Upcoming Poetry Gigs - Get yo Swag in Person!!

Thursday May 13, 2010
Still Waters Open Mic
8-10:15 pm
Taste of Art Café, 4701 W. Lisbon Ave.
20-minute feature with one encore piece to close the night


Friday May 14, 2010
Voltage! Teen Spoken Word Series
6 – 8:30
Centennial Hall of Milwaukee Public Library, 733 N. Eighth St.
20-minute feature


Saturday May 15, 2010
Urban Spoken Word
7-9pm
Genna’s, 101 Main St. / Madison, WI

Saturday May 22, 2010
Kitchen Series
830pm
Mike McGee's House, Mass

Sunday May 23, 2010
Lizard Lounge
9pm
Boston, Mass

Thursday May 27, 2010
Stamford High School
6pm
Stamford, CT

Saturday, May 30, 2010
Art Sanctuary: Tribute to Nikki Giovanni
11am Panel
2pm Workshop
Performance
Temple U
Philadelphia, PA

next step

there are so many pots on the stove. summer is near and my daughter is
preparing for summer in california. and i'm preparing a team for NPS in
Florida and i'm finishing up the overview for a new project. the collabo
is a bit insane -- i never saw it coming.





i'm also really excited about being able to bring my grandmother's legacy
to the forefront. penmanship books is awarding three young women with a published
book with all the fat lovely trimmings. i am happy to be able to do this. its
been a long road coming, but i'm here. i feel like ms celie on most days. like
the world is calling me and all my efforts ugly.

but then i remember i am breathing. i am alive. i am writing. even if all i do is write for myself - i am writing. and that in itself is beautiful. bitten tongue was picked up for the Underground Zero Theatre Festival @ PS122 in NYC (produced by TerraNova Collective) for the several dates in July and I bought my tix to Paris... but not before i visit SF for the poetry production culminating the ASA Conference. see. beautiful.

WHEN YOU WRITE

this is a blog. an attempt to stop the madness from crawling under your skin and living. forever. the poetry movement is maddening. the hbo special for youth poetry nationals. then the poetry slam @ the white house. it is ever changing and moving. one might forget the struggle is still alive and present. with the idea of michelle and barack clapping enthusitically for spoken word - you might ignore the promoter's that refuse to pay poets, though they have a door charge. or the non-profits selling poetry workshops for million dollar funding but neglecting their teaching artists by offering less than minimum wage.

the wheels are turning, but no one is holding on to the handlebars. that would mean we are responsible for our actions. so everyone mills around as if we are paying attention to the little details, like smiles and breath and life. human life. yet, we are worried about our 401K's and if we are PC in this "post racial" econonmy. but this is only a blog. an attempt to stop the madness from crawling under your skin and festering.

maybe now i'll be able to write a poem. i have shows to prepare for. and a president to uplift with my words.

New Album: Available NOW

26 Tracks

Available HERE!

http://poetcd.com/products.php?id=272

Where I've Been/Where I'll Be...

I've writing tons. And with the recent car tow -- I've had nothing but time
to observe the Brooklyn surrounding me. In that time, I've pledged allegiance
to another 30/30 project. This one has over 50 poets involved. It under the
wings of Nicole Terez Dutton, a cave canem sis. She's awesome. We both have
gaps. Which means the awesomeness is relative. And this one is the best yet!
We're putting together a book of the work, as well as, performances.
*Check dates below*

I finally started back to school last week. I didn't realize how hard it was
to go back, once I stayed away for the entire summer! Pray for me. Also
preparing for the festival. That's been a lot of work! Seriously. And we only
have three weeks before we're in the midst of 40 poets and over 400 poetry
lovers! www.soundbitesnyc.com
If you want to see me anywhere, come check me out there! I will look as if
my head is cut off --but I'm efficient in my panic. Come give me a hug and
tell me how amazing the show is...Jive Poetic worked so hard on the festival
website -- I wish I had a new website that looked like that! *hint hint*

I'm still blogging. but after the plagurist incident. I'm keeping it a bit closer
to my heart. This skin is too thin for things like that. Hit me on the backend
and I'll send you to the private one. I just got back from the Northbeast
Regionals in Boston. The Nuyo Team (2008) rep'd so hard and we had a ball
even if the car's transmission died on us, about 65 miles outside of Boston.
They are the warmth all humans need to feel whole. We drove 45 miles an
hour for the remainder, just to make it to the slam, to qualify for nationals.
And they did the damn thing. They threw down the hammer with each poem
and was ready for a treat @ a diner soon after. The damage on the car? $1800
So we're having a team show to get that money for the car. I love those guys.
Adam, Akua, Jamaal & Rico. Eboni came along for the ride. And Anaiss opened
her home to all our poetry conversations. We talked about everythin from old
school music, to the top reasons of why not to date a poet. Also checked out
a couple of readings and one man shows. Bamuthi's "breaks" in the New York
Hip Hop Theatre Festival was slightly short of AMAZING. He is a prime
example of honest art.

Then Court and I checked out the reading/discussion hosted by my girl, Nicole
Sealey. Tayari Jones was the guest and after reading her first book Leaving
Atlanta - I had to see the woman behind the wonderful words. The car was
towed that morning. So I walked all the way from the Brooklyn Museum, to
the tip of Brooklyn,where MoCada sits across from the 24 hour Pathmark. I
was sweating and near faint, but I made it. Slightly late. She gave me the evil
teacher eye. I don'tknow if she knows that. Or maybe I was just overly sensitive
to being the storm that disrupted the intimate reading. It was great to hear
though. I'll post the notes I took from her and Bamuthi. But right now, I need
a bowl of cereal. Bad. And some coffee. Word. Check the dates below until then.

Oct 15 2008
7:00P
Adelphi University
Garden City, New York

Oct 16 2008
5:30P
LaGuardia College - Open Mic
Queens, New York

Oct 16 2008
7:00P
SBites @ Sarah Lawrence College
Bronxville, New York

Oct 17 2008
8:00P
SBPoetry @ NYU
New York, New York

Oct 23 2008
9:00P
SBPoetry @ Columbia College fundraiser for domestic violence
New York, New York

Oct 25 2008
7:00P
$500 Poetry Slam @ SoundBites Poetry Festival
NYC, New York

Oct 26 2008
2:00P
$250 Poetry Slam @ SoundBites Poetry Festival
NY

Oct 26 2008
6:00P
Return of the Jam Showcase @ SoundBites Poetry Festival
New York, New York

Nov 7 2008
7:00P
Alfred University
alfred, New York

Nov 12 2008
7:00P
SUNY ONEONTA
ONEANTA, New York

Nov 16 2008
9:00P
30/30 Allstars @ Lizard Lounge
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Nov 22 2008
7:00P
30/30 Allstars in Brooklyn @ Calabar Imports
Brooklyn, New York

Nov 23 2008
7:00P
Baltimore Slam - Feature
Baltimore, Maryland

Dec 4 2008
8:00P
Rider College
Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Dec 6 2008
8:00P
Utica College
Utica

Dec 19 2008
8:00P
SWAP Year End Review
Manhattan

Dec 20 2008
8:00P
SWAP Year In Review
Manhattan, New York

Dec 21 2008
8:00P
SWAP Year In Review
NY, New York

Feb 4 2009
8:00P
Seattle Poetry Slam
Seattle

Feb 7 2009
6:00P
Binghamton University
Binghamton, New York

Apr 2 2009
6:00P
Laguardia College
Queens, New York

for - series of really important stuff

this is for the mothers

that raise daughters and sons that will one day forget

they even bothered to go hungry so their seed

could grow

this is for the father's that knew they had children

but didnt know how to leave like all the men before them

this for mayonnaise sandwiches

and more importantly

the sugar sandwiches i didnt have to eat, cause my mother

stood over kitchen stoves cooking chicken enchiladas

and collard greens

when the only thing i ever had to fear -- was the cap'n crunch being extinguished

this is for a mother

so tired of being beaten, she ran with her babies tucked under arms

and then back after he kidnapped her youngest

this is for the poem i almost wrote him

before i wrote him off

thank god for foresight and common sense

this is for the nonsense

that runs out of our school hallways

and calls themselves home training

or even worse, keeping it real

this is for the i love you

something she may never hear, as black women

are the lowest statistics to get married

this for the the i love you

something she may never hear, as women find objectification

every moment of every day

this is for the man that has enough balls to say he loves his mother too much

to disrespect the love of his live

and the women that don't take advantage of him

this is for the moments -- when we remember we're all human

and refuse to laugh at the word nigger or dike or spic

this is the reverse racist anthem

the put ya guns in the air and sing oh say can you see

this is the warm blood of an iraqi soldier

burning an 18 year's old memory for the rest of his life

this is the warm blood of an american soldier

who only wanted to go to school for free and now he's lost his life

this is why we fight for life

kick for breath

sing for air

this is a song never ending

this is a song of despair

this is not even a poem

its a muthaphuck'n prayer

this is your chance to find us laughing and at peace

it is the moment in which we've prepared

this is the house shouting rejoice:

shalom

jah

holla back - hallelujah

and amen...