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Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry
''Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry'', better known as simply ''Def Poetry Jam'' or ''Def Poetry'', was a spoken word poetry television series hosted by Mos Def and airing on HBO between 2002 and 2007. The series features performances by established and up-and-coming spoken word poets. Performances also included special appearances by well-known actors and musicians, as well as occasional performances by Mos Def himself. Co-created by Bruce George, Danny Simmons, Deborah Pointer, Stan Lathan, and Russell Simmons, the show is a spin-off of the popular ''Def Comedy Jam'' which began airing on HBO in the 1990s. About The series included historical legendary poets such as The Last Poets, Nikki Giovanni, Amiri Baraka, and Sonia Sanchez. It also featured poets, Saul Williams, J. Ivy, Jessica Care Moore, Lemon and openly gay poet Emanuel Xavier. Though technically not a poetry slam, ''Def Poetry'' has become heavily associated with the poetry slam movement, and utilized many of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yasiin Bey
Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in Political hip-hop, conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social and political issues, such as Police brutality in the United States, police brutality, American exceptionalism, and the status of African Americans, African Americans in the United States. After embarking on his career in 1994, he joined his siblings in the short-lived rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD) and guest appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. In 1996, he and fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli formed the duo Black Star (rap duo), Black Star, whose debut album ''Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star'' (1998) spawned the singles "Definition (song), Definition" and "Respiration (song), Respiration" (featuring Common (rapper), Common). His debut solo album, ''Black on Both Sides'' (1999) was met wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taylor Mali
Taylor McDowell Mali (born March 28, 1965) is an American slam poet, humorist, teacher and voiceover artist. Life A 12th-generation native of New York City, Taylor Mali graduated from the Collegiate School, a private school for boys, in 1983. He received a B.A. in English from Bowdoin College in 1987 and an M.A. in English/Creative Writing from Kansas State University in 1993. One of four children, his mother was children's book author Jane L. Mali,Obituary: Jane L. Mali New York Times, October 7, 1995. a recipient of the American Book Award, and his father was H. Allen Mali, vice president of Henry W.T. Mali & Co., manufacturers of pool table coverings. He has married three times. His ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broadway Theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of Broadway theaters, extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatre'' as the proper noun in their names. Many performers and trade groups for live dramatic presentations also use the spelling ''theatre''. or Broadway, is a theatre genre that consists of the theatrical performances presented in 41 professional Theater (structure), theaters, each with 500 or more seats, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End theatre, West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world. While the Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway thoroughfare is eponymous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marc Smith (American Poet)
Marc Kelly Smith (born 1949) is an American poet and founder of the poetry slam movement, for which he received the nickname Slam Papi. Smith was born in 1949 and grew up on the southeast side of Chicago. He attended/graduated Charles P. Caldwell Elementary School and James H. Bowen High School. Smith spent most of his young life as a construction worker, but has written poetry since he was 19. Uptown Poetry Slam Smith started at an open mic night at the Get Me High lounge in November 1984 called the Monday Night Poetry Reading. Even as poets scoffed at artists "performing" their work, rather than gently "reading" it, the event grew in popularity. Smith saw his approach as an " up yours" to establishment poets he considered snooty and effete, because at their events, "no one was listening". According to Smith, who once attended a conventional reading with his manuscripts concealed inside a newspaper, With a like-minded troupe, Smith hosted the first poetry slam at the Get Me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ntozake Shange
Ntozake Shange ( ; FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018. October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018) was an American playwright and poet. As a , she addressed issues relating to race and in much of her work. She is best known for her –winning play, '' |
Bob Holman
Bob Holman is an American poet and poetry activist, most closely identified with the oral tradition, the spoken word, and poetry slam. As a promoter of poetry in many media, Holman has spent the last four decades working variously as an author, editor, publisher, performer, emcee of live events, director of theatrical productions, producer of films and television programs, record label executive, university professor, and archivist. He was described by Henry Louis Gates Jr. in ''The New Yorker'' as "the postmodern promoter who has done more to bring poetry to cafes and bars than anyone since Ferlinghetti." Early years Holman was born in LaFollette, Tennessee in 1948 and raised in Harlan, Kentucky, the child of "a coal miner's daughter and the only Jew in town." His father committed suicide when Holman was two. After his mother remarried, Holman was raised in rural Ohio. He attended Columbia College and graduated in 1970 with a degree in English. At Columbia, Holman studied ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soft Skull Press
Counterpoint LLC was a publishing company that Perseus Books Group launched in 2007. It was formed from the consolidation of three presses: Perseus' Counterpoint Press, Shoemaker & Hoard, and Soft Skull Press. The company published books under both the Counterpoint Press and Soft Skull Press imprints. Counterpoint also entered into an agreement for the production, marketing, and distribution of approximately eight Sierra Club book titles each year. Both Wendell Berry and poet Gary Snyder were investors in Counterpoint, with both having works published by the imprint. Jack Shoemaker, Vice-president and editorial director of Counterpoint, had worked with both authors in other companies for more than thirty years. Counterpoint notably published works by Albanian author Ismail Kadare, including '' A Girl in Exile'', ''The Traitor’s Niche'', and '' The Doll: A Portrait of My Mother''. Counterpoint merged into fellow publisher Catapult in 2016. Soft Skull Press Soft Skull Pres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Nuyorican is a portmanteau word blending "New York" (or "Nueva York" in Spanish) and "Puerto Rican," referring to Puerto Rican migration to New York City, Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, their culture, or their descendants (especially those raised or currently living in the New York metropolitan area). This term is sometimes used for Stateside Puerto Ricans, Puerto Ricans living in other areas in the Northeastern United States, Northeastern US Mainland outside New York State as well. The term is also used by Islander Puerto Ricans (Puerto Ricans from Puerto Rico) to differentiate those of Puerto Rican descent from the Puerto Rico-born. History The term ''Nuyorican'' arose in the mid-1960s, used by Puerto Ricans entering the United States following World War II, and gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. This term is also used to refer to the Spanish language, Spanish spoken by New York Puerto Ricans. An estimated 1,800,000 Nuyoricans are said to live in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John S
John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Epistle of John, often shortened to 2 John * Third Epistle of John, often shortened to 3 John People * John the Baptist (died ), regarded as a prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ * John the Apostle (died ), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ * John the Evangelist, assigned author of the Fourth Gospel, once identified with the Apostle * John of Patmos, also known as John the Divine or John the Revelator, the author of the Book of Revelation, once identified with the Apostle * John the Presbyter, a figure either identified with or distinguished from the Apostle, the Evangelist and John of Patmos Other people with the given name Religious figures * John, father of Andrew the Apostle and Saint Peter * Pope John (disambigu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rives (poet)
Rives (born 1968) is an American poet, storyteller, and author. He appeared on seasons 3-6 of HBO's Def Poetry Jam and was a member of Team Hollywood, which won the 2004 National Poetry Slam. His best-known poems include "Kite," about waking up alone in a new lover's apartment, and "Mockingbird," which he performs differently every time, incorporating the words of other poets and speakers in the program. In 2008, Rives hosted the television special ''Ironic Iconic America'' with Tommy Hilfiger and Bar Refaeli, examining how pop culture has influenced American tastes and styles. In October of that year, he began appearing as the "first 2.0 poet" in a series of ads for telecom company Orange S.A. Rives has made multiple appearances at the TED ConferenceTEDSpeakers - Rives/ref> and is the regular co-host of TEDYouth. His multimedia performances touch on themes of connectedness, wordplay, and romance. In 2013, Rives began curating the Museum of Four in the Morning, an online crowd- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alix Olson
Alix L. Olson (born 1975) is an American poet who works exclusively in spoken word. She uses her work to address issues of capitalism, racism, sexism, homophobia, heterosexism, misogyny, and patriarchy. She identifies as a queer feminist. Early years and education Olson was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1975 to parents who were both politically minded professors and held ideals that she believes were passed along to her. She has recalled early childhood memories sitting under a table coloring protest signs. Olson attended Stockholm University in 1996. She received a BA from Wesleyan University in 2007 and a PhD in political science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a graduate certificate in advanced feminist studies. Career Olson taught as faculty at the Juniper Institute for Young Writers at University of Massachusetts Amherst in Summer 2011 and 2012, at CSU Summer Arts at California State University in Fresno, California, and at the Eleanor Roosevelt Cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
