In summer 2008 Clams was the winner of two coveted trophies, for “Most Innovative” and “Most Comedic” at the Miss Exotic World Pageant, sponsored by the Burlesque Hall of Fame. She is also a Golden Pastie Award winner at the New York Burlesque Festival. Clams has a BFA in Playwriting from Ohio University.
Internationally-renowned artstar (and reigning Cheese Queen of Coney Island) NASTY CANASTA is frequently hailed as a genius of the neo-burlesque scene. A "burlesque queen" (The NY Times), 2nd Runner Up at the 2010 Miss Exotic World Pageant, and "Brooklyn's greatest burlesque star" (The Brooklyn Paper), Nasty is the co-producer of Pinchbottom ("Best Burlesque in NYC" - NY Magazine, "Most Innovative" - Burlesque Hall of Fame) and the impresario behind Sweet & Nasty Burlesque. In another life she was the creator of Man Of Infinite Desire, a one-person show based on the Faust legends, and the co-author of Wuthering Heights, an 80's teen-movie version of Charlotte Bronte's Wuthering Heights.
DARLINDA JUST DARLINDA, a "Mastermind of Bizarre Extravaganza" as coined by the Village Voice, has been working as a Burlesque Performer and Producer locally (NYC) and nationally since 2003. She's crossed over into performance art with her year long "life as art" projects, “The Year in Rainbow” and most recently "The Year in Dance" www.yearindance.com. In February 2007 Darlinda was honored to perform with Julie Atlas Muz at PS122 in The Divine Comedy of an Exquisite Corpse. In October of 2007 Darlinda participated in the Feminist Neo Burlesque Symposium at The Central School of Speech and Drama at the University of London.In October 2009 Darlinda participated in Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge as The Bride Love. Darlinda is one half of the Burlesque duo The Schlep Sisters, co producing such shows as Menorah Horah and The Burning Bush vs.The Second Coming. Darlinda is a current faculty member at the New York School of Burlesque.Darlinda is also a proud co-producer and member of the national touring group The Dangerous Curves Ahead: Burlesque on the Go-Go.Darlinda was proud to play Upscale Whore #1 on HBO's Boardwald Empire. She is also the proud winner of the Liz Renay look-a-like contest and the recipient of the 2009 Golden Pastie Awards for The Biggest Hair and Most Innovative and Creative!http://www.darlindajustdarlinda.com/ USA Today says “It’s hard to top Darlinda."
BUNNY LOVE has been part of NYC downtown performance scene for almost 20 years. As an actress, dancer, singer/songwriter, she is well known as an international Burlesque Star and Performance Artist. She is also a film maker who has produced 5 shorts, which have played at such notable festival as Slamdance, The NY Underground Film Festival, The Florida Short Film Festival and The Coney Island Film Festival. Always excited to venture into new areas of performance, she is looking forward to sharing her work in this spoken word show.
DR. LUCKY is a seasoned performer, writer and educator. For over a decade, Lucky has carved a space for herself with her unique comedic timing and over-the-top theatricality. Hailed a "Burlesque Expert" by NY1 and a "big, bad, bold drag queen" by Bust magazine, she has been featured on NPR's Morning Edition (twice), Time, Washington Post, The Toronto Star, and many others. Though a huge fan of hyperbole, the prefix to her name is the one "real" thing about her: she is the premiere burlesque performer in the world with a PhD. Since 2005, she has taught unsuspecting drama students at New York University how to twirl tassels and think critically about burlesque. She is also a faculty member at the New York School of Burlesque and has taught burlesque courses at BurlyCon, Burlesque Hall of Fame, CUNY, Toronto Burlesque Festival, Movement Research, among others. She co-hosts Legend Night at the Burlesque Hall of Fame (2008-2010), headlined the Toronto Burlesque Festival (2009-2010), and has performed at all eight New York Burlesque Festivals. She's presenting the WORLD PREMIERE of an EXCERPT from the biography she's been working on for the last three years - on DIXIE EVANS, the Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque. www.myspace.com/drlucky, www.facebook.com/doctorlucky, or www.youtube/doctorofburlesque.
SCOOTER PIE (with co-producer Runaround Sue) makes NYC dance with her at the weekly burlesque show-party "Shaken & Stirred", and brings "SPAM: Scooter Pie at Midnight" to Albany every month. Sometimes you can also see her naked-ish in other places.
Often called "The Moving Violation" and "The Make it Happen Girl", RUNAROUND SUE currently produces and performs regularly in NYC, Brooklyn, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington DC. She has had the honor of performing at the New York Burlesque Festival, Slipper Room, Starshine Burlesque, Sweet and Nasty Burlesque, The Jalopy Music School, Ars Nova, Galapagos, Public Assembly, The Living Theatre, The Palace of Wonders, and many other enchanting venues on both coasts and on both sides of the Mason Dixon line. Miss Sue has a background in performance and first appeared on the stage in a mother's day play presented by her kindergarten class. She played the little girl. She also spent many years developing the runaround part of herself through long and varied road trips during which she would say things like, "Can we stop by Memphis today?" and "How about we head North?" Eventually, she hightailed it to the big city where her sense of southern hospitality soothes many a broken heart.
THE INCREDIBLE EDIBLE AKYNOS is a New York City burlesque performer who's also acted, produced, written articles, and done choreography.
CYNDI FREEMAN is an actress and playwright. She also performs burlesque as Cherry Pitz and produces Hotsy Totsy Burlesque with co-producer Joe the Shark. As a story teller she co-produces The Standard Issues story telling show in Brooklyn with her husband Brad Lawrence and performs at story t elling shows throughout New York, including The Liar Show, Stripped Stories, True Tales of College. A Moth Grand Slam winner she teaches story telling with the Moth Outreach program. Currently she is developing a solo show entitled Wonder Woman: A how to Guide for Little Jewish Girls. She resides in NYC.
JAMES HABACKER is the artistic director of the Slipper Room and creator of such infamous characters as Mel Frye, GoGoat Boy, and Chester Mackeral. He conceived the idea for the Slipper Room, the hotbed of burlesque in New York City, while he was running his successful dance club, Plush, in the Meat-packing District. As a child he often put on his own elaborate shows using kids from around the neighborhood. Not very interested in the theater options that were available to him, he spent most of his youth concentrating on visual art, limiting his performance to fronting a series of bands. While getting his MFA in visual art at Bennington College, he began to develop his performance style, bringing together his varied interests from dada to vaudeville. He performed his routines at Bennington and various bars in the East Village. After getting his degree and opening his first club, he began hosting performance parties in Plush’s upstairs lounge. In the early nineties, the Meat-packing was still an edgy part of town, but in 1999, as the stench of meat was replaced by the stench of gentrification, he opened his new theatre, The Slipper Room, on the Lower East Side.
The Inspired Word is extending the open mic portion of the show to 12 slots (unless indicated otherwise for special events) and sometimes even as many as 15!
We're welcoming all types of artists - comedians, singers, fiction/nonfiction writers, monologists, musicians, as well as poets and spoken word artists.
Also, we're planning regular ALL-Open Mic shows in which we'll have 20 slots, with each person getting up to 5 minutes.
Another exciting new offering for our open mic performers: Our videographer can now, by request, videotape your performances for purchase! Contact Elaine Delehant @ elaine@bonobofilms.com for complete details.
MC/Host Advocate of Wordz @ Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word.
The Inspired Word is New York City's hottest new poetry/spoken word series that happens every Thursday night in downtown Manhattan, produced by longtime writer/journalist and former Village Voice columnist Mike Geffner.
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