The Inspired Word's 3-Year Anniversary Show Spectacular! Wed, Jan. 9!

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Performance Artist Shonnese C.L. Coleman & Poet NuNuu + Open Mic - Oct. 3

The Inspired Word presents two powerhouses, performance artist Shonnese C.L. Coleman and spoken word poet NuNuu + our amazing 20-slot open mic open to all types of artists. Hosted by comedian Mike Brown.

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BIOS:

Shonnese C.L. Coleman, a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and The American Musical & Dramatic Academy is an Actor, Writer and Performance Artist. Her written work has been commissioned by numerous organizations including Deeply Rooted Chicago Dance Theatre and The Harlem School of the Arts. She was most recently seen on stage as the Narrator in Def Dance Jam Workshop's production of "Versed in Forgiveness" and in Bay Street Theatres production of "To Kill A Mockingbird" in the role of Calpurnia. Her published books "The Stride of Our Walk...The Root of Our Stand" A Collection of Performance Poetry and "Revelation Art" Poems are available on-line at www.everflowingpoetics.info and stay-tuned for a Winter 2012/2013 release of her poetry CD titled "Precious Time."

Ms. L. Smith aka NuNuu, of Connecticut, is many things: spoken word poet and actress, model and hostess, public speaker and publisher. She’s been writing since childhood, but in 2004 decided the power of words was too important to not share her own. Guided by the Kiswahili words NuNuu (to praise, to glorify, to extol), Safi (pure) and Yah (God), she strives to let the God shine through her words and in her life. A passionate, dynamic artist, she has been featured along the East Coast, in such events as the Springfield Indie Soul Fest (Springfield, MA), the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival (Hartford, CT), and 4 My Sweetz (Brooklyn, NY). She is also the Founder/Editor in Chief of S.L.A.M.M. (Support Local Artists Movement Magazine). For more info, please visit her website at http://www.nunuu.info/.



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Produced by: Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word

http://inspiredwordnyc.com/

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When: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012

Where: 116
116 MacDougal Street
(between Bleecker Street and Minetta Lane)
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (917) 703-1512

Doors open for open mic sign-up @ 7pm

Show starts @ 7:30pm

Cover Charge: $10

NO AGE LIMIT.


"It's not just a series...it's a movement."

Big Mike Takes Down 1st Slam Master Jam Championship - The Videos!

Congrats to Big Mike!







What a blast of a night!

The Inspired Word's Slam Master Jam Championship Hosted by HBO Def Poetry star Gemineye Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011

The way it finished.

1st Place - Big Mike - $300 2nd Place - Robert Quote Rosa - $100 3rd Place - Omar Ion Holman - $75 4th Place - Christine-Jean Blain - $15 5th Place - Peter Seaton AKA Rain Maker - $10

HBO Def Poetry Superstar Beau Sia Headlines + People With Teeth + Open Mic - Thursday, Sept. 22

The Inspired Word presents HBO Def Poetry superstar Beau Sia + the hip-hop/punk group People With Teeth +15-slot open mic open to all kinds of artists.

Hosted by another Def Poet, Gemineye.

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BIOS:

Spoken word poet Beau Sia has toured Europe and the U.S. and was one of the true superstars on HBO Def Poetry. He authored the poetry book A Night Without Armor II: The Revenge as well as the spoken word CD's Attack! Attack! Go! and Dope and Wack. His work also appears in numerous anthologies including Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, and he has appeared in several documentary films, Slamnation, Slam, and Race is the Place. He was featured in the 2000 ESPN X Games and on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Last Call with Carson Daly, Showtime at the Apollo, The Today Show, and The Tony Awards. His film career expanded to include Hitch, with Will Smith, and The Manchurian Candidate, with Denzel Washington. He is one of the original cast members in Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, a 2003 Special Event Tony Award Winner.

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People With Teeth is a hip-hop/punk outfit based out of Brooklyn, NY. Signature songs like "Glenn Beck is Dead" have earned the group a reputation as an aggressive, satirically political trio combining hip-hop music with punk attitude and spoken word elements. Comprised of accomplished spoken word artists, emcees and performers, People With Teeth has made a splash in certain NYC hip-hop, spoken word and comedy circles as a daring, eclectic and wildly fun collective.

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This event was funded in part by Poets & Writers, Inc. with public funds from New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
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When: Thursday, Sept 22, 2011

Where: One and One Bar & Restaurant (downstairs Nexus Lounge)
76 East 1st Street (corner of 1st Avenue)
Manhattan, NYC
Phone: (917) 703-1512

Doors open for open mic sign-up @ 6:30pm

Show starts @ 7:30

Cover Charge: $10

NO AGE LIMIT.

"The Inspired Word isn't just a series, it's a movement."

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And please join us for our Tuesday Night Open Mic Joint - same time, same place!

Video - Spoken Word Poet Esoteric Structure @ NYC's Inspired Word

Spoken Word Poet Esoteric Structure @ Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word, Thursday, May 26, 2011 @ One and One Bar/Restaurant, Nexus Lounge, Manhattan, NYC. Hosted by HBO Def Poetry star Gemineye.

Esoteric Structure is a spoken word poet and the winner of the 2nd Inspired Word "American Idol" contest. He's also a clothing designer, illustrator and filmmaker. He recently completed a short film called "Dom & Magdalena."

The Inspired Word is New York City's hottest new spoken word poetry open mic series happening every Tuesday and Thursday night in downtown Manhattan, produced by longtime journalist and former Village Voice columnist Mike Geffner.

Venue: One and One, downstairs Nexus Lounge, 76 East 1st Street (corner of 1st Avenue), Manhattan, New York City.

Videographer: Amanda Hiciano

Spoken Word Poets Tantra-zawadi & Nathan P. @ The Inspired Word

PART 1


PART 2


Spoken Word Poets Tantra-zawadi & Nathan P. @ Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word, Thursday, June 23, 2011 @ One and One Bar/Restaurant, Nexus Lounge, Manhattan, NYC.

Soulful and sublime, the poetry of Tantra-zawadi explores love in all its forms; from the rush of the first kiss to the bittersweet. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Tantra uses her voice to support the empowerment of women and has performed at venues as far away as South Africa, London, Germany and Toronto. She is a 2010 Pushcart Prize Nominee for her poem"Girl,"and a recipient of the Kings County District Attorney's Office Women's History Month Award for her artistic contributions to the borough of Brooklyn. Tantra, who is a mentor for Girl-Child Network Worldwide (GCN), is donating partial proceeds from her latest book of poetry "Gathered at Her Sky" (PWP Books) to GCN. She is also the author of "alifepoeminprogress" and her poetry has appeared in Essence Magazine. Known for being on the cutting edge as an artist and for speaking out about issues such as HIV and AIDS awareness, Tantra's poem and video "Scarlet Waters," was featured on the Product(RED) video wall and her short documentary, "A Silent Genocide ~ A Brief Insight into HIV/AIDS" takes another look at the impact of this disease.

Stepping to the stage in his trademark suit, cufflinks and fedora style hat, poet Nathan P. became the poster child of style, grace and class on the slam circuit in early 2000. With a voice that resonates bass, the sound of his words were as captivating as his words themselves. This talent and stage presence enabled him to become a Nuyorican Grand Slam Finalist in his very first year on the circuit. He ultimately became the host at the Nuyorican Poets Café for seven years. He's been in two off-Broadway productions: "Be Beautiful" and "An Evolution in Reinvention," produced two books of poetry: "Madness" and "The Colors of My Mind," appeared on numerous CDs, most notably his solo project "Chalklines on Black Asphalt." He is host of The Inspired Word's Tuesday Night Open Mic Joint.

The Inspired Word is New York City's hottest new spoken word poetry open mic series happening every Tuesday and Thursday night in downtown Manhattan, produced by longtime journalist and former Village Voice columnist Mike Geffner.

Videographer: Elaine Delehant

Music: 1 dre ish Keen Entertainment
http://www.keenentertainmentgroup.com

New Vid! Thomas Fucaloro @ Mike Geffner's Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Event

Mike Geffner's Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word/Thursday, Aug. 19 - Tongo, Simply Rob, Rothstein + open mic!

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.

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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.

Conscious @ The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word - July 15, 2010

Poet/Spoken Word Artist Conscious @ Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word, One and One Bar Restaurant, Manhattan, New York City.

New Video! Joanna Hoffman @ The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Word Event

Random Pics @ The Inspired Word NYC Poetry/Spoken Event

Sal Treppiedi, Claudia Alick, Osagyefo

Adrian Wyatt's Birthday Bevy

Kim Howard, Mike Geffner, Jane LeCroy

Brigitte Viellieu-Davis, Lanna Joffrey

Erik "Advocate of Wordz" Maldonado, Jose A. Arias, Marvin Mendlinger, Mike Conroy

The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word event on Twitter

The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word YouTube channel

The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word event Meetup group

The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word Facebook group

Pics - Margot Leitman @ The Inspired Word - July 22, 2010

Margot Leitman @ The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word event, Thursday, 7/22/10, One and One Bar & Restaurant.

Please make sure to visit Margot's website @

http://www.margotleitman.com/

Photos By: Peter Woloszyn

The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word event on Twitter
The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word YouTube Channel
The Inspired Word NYC poetry/spoken word event Meetup Group

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.

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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

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Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

Video - Jon Sands @ The Inspired Word

The Inspired Word has entered into a partnership with Spoken Word the Movie!

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.

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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

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Mike Geffner
Founder/Producer

B Yung's Shoutout to The Inspired Word!

New Video! Poet Sal Treppiedi @ The Inspired Word - July 1, 2010

Pics @ The Inspired Word

Photos By: Peter Woloszyn

Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word Poetry/Spoken Word Event in Manhattan, NYC
One and One Bar & Restaurant

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.

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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.