Podcasts about nuyorican poets caf

Ep 55 DuEwa talked with Dr. Nina Angela Mercer about her work and new book THE DOUBLE. Visit her website at www.NinaAngelaMercer.com.Follow Nerdacity IG @nerdacityarts , X @nerdacitypod1Subscribe and listen to past interviews @Spotify @ApplePodcasts and Youtube.com/DUEWAWORLD.BioNina Angela is a cultural worker and multidisciplinary artist living in Washington, D.C. Nina's writing is published in The Killens Review of Arts & Letters; Black Renaissance Noire; Continuum: The Journal of African Diaspora Drama, Theatre, and Performance; A Gathering of the Tribes Magazine Online; Break Beat Poets Vol 2: Black Girl Magic (Haymarket Press); Are You Entertained? Black Popular Culture in the 21st Century (Duke University Press); Performance Research Journal (Taylor and Francis); Represent! New Plays for Multicultural Young People (Bloomsbury Press); So We Can Know: Writers of Color on Pregnancy, Loss, Abortion, and Birth (Haymarket Press); Black Ecologies Zine (Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice); and tBTR: A Journal of the Black Theatre Network. She is excited about her first collection of writing for performance, The Double: A Choreodrama and a Choreopoem (Kavaya Press).Nina's choreodramas, choreopoems, and plays include GUTTA BEAUTIFUL(The Warehouse Theatre, The Woolly Mammoth for DC's Fringe, Abrons Arts Center/Henry Street Settlement, & Little Carib Theatre in Trinidad); ITAGUA MEJI: A Road & A Prayer (Brecht Forum, Alternate Roots, Rutgers University Newark and New Brunswick, The Nuyorican Poets Café); GYPSY & THE BULLY DOOR (The Warehouse Theatre, the former Dumbo Sky); ELIJAHEEN BECOMES WIND (Anacostia Arts Center); CHARISMA AT THE CROSSROADS (Dorothy Young Arts Center); SPARROW(The Langston Hughes House); and A COMPULSION FOR BREATHING (The Schomburg Center and Target Margin Theater). Nina has taught across disciplines at American University, Howard University, Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn College, Drew University, and for the Beyond Identity Program at City College. She is also co-founder and executive director of Ocean Ana Rising, Inc. (OAR) which has been generously funded with grants from the NEA, The Black Seed, and DC's Commission on the Arts and Humanities.Nina holds a Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). She also holds a Master of Philosophy from The Graduate Center at CUNY, a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing - Fiction from American University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Howard University. Nina is a mother to two adult daughters who keep her mindful with an ear for new music and language.

Thom Francis welcomes Anthony Ragler, who was the featured artist at the Nitty Gritty Slam poetry series on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, at The Low Beat in Albany, NY. Anthony Ragler is a poet and artist from NYC known for using persona and body movement to attack social stigmas and overly traditional forms of thinking. He's represented NYC-Urbana at the 2014 National Poetry Slam and placed 2nd in the nation as well as the Urban Word NYC slam team at the 2013 Brave New Voices Festival that placed 3rd internationally. He has co-coached the 2015 Columbia University slam team at CUPSI and was named the 2014 Inspired Word grand master slam champion. Anthony has performed at numerous venues, including the United Nations, Nuyorican Poets Café, Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, and the Apollo Theatre. That night Anthony's poetry touched on childhood, family, and the ever-changing world around him. You can hear his entire set from Nitty Gritty Slam at https://soundcloud.com/hvwritersguild/anthony-ragler-at-nitty-gritty-slam-85-january-6-2015.

A Note from Jacob: If you or someone you know are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 988.   It is a pleasure to welcome singer and actress Marla Mase to The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.  A native New Yorker, Marla was born in Brooklyn and raised in Canarsie. At 18, she moved to Tribeca, where she lived for 32 years, raised her two children, and founded PARTYpoopers/partySWANK, one of NYC's premier event planning companies.In addition to her entrepreneurial success, Marla is a versatile artist—an accomplished writer, performer, recording artist, and the COO of Brooklyn-based True Groove Records. She recently returned from her third whirlwind tour of the UK this year, promoting her eighth and ninth album releases, The Fine Art of Pissing in the Bushes and Infinite They Went (vinyl). She is touring Being Somebody, a show she co-wrote and performs alongside her 88-year-old father, Dr. Howard Mase, to sold-out audiences across the East Coast. Her other theatrical works have been featured at prestigious venues such as La MaMa ETC, NYC SummerStage, NJPAC, SXSW, and Nuyorican Poets Café.   Marla Mase is also the founder of The Lael Project. Lael, a talented singer and graduate of the University of Southern California's prestigious Thornton School of Music Popular Music Program, had struggled with depression, anorexia, and suicidal thoughts from a young age. Despite her battles, she chose to help others, working at a treatment center in Los Angeles for individuals suffering from mental illness. Lael's empathy and understanding profoundly impacted those she worked with, many of whom have shared with Marla how her daughter saved their lives. “After she died, I received numerous emails, texts, and calls from residents who told me that Lael was the reason they were alive today,” Marla recounted. “Lael was not a therapist per se, but they felt she understood what they were going through better than anyone else.”   Marla's mission now is to honor Lael's legacy by using her music to help others recognize the signs of suicide and seek help. The Lael Project is a two-volume album featuring both original songs and covers recorded by Lael during her brief but impactful music career.The project features re-mixes, never-before-released material, live recordings dating back to her pre-teen years and remastered versions of her two existing albums, Burden to Bear (2013) and Life in Color (2015). Scheduled for release in 2025 under Brooklyn's True Groove Records, The Lael Project aims to open conversations about mental illness and break the stigma around suicide.    On this episode of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Marla Mase discussed the stories behind several of her songs, including “Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick,” “Falling Sideways,” and “All Fall Short.” She also discussed how you can get involved with the Lael Project.Let's connect on social media: A) BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/jacobelyachar.bsky.socialB) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacobElyachar/C) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobelyachar/D) Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jacobelyacharE) Twitter (X): https://x.com/JacobElyacharF) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobElyacharBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jake-s-take-with-jacob-elyachar--4112003/support.

Laundering Black Rage: The Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits (Routledge, 2024) examines the dilution and commodification of Black Rage--conceived as a constructive response to the conquest of resources, land, and human beings--in a spatial and historical critique of the capitalist State. Interweaving academic criticism with journalistic essays, it presents a thoughtful challenge to popular narratives surrounding recent US events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the death of George Floyd and other police killings, and cases of White vigilantism, arguing that the maintenance of capitalism increasingly requires the manufactured consent of the conquered. Essayist/performer Too Black and geographer Rasul A. Mowatt assert Black Rage as a threat to the flow of capital, which must therefore be conquered by laundering, defined as a process of: - Incubation via the State, which places rage in circulation by setting both the oppressive conditions for its expression and seeding contradictions for it to be cleaned. - Labour, which sets mass uprisings in motion, layers the narcissistic rage of the Black elite over the illegal, militant rage of the masses to conceal class interests and collapse labour into capital. - Commodification, in which the now-laundered Black Rage is integrated within the State, ready to be withdrawn as a labour-crushed commodity to be bought, sold, or repressed by White capital. Entwining histories of Black resistance throughout the diaspora, State building under capitalism, cities as sites of laundering, and the world making of empire, Laundering Black Rage also lays the groundwork for upending the process through an anti-colonial struggle of reverse-laundering conquest. Relevant to studies of race and culture, history, politics, and the built environment, this pathbreaking work is essential reading for scholars and activists engaged at the intersection of critiquing capitalism and combating systemic racism"-- Too Black is a low-wage worker, poet, organizer, and filmmaker. As a poet, Too Black has headlined the historic Nuyorican Poets Café, Princeton University, and Johannesburg Theater in South Africa. His words have appeared in publications such as Black Agenda Report, Left Voice, Indianapolis Recorder, and Hood Communist. He is also the co-director of the award-winning documentary The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up. Rasul A. Mowatt is a son of Chicago and a subject of empire, while dwelling within notions of statelessness, settler colonial mentality, and anti-capitalism. Rasul also functions in the State as a Department Head in the College of Natural Resources, as an Interim Department Head in the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, and as an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. He is the author of the book The Geographies of Threat and the Production of Violence: The City and State Between Us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

Laundering Black Rage: The Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits (Routledge, 2024) examines the dilution and commodification of Black Rage--conceived as a constructive response to the conquest of resources, land, and human beings--in a spatial and historical critique of the capitalist State. Interweaving academic criticism with journalistic essays, it presents a thoughtful challenge to popular narratives surrounding recent US events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the death of George Floyd and other police killings, and cases of White vigilantism, arguing that the maintenance of capitalism increasingly requires the manufactured consent of the conquered. Essayist/performer Too Black and geographer Rasul A. Mowatt assert Black Rage as a threat to the flow of capital, which must therefore be conquered by laundering, defined as a process of: - Incubation via the State, which places rage in circulation by setting both the oppressive conditions for its expression and seeding contradictions for it to be cleaned. - Labour, which sets mass uprisings in motion, layers the narcissistic rage of the Black elite over the illegal, militant rage of the masses to conceal class interests and collapse labour into capital. - Commodification, in which the now-laundered Black Rage is integrated within the State, ready to be withdrawn as a labour-crushed commodity to be bought, sold, or repressed by White capital. Entwining histories of Black resistance throughout the diaspora, State building under capitalism, cities as sites of laundering, and the world making of empire, Laundering Black Rage also lays the groundwork for upending the process through an anti-colonial struggle of reverse-laundering conquest. Relevant to studies of race and culture, history, politics, and the built environment, this pathbreaking work is essential reading for scholars and activists engaged at the intersection of critiquing capitalism and combating systemic racism"-- Too Black is a low-wage worker, poet, organizer, and filmmaker. As a poet, Too Black has headlined the historic Nuyorican Poets Café, Princeton University, and Johannesburg Theater in South Africa. His words have appeared in publications such as Black Agenda Report, Left Voice, Indianapolis Recorder, and Hood Communist. He is also the co-director of the award-winning documentary The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up. Rasul A. Mowatt is a son of Chicago and a subject of empire, while dwelling within notions of statelessness, settler colonial mentality, and anti-capitalism. Rasul also functions in the State as a Department Head in the College of Natural Resources, as an Interim Department Head in the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, and as an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. He is the author of the book The Geographies of Threat and the Production of Violence: The City and State Between Us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Laundering Black Rage: The Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits (Routledge, 2024) examines the dilution and commodification of Black Rage--conceived as a constructive response to the conquest of resources, land, and human beings--in a spatial and historical critique of the capitalist State. Interweaving academic criticism with journalistic essays, it presents a thoughtful challenge to popular narratives surrounding recent US events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the death of George Floyd and other police killings, and cases of White vigilantism, arguing that the maintenance of capitalism increasingly requires the manufactured consent of the conquered. Essayist/performer Too Black and geographer Rasul A. Mowatt assert Black Rage as a threat to the flow of capital, which must therefore be conquered by laundering, defined as a process of: - Incubation via the State, which places rage in circulation by setting both the oppressive conditions for its expression and seeding contradictions for it to be cleaned. - Labour, which sets mass uprisings in motion, layers the narcissistic rage of the Black elite over the illegal, militant rage of the masses to conceal class interests and collapse labour into capital. - Commodification, in which the now-laundered Black Rage is integrated within the State, ready to be withdrawn as a labour-crushed commodity to be bought, sold, or repressed by White capital. Entwining histories of Black resistance throughout the diaspora, State building under capitalism, cities as sites of laundering, and the world making of empire, Laundering Black Rage also lays the groundwork for upending the process through an anti-colonial struggle of reverse-laundering conquest. Relevant to studies of race and culture, history, politics, and the built environment, this pathbreaking work is essential reading for scholars and activists engaged at the intersection of critiquing capitalism and combating systemic racism"-- Too Black is a low-wage worker, poet, organizer, and filmmaker. As a poet, Too Black has headlined the historic Nuyorican Poets Café, Princeton University, and Johannesburg Theater in South Africa. His words have appeared in publications such as Black Agenda Report, Left Voice, Indianapolis Recorder, and Hood Communist. He is also the co-director of the award-winning documentary The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up. Rasul A. Mowatt is a son of Chicago and a subject of empire, while dwelling within notions of statelessness, settler colonial mentality, and anti-capitalism. Rasul also functions in the State as a Department Head in the College of Natural Resources, as an Interim Department Head in the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, and as an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. He is the author of the book The Geographies of Threat and the Production of Violence: The City and State Between Us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Laundering Black Rage: The Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits (Routledge, 2024) examines the dilution and commodification of Black Rage--conceived as a constructive response to the conquest of resources, land, and human beings--in a spatial and historical critique of the capitalist State. Interweaving academic criticism with journalistic essays, it presents a thoughtful challenge to popular narratives surrounding recent US events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the death of George Floyd and other police killings, and cases of White vigilantism, arguing that the maintenance of capitalism increasingly requires the manufactured consent of the conquered. Essayist/performer Too Black and geographer Rasul A. Mowatt assert Black Rage as a threat to the flow of capital, which must therefore be conquered by laundering, defined as a process of: - Incubation via the State, which places rage in circulation by setting both the oppressive conditions for its expression and seeding contradictions for it to be cleaned. - Labour, which sets mass uprisings in motion, layers the narcissistic rage of the Black elite over the illegal, militant rage of the masses to conceal class interests and collapse labour into capital. - Commodification, in which the now-laundered Black Rage is integrated within the State, ready to be withdrawn as a labour-crushed commodity to be bought, sold, or repressed by White capital. Entwining histories of Black resistance throughout the diaspora, State building under capitalism, cities as sites of laundering, and the world making of empire, Laundering Black Rage also lays the groundwork for upending the process through an anti-colonial struggle of reverse-laundering conquest. Relevant to studies of race and culture, history, politics, and the built environment, this pathbreaking work is essential reading for scholars and activists engaged at the intersection of critiquing capitalism and combating systemic racism"-- Too Black is a low-wage worker, poet, organizer, and filmmaker. As a poet, Too Black has headlined the historic Nuyorican Poets Café, Princeton University, and Johannesburg Theater in South Africa. His words have appeared in publications such as Black Agenda Report, Left Voice, Indianapolis Recorder, and Hood Communist. He is also the co-director of the award-winning documentary The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up. Rasul A. Mowatt is a son of Chicago and a subject of empire, while dwelling within notions of statelessness, settler colonial mentality, and anti-capitalism. Rasul also functions in the State as a Department Head in the College of Natural Resources, as an Interim Department Head in the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, and as an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. He is the author of the book The Geographies of Threat and the Production of Violence: The City and State Between Us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

Despite a highly successful acting career with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, Luis Guzmán never really wanted to be an actor. He was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Loísada, the name given to Manhattan's Lower East Side by the massive working-class Puerto Rican community that migrated to New York in the 1950s. Loísada was also a hot bed for activism, with residents coming together to fight against discrimination and for better housing and working conditions. Guzmán admits to I SEE U that his calling was to be a social worker as he embraced the culture and spirit of his community, working extensively with youth to enhance their lives and help guide them to their own aspirations.Guzmán started performing in popular street theater as a hobby to showcase his acting ability through the art of social and political advocacy. To supplement his social work with more cash, he also appeared in several indie films, including his first movie role in 1977, Short Eyes—a prison life drama written by close friend and playwright, Miguel “Mickey” Piñero. Co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café, a haven for Black and Latinx artists and activists, Mickey even helped him land a role on NBC's Miami Vice in 1985—a role that would change Guzmán's life forever. 50 years and nearly 200 film and TV projects later, his comedic brilliance and authentic bravado have positioned him to become one of the most renowned and recognizable actors around the world.Join us as host Eddie Robinson chats with award-winning actor and producer, Luis Guzmán, from his farm in Vermont. The veteran performer reminisces on his family and how paying a phone bill as a young adult led to finding his biological father in Puerto Rico. Plus, Guzmán shares an incredible moment of vulnerability as he remembers his friend, the late Robin Williams—one of the greatest comedians of all time—and recalls how his death by suicide over a decade ago still affects him to this day.

Tamarindo is still on summer break and this week we are revisiting our conversation with Dr. Ana Castillo.  But first, we want to invite you to: Encuentro: A retreat for podcasters & cultural creators. Join Brenda and retreat co-host, Delsy Sandoval in Puebla, Mexico February 15 - 19, 2024 for an unforgettable journey of empowerment, creativity, and cultural celebration. More than a retreat, this is an invitation to be part of a transformative experience intended to have a lasting impact on your life, work, and passions. We're currently accepting interest forms, due August 31, 2023. Get all the details here: https://www.tamarindopodcast.com/encuentro Writing when no one is telling our stories is a form of activism and bearing witness to our experiences. On this episode of Tamarindo, we talk to icon and writer, Dr. Ana Castillo, about why she writes, the evolution of her identity, and her latest book of poems, “My Book of the Dead” which is now available.  We also discuss what we hope for the future of our community, while we also pay homage to Latinx writers we lost this last year including Rudy Anaya who wrote the celebrated “Bless Me, Ultima” and Miguel Algarín, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café.  Dr.Ana Castillo is a celebrated author of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama. Among her award-winning books are ”So Far from God,” “The Mixquiahuala Letters,” and “Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma.” Born and raised in Chicago, Castillo now resides in southern New Mexico. Stick around for a fun game called “Have you ever…” that y'all can join in on! Tamarindo is a lighthearted show where hosts Brenda Gonzalez and Ana Sheila Victorino discuss politics, culture, and self-development. Join us as we delve into discussions on race, gender, politics, representation, and life! You can get in touch with us at www.tamarindopodcast.com Brenda and Ana Sheila are executive producers of Tamarindo podcast with production support by Josie Melendez and Augusto Martinez, of Sonoro Media. Jeff Ricards produced our theme song. If you want to support our work, please rate and review our show here.  Contribute to the show: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/tamarindopodcast1 Follow Tamarindo on instagram @tamarindopodcast and on twitter at @tamarindocast  Follow Ana Sheila on instagram @la_anasheila and twitter @Shelli1228   Follow Brenda on twitter at @BrendaRicards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author/Poet Samuel Rain Benjamin aka Complicated Passions, creator of the Passions Private Collection and Dark Man Blues the series, has written over 40 books including “Love and the Conversation, The Clone in Me & The Foreplay Series” he has also performed across the country from Los Angeles to New York, notable places The World Stage, Sugar Hill, The Nuyorican Poets Café, Busboys & Poets, SWAAM, and da Poetry Lounge. He was also the host of The Griot Café in Long Beach and former host of a long running on air open mic on Blogtalk Radio One Positive Way Radio, Samuel has also produced Dark Man Blues a show that featured poets from around the world on The Book Slam. Samuel has also performed with the likes of Obbie West, Taalam Acey, 13ofNazareth, Lorenzo Word, shyybutflyy, Jaha Zainabu wah wah Washington and reaux fareal. He is also the co-founder of Innate Divinity Books a consulting and publishing company as well as GMG Staafly Productions LLC based in The Inland Empire of Southern California. His latest work is from the Dark Man Blues collection “John Bold released in March 2021 later this year he is set to release The Foreplay look inside” and in 2023 Dark Man Blues returns with “An Interview with Love” More titles will be released 2022 such as “A Prelude to Passion”, “Mischievous” and “My Future Seduction” part 1. Samuel is now on tour with the Gray Beards 22/23. https://www.darkmanblues.com/  

During my time in New York, I was able to meet up with Caridad De La Luz, a.k.a. "La Bruja", http://caridaddelaluz.com/ an Emmy-Winning poet / actor/ indigenous activist / musical theater / Bronx Living Legend / Executive Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City www.nuyorican.org plus a one woman show, FROM POOR TO RICO playing live Saturday April 29, 2023 at 8:00pm - TICKETS AVAILABLE at -  https://mpv.tickets.com/?agency=HCAV_PL_MPV&orgid=56451&eventId=94271#/event/E94271/ticketlist/?view=sections&minPrice=30&maxPrice=38&quantity=1&sort=price_desc&ada=false&seatSelection=false&onlyCoupon=true&onlyVoucher=false - VIDEO - https://youtu.be/f0dybhze4Uk 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Today we speak to Thespians Nominated for AUDELCO @ 50 Celebration Awards Night - Monday, Nov 28th. We open with Jackie Jeffries, President of AUDELCO, followed by an interview with Rome Neal, Lifetime Achievement Award honoree. He is Artistic Theatre Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café theatre program. Following this conversation we are speaking to other nominees in this order:  Mandela James Garrett (supporting Actor) Malika NZinga  (Lead Actress) Robert Greene (Mandela)   Black Love & Oya Jade Mason (actor in both plays) Fulton Hodges (actor in both play) Aaron Watkins (actor in both)   Lambs To Slaughter Keith Johnston (Music director) Kahlil Kain (playwright) Adiagha Faizah (lead Actress)

HAPPY DOOMSDAY RIP Daniel Dumile (July 13, 1971 – October 31, 2020) GENG PTP aka King Vision Ultra memorializes the legacy of the late MF DOOM, who died on Halloween day 2020. GENG shares some memories about NYC hip hop in the 90s, muses on the similarities between KMD and De La, and praises the enduring influence of one of hip hop's greatest artists. Read more at https://acloserlisten.com/2021/10/31/sp-episode-21-food-music-with-geng-ptp-podcast/ TRACKLIST King Geedorah – “Voices Pt. 0 feat. MF GRIMM” (Take Me To Your Leader, GENG's Mecha-King Ghidorah Deluxe Edition, 2021) SP intro MF DOOM – “The Mystery of Doom (Skit)” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Metal Fingers – “Peach Extract” (Special Herbs, Vol. 9-0, Shaman Work, 2005) MF DOOM & Nujabes – “The Mask (Interlude)” (Metaphorical Villainy, Altered Crates, 2020) Metal Fingers – “Orris Root Powder” (Special Herbs, Vol. 9-0, Shaman Work, 2005) Viktor Vaughn – “The Drop” (Vaudeville Villain, Sound-Ink, 2003) Metal Fingers – “Nettle Leaves” (Special Herbs, Vol. 1-2, High Times, 2002) King Geedorah – “Foolish” (Take Me To Your Leader, GENG's Mecha-King Ghidorah Deluxe Edition, 2021) Metal Fingers – “Dragon's Blood” (Special Herbs, Vol. 5-6, Nature Sounds, 2004) AMANI + KING VISION ULTRA – “Water” (An Unknown Infinite, PTP, 2020) GENG – “Hand of Doom (Chopped _ Slowed by GENG)” (Screwing Yourself to Live, PTP, 2012) MF DOOM – “? (Feat. Kurious)” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Metal Fingers – “Arabic Gum” (Special Herbs, Vol. 3-4, Nature Sounds, 2003) Playboi Carti – “Stop Breathing” (Whole Lotta Read, Interscope, 2020) MF DOOM – “Kon Queso” (MM..FOOD, Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2004) Armand Hammer – “Parables (ft AKAI SOLO, prod. Navy Blue) (Shrines, Backwoodz, 2020) MF DOOM – “Operation: Greenbacks” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Madvillain – “Accordion (instrumental)” (Four Tet Remixes, Stones Throw, 2005) De La Soul – “I Am I Be” (Buhloone Mindstate, Tommy Boy, 1993) KMD – “Get-U-Now (instrumental)” (Black Bastards Ruff + Rares, Fondle ‘Em, 1998) KMD – “Get-U-Now” (Black Bastards, Sub Verse Music, 2001) Madvillain – “Supervillain Theme (Instrumental)” (Madvillainy, Stones Throw, 2004) Metal Fingers – “Mullien” (Special Herbs, Vol. 1-2, High Times, 2002) MF DOOM – “Tick, Tick…(Feat. MF GRIMM) (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Metal Fingers – “Emblica Officinalis” (Special Herbs, Vol. 7-8, 2004) Billy Woods – “Borrowed Time” (Today, I Wrote Nothing, Backwoodz, 2015) Madvillain – “ALL CAPS” (Madvillainy, Stones Throw, 2004) Ghostface Killah x MF DOOM – “Money Folder” (Operation: Ironman, 2000) MF DOOM – “Hero vs. Villain (Epilogue)” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) MF DOOM – “Doomsday” (Live at Nuyorican Poets Café, NYC, 1998) MF DOOM – “Doomsday” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Ras G – “Find Ya Self (ANU Wrld)” (Back On the Planet, Brain­­feeder, 2013) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/soundpropositions/support

AN INCREDIBLE NOVEMBER 2022 SPEAKER SERIES AT SYNCHRONICITY UNIVERSITY! Limited Time Choose Your Tuition Rate on now! Learn more and sign up at https://www.synchronicityuniversity.com Classes include: Sabrina Monarch: The Astrological Eros Aquila Moon: Love, Lust and Desire: Venus and Mars Alejo Lopez: Hard Aspects and the Forging of Diamonds Adama Sesay: Black Moon Lilith Essential Masterclass: Understanding the Power of the Dark Goddess Lilith through the 12 Signs and Houses. Tatiana Belashova: Planets Dancing on the Ascendant We will discuss Venus and Mars in the natal birth chart. Both planets represent what we want and need in a relationship with another person. Venus is how we relate and hear the other person and Mars is how we use our will power to obtain it. But, is it love, lust or desire that motivates us to connect to another? We will also discuss the different signs of Venus and Mars and what they need in relationships. Aquila Moon is an Astrologer, Tarot reader and teacher. Sha hs been studying and practicing the art of energy cycles and vibrations for 21 years. Born in the mystical island of Haiti, she was always drawn to nature, the moon's cycles and rhythms. While living in New York, she obtained her studies in astrology with NCGR. She was later introduced to herbal law and numerology, which she also incorporates in her practice. Aquila Moon has been featured on Nadiya Shah's web TV, The One Percent Mindset, Energetic Principals podcasts, Sisters in Motion, WLIU Radio New York, Horoscope 21, Toronto Gazette, Nuyorican Poets Café, The Brandon David Show, F.L.O Empire Radio Show, J-Tor Fashions, Black City Magazine, Turning Point Sessions and community organizations such as Astrology Toronto Club, The New York Astrology meet up, Diaspora Community Center NY, among others. Aquila's work allows her to meet wonderful people with a progressive vision for their life. You can check out her podcast (Aquila Astrology) on her website AquilaAstrology.com, YouTube, Instagram and Sound Cloud. Subscribe to Aquila Moon's YouTube channel! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsleyJQfojIBYMuKAkb3KQg?view_as=subscriber Follow Aquila on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aquilamoon/ Sound Cloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-616777768 #astrologyclass #astrologytalk #astrologer #astrologyclassonline

In this episode, Deej takes over The Malcolm Effect for part 2 of the discussion with Too Black on his essay, ' Laundering Black Rage'    Article can be found here   Too Black is a poet, traveling and teaching artist, and author fusing historical content, current events, creative practice, and interpersonal interaction on international stages. He is currently the host of the Black Myths Podcast: a podcast debunking the BS said about Black people while also the producer for The Last Dope Intellectual: an unapologetically radical Black web show hosted by Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly and Dr. Layla Brown. ​ Too Black blends critical analysis with biting sarcasm. He has headlined various stages and events including the historic Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City, Princeton University, and Johannesburg Theater in South Africa. His words have been published in online publications such as Black Agenda Report, Left Voice, Blavity, and Hood Communist.       I.G. @TheGambian   Twitter: @MomodouTaal @Too_Black_ @FanonIsCanon

In this 2 part episode, we unpack Too Black's recent article, titled 'Laundering Black Rage'.   Too Black is a poet, traveling and teaching artist, and author fusing historical content, current events, creative practice, and interpersonal interaction on international stages. He is currently the host of the Black Myths Podcast: a podcast debunking the BS said about Black people while also the producer for The Last Dope Intellectual: an unapologetically radical Black web show hosted by Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly and Dr. Layla Brown. ​ Too Black blends critical analysis with biting sarcasm. He has headlined various stages and events including the historic Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City, Princeton University, and Johannesburg Theater in South Africa. His words have been published in online publications such as Black Agenda Report, Left Voice, Blavity and Hood Communist.   I.G. @TheGambian   Twitter: @MomodouTaal @Too_Black_

In this episode, I spoke to the dope Too Black regarding how we should organise and build politically, particularly focusing on what our approach should be towards the Black bourgeoisie   Too Black is a poet, traveling and teaching artist, and author fusing historical content, current events, creative practice, and interpersonal interaction on international stages. He is currently the host of the Black Myths Podcast: a podcast debunking the BS said about Black people while also the producer for The Last Dope Intellectual: an unapologetically radical Black web show hosted by Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly and Dr. Layla Brown. ​ Too Black blends critical analysis with biting sarcasm. He has headlined various stages and events including the historic Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City, Princeton University, and Johannesburg Theater in South Africa. His words have been published in online publications such as Black Agenda Report, Left Voice, Blavity and Hood Communist. ​ ​ I.G. @TheGambian   Twitter: @MomodouTaal @Too_Black_

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more NEWS FROM Tuesday April 5 2022  34 minutes Steven Greenhouse is a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, where he writes about wages and working conditions, labor organizing, and other workplace issues. Before coming to The Century Foundation, he was a reporter for the New York Times for thirty-one years, spending his last nineteen years there as its labor and workplace reporter, before retiring from the paper in December 2014. He is the author of Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2019. As the New York Times' labor and workplace reporter from 1995 to 2014, he covered myriad topics, including conditions for the nation's farm workers, the Fight for $15, Walmart's locking in workers at night, the New York City transit strike, factory disasters in Bangladesh, and Scott Walker's push to cripple public employee unions. Greenhouse joined the New York Times in September 1983 as a business reporter, covering steel and other basic industries. He then spent two-and-a-half years as the newspaper's Midwestern business correspondent based in Chicago. In 1987, he moved to Paris, where he served as the New York Times' European economics correspondent, covering everything from Western Europe's economy to the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. After five years in Paris, he served as a New York Times correspondent in Washington for four years, covering economics and the Federal Reserve and then the U.S. Department of State and foreign affairs. Greenhouse's most recent book, Beaten Down, Worked Up, looks at key historic episodes that built the nation's labor unions and shows how unions and worker power helped build the world's largest, richest middle class as well as a fairer, more democratic America. The book explains how the decline of worker power in recent decades has hurt workers and the nation, fueling income inequality and weakening the voice of workers in politics and policymaking.  The book also examines the future of the labor movement, looking at new forms of worker power, such as the Fight for $15, the #RedforEd teachers' strikes, and some innovative efforts to lift Uber drivers and other gig workers. A native of Massapequa, New York, Greenhouse is a graduate of Wesleyan University (1973), the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (1975), and NYU Law School, from which he graduated as class valedictorian in 1982. His first book, The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, was published in April 2008 by Knopf. It won the 2009 Sidney Hillman Book Prize for a non-fiction book that advances social justice. Greenhouse has also been honored with the Society of Professional Journalists Deadline Club award, a New York Press Club award, and a Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Reporting. He continues to freelance for, among others, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New Yorker, the Guardian, the Atlantic, the American Prospect, the Columbia Journalism Review, AARP Magazine, and Nieman Reports.   1:05 Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is the UPstander. His life's mission is to inspire all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice, no matter how small or large. He is a motivational speaker, trilingual poet, TV talk show host, rapper, and professor of cross-cultural communication at American University. His Urban Music Award winning work has best been described by Nikki Giovanni as “outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old.” His book, From the Limbs of My Poetree was described by Essence Magazine as “a remarkable and insightful collection of exquisite poetry that touches sacred places within your spirit.” He was one of 5 international recipients out of 750,000 to win the first ever “CNN iReport Spirit Award.” He has received over 1,000,000 views on CNN.com. Omékongo's writings and performances have appeared in O Magazine, as well as on TV and radio from CNN, BET, and the BBC to NPR, Music Choice, and Voice of America in millions of homes in over 150 countries. He has also written songs for major motion pictures as well as organizations such as NASA and the Enough! Project. He has spoken before the United Nations, partners with the State Department to conduct youth leadership trainings overseas, and speaks to leadership and youth student conferences across the country. Omékongo's music and writings have appeared alongside artists such as Sheryl Crow, Angelina Jolie, Norah Jones, Damien Rice, Angelique Kidjo, Don Cheadle, and Mos Def. He has shared the stage with Wyclef Jean, OutKast, Sonia Sanchez, Dennis Brutus, Emmanuelle Chriqui, The Last Poets, and NFL great Aaron Rodgers. Internationally, he has shared his work in over 20 countries on 3 continents. Omékongo has studied at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Morehouse, and The Fletcher School, where he earned his M.A. in Law & Diplomacy. He earned his Ph.D. in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland (UMD) where his dissertation centered on the global hip-hop phenomenon and Jay-Z. At UMD, he also worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center's “Teaching Diverse Students Initiative.” He worked for four years as the lead Teaching Assistant to Dr. Michael Eric Dyson at Georgetown University. He provides leadership, educational and diversity empowerment as a consultant and motivational speaker for organizations, associations and institutions. He has featured/lectured nationwide in venues from TEDx and Harvard to Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit and the Nuyorican Poets Café. His rap mixtape series “Bootleg” promotes positive hip-hop with remixes of songs by Tupac, Notorious BIG, Jay Z, Nas, 50 Cent, and others. His 1,000,000 Youth Campaign has directly impacted over100,000 youth across the globe to date. He has also partnered with Intel on its campaign to make their computer processors free of minerals that come from the war in the Congo. Omékongo has published and produced 7 books, 7-fusion music and motivational CDs, and one independent DVD. His motivational book G.R.O.W. Towards Your Greatness! 10 Steps to Living Your Best Life has received praise from great motivational speakers such as Willie Jolley. His most recent book “The UPstander's Guide to an Outstanding Life” is a life balance book for students. For more information, please visit www.upstanderinternational.com. All things Jon Carroll  Follow and Support Pete Coe Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page

Michael Frazier and I talk about the humbling path of following a calling, the power of mentorship, and surrendering our desires by naming them. Michael is an award-winning poet & educator living in central Japan. He graduated from NYU, where he was the 2017 poet commencement speaker & a co-champion of CUPSI. He's performed at Nuyorican Poets Café, Lincoln Center, Gallatin Arts Festival, & other venues. His poems appear, or are forthcoming, in Poetry Daily, The Offing, Cream City Review, RHINO, Visible Poetry Project, & elsewhere. He facilitates a zoom poetry book club open to the public. He also volunteers as a Youth Leader at a small cafe in Kanazawa City that's on fire for Christ (Hope House), and he's working on poetry collection(s) about oyakodon, his hilarious mother, and being black in Japan. He's uber passionate about anime, bubble tea, and, most importantly, the power of Christ to change lives. You can connect with Michael on Instagram and Twitter @fraziermichael or on his website, fraziermichael.com. If you're enjoying the show, please take a minute to rate and review. To stay up to date on all things Unsuitable, follow me on Instagram @ maryb.safrit or subscribe to my weekly newsletter at marybsafrit.com.

In the 1960s and 70s, a community of Latinx poets in New York City created a movement. They called themselves the Nuyorican poets. Together, they broke barriers and built a cultural institution: the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. The Nuyorican Poets Café began as an informal literary salon in Miguel Algarín's apartment living room, one of the movement's founding poets. But soon after, Miguel and his fellow writers realized that they needed to expand to accommodate the growing roster of artists who frequented the space. They moved into a new venue nearby, and by 1981 they relocated again to the Nuyorican's current location in New York City's Alphabet City. Today, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe is a haven for Black and Latinx writers and performers. In this episode of Latino USA, we stage a spoken history of the cafe featuring several artists from its storied past. We hear from poets Poet Jesús “Papoleto” Meléndez and Caridad de la Luz, known as “La Bruja,” playwright Ishmael Reed, and artist and archivist Lois Elaine Griffith.

RIP Daniel Dumile (July 13, 1971 – October 31, 2020) Geng PTP aka King Vision Ultra memorializes the legacy of the late MF DOOM, who died on Halloween day 2020. Geng shares some memories about NYC hip hop in the 90s, muses on the similarities between KMD and De La, and praises the enduring influence of one of hip hop's greatest artists. Read more at https://acloserlisten.com/2021/10/31/sp-episode-21-food-music-with-geng-ptp-podcast/ TRACKLIST King Geedorah – “Voices Pt. 0 feat. MF GRIMM” (Take Me To Your Leader, Geng's Mecha-King Ghidorah Deluxe Edition, 2021) SP intro MF DOOM – “The Mystery of Doom (Skit)” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Metal Fingers – “Peach Extract” (Special Herbs, Vol. 9-0, Shaman Work, 2005) MF DOOM & Nujabes – “The Mask (Interlude)” (Metaphorical Villainy, Altered Crates, 2020) Metal Fingers – “Orris Root Powder” (Special Herbs, Vol. 9-0, Shaman Work, 2005) Viktor Vaughn – “The Drop” (Vaudeville Villain, Sound-Ink, 2003) Metal Fingers – “Nettle Leaves” (Special Herbs, Vol. 1-2, High Times, 2002) King Geedorah – “Foolish” (Take Me To Your Leader, Geng's Mecha-King Ghidorah Deluxe Edition, 2021) Metal Fingers – “Dragon's Blood” (Special Herbs, Vol. 5-6, Nature Sounds, 2004) AMANI + KING VISION ULTRA – “Water” (An Unknown Infinite, PTP, 2020) Geng – “Hand of Doom (Chopped _ Slowed by Geng)” (Screwing Yourself to Live, PTP, 2012) MF DOOM – “? (Feat. Kurious)” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Metal Fingers – “Arabic Gum” (Special Herbs, Vol. 3-4, Nature Sounds, 2003) Playboi Carti – “Stop Breathing” (Whole Lotta Read, Interscope, 2020) MF DOOM – “Kon Queso” (MM..FOOD, Rhymesayers Entertainment, 2004) Armand Hammer – “Parables (ft AKAI SOLO, prod. Navy Blue) (Shrines, Backwoodz, 2020) MF DOOM – “Operation: Greenbacks” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Madvillain – “Accordion (instrumental)” (Four Tet Remixes, Stones Throw, 2005) De La Soul – “I Am I Be” (Buhloone Mindstate, Tommy Boy, 1993) KMD – “Get-U-Now (instrumental)” (Black Bastards Ruff + Rares, Fondle ‘Em, 1998) KMD – “Get-U-Now” (Black Bastards, Sub Verse Music, 2001) Madvillain – “Supervillain Theme (Instrumental)” (Madvillainy, Stones Throw, 2004) Metal Fingers – “Mullien” (Special Herbs, Vol. 1-2, High Times, 2002) MF DOOM – “Tick, Tick…(Feat. MF GRIMM) (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Metal Fingers – “Emblica Officinalis” (Special Herbs, Vol. 7-8, 2004) Billy Woods – “Borrowed Time” (Today, I Wrote Nothing, Backwoodz, 2015) Madvillain – “ALL CAPS” (Madvillainy, Stones Throw, 2004) Ghostface Killah x MF DOOM – “Money Folder” (Operation: Ironman, 2000) MF DOOM – “Hero vs. Villain (Epilogue)” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) MF DOOM – “Doomsday” (Live at Nuyorican Poets Café, NYC, 1998) MF DOOM – “Doomsday” (Operation: Doomsday, Fondle ‘Em, 1999) Ras G – “Find Ya Self (ANU Wrld)” (Back On the Planet, Brain­­feeder, 2013) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/soundpropositions/support

Writing when no one is telling our stories is a form of activism and bearing witness to our experiences. On this episode of Tamarindo, we talk to icon and writer, Dr. Ana Castillo, about why she writes, the evolution of her identity, and her latest book of poems, “My Book of the Dead” which is now available.  We also discuss what we hope for the future of our community, while we also pay homage to Latinx writers we lost this last year including Rudy Anaya who wrote the celebrated “Bless Me, Ultima” and Miguel Algarín, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café.  Dr.Ana Castillo is a celebrated author of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama. Among her award-winning books are ”So Far from God,” “The Mixquiahuala Letters,” and “Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma.” Born and raised in Chicago, Castillo now resides in southern New Mexico. Stick around for a fun game called “Have you ever…” that y'all can join in on! Tamarindo podcast is the Latinx show where hosts discuss politics, pop culture, and how to balance it all con calma, hosted by Brenda Gonzalez and Ana Sheila Victorino. Join us as we delve into discussions on culture, politics, identity, representation, and life!  Brenda and  Ana Sheila are executive producers of Tamarindo podcast with support from Sonoro Media. Producer Jeff provides original music. If you want to support our work, please rate and review our show here. Follow Tamarindo on twitter @tamarindocast or on Instagram @Tamarindopodcast Follow Brenda on twitter at @BrendaRicards Follow AnaSheila on instagram @la_anasheila and twitter@Shelli1228

What is the power of writing to carry a voice, or many voices, particularly defiant ones? In this final episode, we return to the impetus for this series, the exhibition Stories of Resistance, as an invitation to consider the medium of words and storytelling. Artist Banu Cennetoğlu and poet Treasure Shields Redmond discuss their work attending to the writings of American Civil Rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer and Kurdish freedom fighter Gurbetelli Ersöz, respectively. They acknowledge the responsibility of caring for the words of activists, especially those who gave their lives to struggle for what's right.Banu Cennetoğlu is a cross-disciplinary artist whose practice incorporates methods of collecting and archiving and enquires into the politics of the production, classification, and distribution of knowledge. Her work Gurbet's Diary (27.07.1995–08.10.1997) inscribed words from Gurbetelli Ersöz's diary—which Ersöz kept while she was a Kurdish freedom fighter before she was killed—onto 145 press-ready lithographic limestone slabs. Cennetoğlu lives and works in Istanbul, where she founded BAS, an artist-run space dedicated to artists' books and printed matter.Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond is a St. Louis metro-based poet, performer, and educator. She has been featured at the Nuyorican Poets Café, and published poetry in such notable anthologies as Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, Breaking Ground: A Reader Celebrating Cane Canem's First Decade, and in journals that include Obsidian and The African American Review. A Cave Canem fellow, Treasure has received an MFA from the University of Memphis, and a PhD from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.-As a major component of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis's exhibition Stories of Resistance, Radio Resistance assembles the voices of intersecting local and global agents of change. Artists featured in the exhibition are paired with figures from the past, present, and future of St. Louis, coming together to transmit messages of dissent. Eleven episodes will be released over the course of the exhibition, amplifying shared struggles, collective dreams, and models of individual and group action. Using a historically rebellious medium, Radio Resistance broadcasts social narratives of defiance and hope.Selections of Radio Resistance will be broadcast on St. Louis on the Air, the noontime talk program hosted by Sarah Fenske on St. Louis Public Radio. Full episodes will be released biweekly in a listening station at CAM, and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. A publication celebrating Stories of Resistance, featuring episode highlights, will be released later this year.

About the Guest Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj is a Milwaukee-based, multi-disciplinary, American Theater Artist and Advocate. Mr. Maharaj was hailed in The New York Times for his award-winning play Little Rock, was selected as a New York Times Critics Pick. He is currently the Associate Artistic Producer of Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Mr. Maharaj's playwrighting residencies include the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, New Orleans Writer's Residency, Alliance Theater, Arkansas Repertory Theater, Crossroads Theater, Amas Musical Theater, Triskelion Arts, the 2020 Resident Playwright of the Letter of Marque Theatre, is a member of Theater Now's 2021 Virtual Musical Theater Writer's Group, a 2021 Season Finalist in The Downtown Urban Arts Festival in New York City, the inaugural playwright for the Theatre Raleigh New Works Reading Series, and a finalist for the 2021 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Mr. Maharaj has been honored with many awards for his body of work in the American Theater including the prestigious Woodie King Jr. Award, four Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Awards, Barrymore Award, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Theatrical Moment of the Year, The New York International Fringe Festival Overall Excellence Award, Theater Communications Group Directors Grant and Playwriting Grant, Recipient of the 2020 National Alliance for Musical Theater Fifteen-Minute Musical Theater Challenge Award, he was a semi-finalist for the 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award Competition presented by American Blues Theater. He has been featured in numerous articles and interviews in notable industry publications such as The American Theater Magazine, The New York Times, The Yale School of Drama / Repertory Theater Review, The Dramatist, The Uptown Magazine, Playbill, Broadway World, The Daily News, The New York Post, The New York Beacon, The Philadelphia Sun, Time-Out New York, Harlem News, Amsterdam News, and The Stage Directors and Choreographers Journal for his work as a theater practitioner and leader. As a storyteller, Mr. Maharaj has worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at many of our nation's top Regional Theaters including the Bernard B. Jacobs, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, The Public, Second Stage Theatre, Soho Playhouse, Classical Theater of Harlem, New Federal Theater, New World Stages, Nuyorican Poets Café, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Lark Play Development Center, Theatre Row, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Portland Stage, Actors Theater of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare, Signature Theater, Theater Works, Goodman Theater, The Kennedy Center, Arkansas Repertory Theater, Perseverance, and New Freedom Theater. After his graduate studies at Brooklyn College, Mr. Maharaj was awarded a Masters of Fine Arts Degree from Brooklyn College. Mr. Maharaj is a proud alumnus of the Actors Studio Playwrights and Directors Unit, Lincoln Center's Directors Lab, and Theater Communication Group's Rising Leaders of Color in the American Theater. He has served as the Artistic Director of New Freedom Theater in Philadelphia as well as the Artistic Director of Rebel Theater. Mr. Maharaj founded the Voices at the River, an African and Latino American Playwrights New Works Festival hosted at Arkansas Repertory Theater. Mr. Maharaj is represented by Michael Moore of Michael Moore Agency Literary and Creatives. Connect with Beltline to Broadway Facebook – @beltlinetobroadway Twitter – @beltlinetobroadway Instagram – @beltlinetobroadway Web http://www.rduonstage.com/ (www.beltlinetobroadway.com) Support this podcast

They often say you shouldn't meet people you admire because they may disappoint you. After over a decade of following slam poet, thespian, and organizer Mayda Del Valle's career and creative works, I have to say I was not disappointed. Despite being nervous to meet this Def Poetry Jam star, Mayda has a way of disarming you with her charm and contagious laughter. We spoke about her iconic poem, "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" which can be seen here, which is one of my favorite pieces from Mayda. We discussed her upbringing in Chicago, how hip-hop influenced her life, and the role that community organizing played in making her the storyteller that she is. Guest Bio: Poet and performer Mayda Del Valle has been described by the Chicago Sun Times as having “a way with words. Sometimes they seem to flutter and roll off her lips. Other times they burst forth like a comet streaking across a nighttime sky.” Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. She is the author of A South Side Girl's Guide to Love and Sex , The University of Hip Hop and was a winner of the 2016 Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize from Northwestern University Press. She appeared on six episodes of the HBO series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, and was a contributing writer and original cast member of the Tony Award winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. She began her artistic career at the Nuyorican Poets Café, where she was the 2001 Grand Slam Champion, and went on to become the National Poetry Slam Champion in the same year. She was the youngest poet, and the first Latinx person to do so. She has appeared in Urban Latino, Latina Magazine, Mass Appeal, The Source, The New York Times and was named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of America's Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences. Oprah's “O” Magazine selected her as one of 20 women for the first ever “O Power List”, a group of visionary women making a mark in business, politics, and the arts. She has performed at venues across the world, including the White House in May of 2009, by invitation of President Obama and the First Lady. She has also served as a mentor and educator in the non-profit world, teaching poetry and performance to incarcerated youth. She currently works in the tech industry at Snap Inc. facilitating talking circles and developing curriculum to support company wide DEI initiatives that scale empathy and understanding. Mayda had also been a devoted student of various healing practices and African Traditional Religions. She is a third degree Reiki Master, and completed a two year Indigenous African Spiritual Technologies program with respected Dagara elder Malidoma Some. Soon after she was led into the ancient Yoruba spiritual tradition of Ifa. She was initiated into the mysteries of the ocean deity, Olokun in 2017. Her initiated name is Olokuntumise, which means “Olokun has repaired my life.” You can learn more about her by visiting: https://www.maydadelvalle.com/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Edwin Torres is an accomplished poet who has published more than 15 poetry volumes. During the 1990s he was a member of the The Nuyorican Poets Café, a creative meeting place and cultural institution for the vibrant community of Puerto Rican artists living in New York City. This episode alternates between interview and readings. 

Born and raised on a piece of the land of the Munsee Lenape peoples, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution and station stop on the Underground Railroad better known as Paterson NJ. Jaquair Gillette is an actor, spoken word poet, and artivist. Living a life and career in the arts & entertainment industry and social justice area. Gillette continues to work on social justice issues as one of the co-founders & committee members of the Greenacre Community Gardens/urban farm in his hometown of Paterson. Gillette is a three-time featured poet at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Café. Jaquair has performed in poetry cafes and houses across the US from New York City to Los Angeles. Jaquair continues to work in film, television, and theater in projects like Blackissuesissues Blextravaganza at the Public Theater Joe's Pub. Gillette can be seen in projects like Godfather of Harlem, New Amsterdam, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Orange is the New Black, Tommy, and the film 3rd & 4th Chapters in which he co-produced and co-starred through his co-venture The R.E.B.E.L. Experience. The film was recently an official selection at the New York Lift Off Film Fest, Miami Independent Film Festival, Toronto Film magazine Fest, and is currently an award winner at the Cyrus International Film Festival in Toronto. —      “Live forever and die free” — Jaquair Gillette   Connect more with Jaquair Gillette Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamjaquair/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaquair Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaquair https://soundcloud.com/jaquair-gillette/pick-a-side   “A LOVER’S FAIRYTALE” —  Pick up my new poetry book on love https://www.aloversfairytale.com   Need an Industry Coach? https://www.chonacas.com/contact/ Connect with me on my socials https://www.instagram.com/chonacas/ https://www.facebook.com/KyriakiChonacas https://chonacas.tumblr.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@chonacas https://twitter.com/katiechonacas https://www.instagram.com/thesophisticatedpsychos  

Shemeka Brathwaite is a professional speaker, poet, and educator. Her energetic messages are the result of her background as a spoken word artist. She has performed in open mic venues such as the Nuyorican Poets Café, The Afrikan Poetry Theater, The Poets' House, and in the choreopoem stage play ""The Poets' Testimony."" Her award-winning poem ""Virtuous Woman"" is published in the academic anthology entitled Our Stories, Ourselves: The EmBODYment of Women's Literacy and her upcoming poetry book ""Roses From My Garden Vol. 1"". Shemeka started out as a designer, collaborating with international production teams to engineer and execute the garments of some of America’s top fashion design labels.She transitioned into higher education administration to serve in a variety of leadership roles in career services, student affairs, alumni relations and academic affairs. She leads NYC Men Teach in the Brooklyn College School of Education, a mayoral initiative for diversity, recruitment, and retention in teaching. Her educational experiences provide her with unique perspectives on recruitment, strategic partnerships, student achievement, and program development. As a peak performance strategist, Shemeka trains professionals to achieve more at work, so they exceed their goals, increase their influence, and live intentionally. She provides inspiring programs on productivity, executive presence and passionate leadership to associations and educational institutions.Shemeka has been an active member of leading non-profit organizations on local, regional, national, and international transformative programmatic initiatives.She is an active member of the National Speakers Association, the Global Speakers Federation, and the Women Speakers Association.Shemeka holds a Master’s in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Design from Syracuse University. Shemeka completed Harvard University’s Women in Education Leadership program. Shemeka is a certified life coach through New York University and a practitioner of Myers-Briggs® Assessments.She lives with her husband and two sons in the Greater New York City area. You can find more Information about Shemeka Brathwaite at www.carlaandrews.com/yourinspiredjourneynetwork  

We'll take a moment to acknowledge the life of poet, activist, professor, and Nuyorican Poets Café founder Miguel Algarín. Algarín passed away on November 30 at the age of 79 and his impact will last for generations.

This episode we have special guest Poet, Actor, and Salsa Superstar Flaco Navaja. Flaco talks about his new single "Cantale A La Vida" and his career in the entertainment industry.About Flaco Navaja:Born and raised in The Bronx, Flaco Navaja is a singer, poet and actor. His music combines salsa and spoken word. He has a way with words that is second only to his way with a song. An equally passionate performer in English and Spanish, he is an ensemble member of Pregones Theater, where he premiered Evolution of A Sonero in 2019 to critical acclaim. He as a fixture of the Nuyorican Poets Café and star of HBO's Def Poetry Jam. Film & TV credits include Pride & Glory, Fighting, Gun Hill Road, Law & Order, CSI NY and Eastwilly B among others, Cántale A La Vida was written by Flaco Navaja and Latin Grammy® winner Obie Bermudez, The track was and arranged by Oscar Hernandez winner of both American and Latin Grammys. #latingrammys #flaconavaja #poet #defpoetryjam #salsa #latino #covid19 #hope

R&B singer @Iniah_Mahagoni talks about her journey to becoming an artist. From performing at the Nuyorican Poets Café to having a song in the Netflix series "She's Gotta Have It". With more music to come.Produced and Edited by Chevar FrancisMusic by Eric “E52Beats” Capers instagram: @E52Beatsinstagram: @Just_Chevartwitter: @Chevarhttps://redcircle.com/shows/we-have-to-talk

Poet, Tonya Ingram, is a Cincinnati native, Bronx-bred introvert. She’s also a mental health advocate, kidney transplant hopeful, Lupus legend, cat auntie, and a lover of “The Office.” She has graced the stages of The Getty Museum, Madison Square Garden, the San Francisco Opera House, Nuyorican Poets Café, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and "The Price is Right,” which she won. Tonya’s writing explores the necessity of taking care of ourselves, especially on the days we feel unworthy.

In this podcast , I chat with Caridad De La Luz aka La Bruja , Caridad is a Spoken word poet, actor, singer-songwriter, and community activist Caridad de la Luz, or “La Bruja,” was born and raised in the Bronx, and attended SUNY-Binghamton. De la Luz’s poetry explores social justice and Nuyorican identity. When she debuted at the Nuyorican Poets Café in 1996, de la Luz adopted the persona of “La Bruja” (“The Witch”). She has also shared her work on HBO’s Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and at the American Museum of Natural History. She has produced the album Brujalicious and the solo comedy show Boogie Rican Blvd. As an actor she has appeared onscreen in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled and onstage in Pedro Pietri’s El Spanglish Language Sandwich. Caridad lives in the Bronx.

Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is the UPstander. His life’s mission is to inspire all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice, no matter how small or large. He is a motivational speaker, trilingual poet, TV talk show host, rapper, and professor of cross-cultural communication at American University. * You are invited to join our community and conversations about each episode on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/MutuallyAmazingPodcast and join us on Twitter @CenterRespect or visit our website at http://www.MutuallyAmazingPodcast.com**   SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE TRANSCRIPTION LISTEN TO THE SHOW BELOW via Audio, and/or Read the Transcription   Omékongo’s BIO:   Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is the UPstander. His life’s mission is to inspire all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice, no matter how small or large. He is a motivational speaker, trilingual poet, TV talk show host, rapper, and professor of cross-cultural communication at American University. His Urban Music Award winning work has best been described by Nikki Giovanni as “outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old.” His book, From the Limbs of My Poetree was described by Essence Magazine as “a remarkable and insightful collection of exquisite poetry that touches sacred places within your spirit.” He was one of 5 international recipients out of 750,000 to win the first ever “CNN iReport Spirit Award.” He has received over 1,000,000 views on CNN.com.   Omékongo’s writings and performances have appeared in O Magazine, as well as on TV and radio from CNN, BET, and the BBC to NPR, Music Choice, and Voice of America in millions of homes in over 150 countries. He has also written songs for major motion pictures as well as organizations such as NASA and the Enough! Project. He has spoken before the United Nations, partners with the State Department to conduct youth leadership trainings overseas, and speaks to leadership and youth student conferences across the country. Omékongo’s music and writings have appeared alongside artists such as Sheryl Crow, Angelina Jolie, Norah Jones, Damien Rice, Angelique Kidjo, Don Cheadle, and Mos Def. He has shared the stage with Wyclef Jean, OutKast, Sonia Sanchez, Dennis Brutus, Emmanuelle Chriqui, The Last Poets, and NFL great Aaron Rodgers. Internationally, he has shared his work in over 20 countries on 3 continents.   Omékongo has studied at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Morehouse, and The Fletcher School, where he earned his M.A. in Law & Diplomacy. He earned his Ph.D. in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland (UMD) where his dissertation centered on the global hip-hop phenomenon and Jay-Z. At UMD, he also worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Teaching Diverse Students Initiative.” Across the country he has worked with school districts on culturally relevant instruction including Washington DC, Texas, New York, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts, and California. He worked for four years as the lead Teaching Assistant to Dr. Michael Eric Dyson at Georgetown University. He provides leadership, educational and diversity empowerment as a consultant and motivational speaker for organizations, associations and institutions. He has featured/lectured nationwide in venues from TEDx and Harvard to Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit and the Nuyorican Poets Café. His rap mixtape series “Bootleg” promotes positive hip-hop with remixes of songs by Tupac, Notorious BIG, Jay Z, Nas, 50 Cent, and others. His 1,000,000 Youth Campaign has directly impacted over 100,000 youth across the globe to date. He has also partnered with Intel on its campaign to make their computer processors free of minerals that come from the war in the Congo.   Omékongo has published and produced 7 books, 7-fusion music and motivational CDs, and one independent DVD. His motivational book G.R.O.W. Towards Your Greatness! 10 Steps to Living Your Best Life has received praise from great motivational speakers such as Willie Jolley. His most recent book “The UPstander’s Guide to an Outstanding Life” is a life balance book for students. For more information, please visit www.upstanderinternational.com.   Social media links: Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @omekongo   BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill 2. Stamped from the beginning by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi 3. The 7 habits of highly effective people by Dr. Stephen Covey

The “Passion in Park Slope” episode, where actors/producers/directors/ activists in Latino theater: Allison Astor-Vargas and Dennis Vargas tawk about how they built their lives as working artists, seeing gentrification change their neighborhood again...and again, and the importance of nurturing the next generation. With tunes from #DigablePlanets, #LovinSpoonful, #GloriaEstefan and #Chicago, and shoutouts to Franco Ambriz, Jenny L. Saldaña, Janis Astor del Valle, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center, and the Nuyorican Poets Café. #artistsofcolor #artistsIknow #NYCartists #livingartists #supportlivingartists

Deardra Shuler talks to producer Rome Neal, the Artistic Theatre Director of the Nuyorican Poets Café theatre program.  Over the years he has received five Audelco Awards for his direction of Pepe Carril’s "SHANGO de IMA" and Samuel Harp’s "DON”T EXPLAIN." Mr. Neal also received two Audelcos for his acting: one for Lead Actor in Gabrielle N. Lane's "SIGNS," and one for Solo Performance in his critically acclaimed "MONK," by Laurence Holder.   Neal also received the National Black Theatre Festival's coveted Lloyd Richards Director’s Award.  His directorial credits includes his adaptation of William Shakespeare's "JULIUS CAESAR SET IN AFRICA," Sekou Sundiata's "THE CIRCLE UNBROKEN IS A HARD BOP" Amiri Baraka's "MEETING LILLIE," "SHANGO de IMA," "Prism," Ishmael Reed's "THE C ABOVE C ABOVE HIGH C" and Amiri Baraka's "PRIMITIVE WORLD: AN ANTI- NUCLEAR JAZZ MUSICAL," all performed at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem North Carolina.  His film acting credits include Michael Almereyda’s "HAMLET" Spike Lee’s "SUMMER OF SAM" and Leon Ichaso’s "PINERO."  Mr. Neal has a CD entitled: "A Brighter Crooner", and now his live concert "All in The Puddin'" recently released on DVD along with his "Rome Neal's Banana Puddin' Jazz Jam... A Night To Remember." His daughter Lia Neal is a member of the Stamford Women's Gold Medal Olympics Swimming Team.

Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon sits down with members of The Faux-Real Theatre Company.  They are performing "Lysitrata" at The Nuyorican Poets Café. It’s a comedy on how the women of early Greece used the battle of the sexes to end a war. Some members of The Faux-Real Theatre Company include: Mark Greenfield, Director and Fordham Professor. Tony Naumovski, Musical Director and performers Joy Kelly and Emma Orme.

Malachi Rivers is a New York City based rapper, poet, and actor whose lyrical soulfulness and avant-garde music making has earned national and international acclaim. A native of Maryland, Malachi cultivated a strong following in D.C.’s metropolitan music and spoken word scene before moving to New York City where his career quickly blossomed and he became a regular in the city’s staple music venues, including the Nuyorican Poets Café and SOB’s. Malachi’s lyrical skills and performances garnered the attention of Grammy nominated jazz musician Marcus Strickland, who asked Malachi to be the sole voice in his “Twi-Life” group and record the group’s debut album Open Reel Deck. The Village Voice touted Malachi as being able to persuade you with his lyrical abilities, writing: “Malachi recites and cajoles over a state of the art Jazz band.” The Denver Post likened him to the great jazz and soul singer poet Gil Scott-Heron. Shortly after the release of Open Reel Deck, Malachi toured with the “Twi-Life” collective, which performed at New York City’s legendary Blue Note Jazz Club and subsequently joined forces with a rotating collective of artists for a North American and European tour. During this period, Malachi released his debut single “Cloud 9”, which became an online favorite, and starred in two independent films Scrolls the Book of Life Part 1 and 2. He also ramped up to launch a solo project, which he released in the summer of 2012 to much buzz. The debut EP, Stereo Sound Escape, became an internet sensation, anchored by its lead single “A New World Part II - The Schizo Speaks” featuring HBO’s True Blood star Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette).

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Khari first began writing poetry as a young child while living in foster homes. He transitioned from poet to spoken word artist in 2006, and won several poetry slams for his performances. In 2006, he went on to publish a poetry book, release a spoken word mixtape, and performed at some of the top spoken word venues in the country, including Spoken Soul Sessions in New Orleans during the Essence Music Festival, Nuyorican Poets Café in New York, Soul Cypher in Oakland and Cafe Nuba in Denver. In 2010, Khari released his first official album, Victory, fusing spoken word, neo-soul, jazz, gospel and hip hop. In 2014, Khari released his sophomore spoken word album, Through Thick and Thin, as well as his book, Curvy and Confident, which is a self-empowerment guide for women to help them overcome low self-confidence, negative body image, and insecurities. Khari is also the creator of the "Curvy and Confident" page on Facebook which has over half a million followers.

It's been said that the most brilliant writers have experienced the most tragedy, and from the pain of their past experiences they are transformed into poets who paint pictures with words. Khari is a living testimony to this truth! Born and raised in Oakland, California, he first began writing poetry as a young child while living in foster homes. Poetry was his therapy, an outlet that allowed him to purge his mind of the pain he endured as a youth. His transition from literary poet to spoken word artist occurred during the summer of 2006, when he began performing at open mics and winning several poetry slams hosted by Hot Water Cornbread. His keen intellect, passionate flow and delivery, powerful voice and brazen lyrics quickly distinguished him from many other performance poets and spoken word artists. He exploded onto the Spoken word poetry scene during the summer of 2006 after performing at Mouth Off (a spoken word poetry venue held at Oakland's Air Lounge every Wednesday). He also began participating in the local poetry slam scene in 2006. Now, three years later, he's published a best selling poetry book, releasing over 20,000 spoken word mixtapes and performed at some of the top spoken word venues in the country, including Spoken Soul Sessions in New Orleans during the Essence Music Festival, Nuyorican Poets Café in New York, Soul Cypher in Oakland and Cafe Nuba in Denver. Within a three year period, he's performed at over 100 different venues and is currently in high demand to perform and feature at major spoken word events.  In 2014, Khari released his sophomore spoken word album, "Through Thick and Thin." He also released a book, "Curvy and Confident," a self-empowerment guide for women. Curvy and Confident is the first book ever written by a man to help women overcome low self-confidence, negative body image, and insecurities

Wow!!! Do we have a lot to talk about! We have a great feature for you tonight! We have the one and only Jamaal St. John who is a performance poet/spoken word artist that has been honing his literary craft for fifteen (15 years). Five (5) time Nuyorican Poets Café Grand Slam Finalist for years 1996, 1997, 2000, 2008, and 2010 (he is the only poet in Nuyorican Poets Café history to do so) and has won the coveted title of Nuyorican Slam King (December 2000). This and many other accolades we shall discuss as we discuss not only his work but also his views. Chamber 7 and Blu Phunk on the check in! Where you at?!??!!? By the way, stay tuned next week when we will have Trish Doolin!

One of the interviews I’m most proud of was conducted in late 2007 with dancer-choreographer Jen Abrams. I’m delighted to bring this episode out of the archives and present it in Body and Soul’s new home. When our "half-hour" interview concluded, we were amused to see that it had actually lasted a full hour! But that's what it takes to tell even part of the story of her work with the WOW Cafe Theater collective, an historic and essential part of the still-hearty cultural abundance of Manhattan's rapidly-changing East Village. Listening to Jen talk about her background in contact improvisation, I discovered a fascinating connection between contact improvisation and the "open source," grassroots nature of WOW. Her intensity and strength as an artist working in dance, theater and poetry are more than matched by the tenacity of this theater collective and space that she so clearly loves. And here’s her bio: Jen Abrams’ work has been presented at BAX, HERE, Dixon Place, the Nuyorican Poets Café, and the Bowery Poetry Club, as well as at WOW Café Theater, where she has been an active member for seven years. She has produced three full-length concerts of her own work at WOW: Itch (2000), Saturn Return (2001), and Surfacing (2002), as well as two shared bill evenings: As I Was Saying (2004, with Risa Jaroslow and Eva Lawrence) and Asunder (2006 with Clarinda Mac Low and Tara O’Con.). She was a 2005 BAX space grantee, and is co-curator and co-producer with Sally Silvers of TalkTalk WalkWalk, an annual poetry and dance festival. Her choreographic work has also been seen at WOW in the stage plays The Skriker by Caryl Churchill, All Eyes, All Sides – Beckett One Acts, Naomi Wallace’s Slaughter City, and Moira Cutler’s MetaMeshugenaMorphosis and Sonofabitch Stew, all with Dogsbody Theater. The Village Voice has called her work “quintessentially New York,” and her performances “convincing no matter what [she chooses] to do.” Jen has studied the form of Contact Improvisation for twelve years, beginning at Oberlin College, the birthplace of the form. She relocated to New York City from Chicago, where she presented and performed in five full-length concerts with the contact improv-based company she co-founded, Limbic Fix. She is classically trained as an actor, and performed in plays throughout Chicago before moving to New York City to focus on movement-based performance. She is also a writer, and has given readings of her work at St. Mark’s Poetry Project, Halcyon, and Bar 13. By day, Jen works as a fundraiser for a small poetry press, and serves as Managing Director for Risa Jaroslow & Dancers. She also teaches Contact Improv through Movement Research. Her roots in theater and immersion in literature inform her dances. Visit Jen Abram's Web site at http://www.jenabrams.org. Visit Eva Yaa Asantewaa's dance blog--InfiniteBody--at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com.

One of the interviews I’m most proud of was conducted in late 2007 with dancer-choreographer Jen Abrams. I’m delighted to bring this episode out of the archives and present it in Body and Soul’s new home. When our "half-hour" interview concluded, we were amused to see that it had actually lasted a full hour! But that's what it takes to tell even part of the story of her work with the WOW Cafe Theater collective, an historic and essential part of the still-hearty cultural abundance of Manhattan's rapidly-changing East Village. Listening to Jen talk about her background in contact improvisation, I discovered a fascinating connection between contact improvisation and the "open source," grassroots nature of WOW. Her intensity and strength as an artist working in dance, theater and poetry are more than matched by the tenacity of this theater collective and space that she so clearly loves. And here’s her bio: Jen Abrams’ work has been presented at BAX, HERE, Dixon Place, the Nuyorican Poets Café, and the Bowery Poetry Club, as well as at WOW Café Theater, where she has been an active member for seven years. She has produced three full-length concerts of her own work at WOW: Itch (2000), Saturn Return (2001), and Surfacing (2002), as well as two shared bill evenings: As I Was Saying (2004, with Risa Jaroslow and Eva Lawrence) and Asunder (2006 with Clarinda Mac Low and Tara O’Con.). She was a 2005 BAX space grantee, and is co-curator and co-producer with Sally Silvers of TalkTalk WalkWalk, an annual poetry and dance festival. Her choreographic work has also been seen at WOW in the stage plays The Skriker by Caryl Churchill, All Eyes, All Sides – Beckett One Acts, Naomi Wallace’s Slaughter City, and Moira Cutler’s MetaMeshugenaMorphosis and Sonofabitch Stew, all with Dogsbody Theater. The Village Voice has called her work “quintessentially New York,” and her performances “convincing no matter what [she chooses] to do.” Jen has studied the form of Contact Improvisation for twelve years, beginning at Oberlin College, the birthplace of the form. She relocated to New York City from Chicago, where she presented and performed in five full-length concerts with the contact improv-based company she co-founded, Limbic Fix. She is classically trained as an actor, and performed in plays throughout Chicago before moving to New York City to focus on movement-based performance. She is also a writer, and has given readings of her work at St. Mark’s Poetry Project, Halcyon, and Bar 13. By day, Jen works as a fundraiser for a small poetry press, and serves as Managing Director for Risa Jaroslow & Dancers. She also teaches Contact Improv through Movement Research. Her roots in theater and immersion in literature inform her dances. Visit Jen Abram's Web site at http://www.jenabrams.org. Visit Eva Yaa Asantewaa's dance blog--InfiniteBody--at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com.