Tag Archives: poetry

Beyond Baroque Announces Amanda Gorman Future Voices Poetry Fund

VENICE, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Beyond Baroque, one of the nation's leading independent Literary Arts Centers, has announced the Amanda Gorman Future Voices Poetry Fund. The fund, named in honor of Beyond Baroque alumna and U.S. Presidential Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman, will provide $10,000 to young poets of color.

"It's been wonderful witnessing Amanda's growth from her start in our Student Poets' Program to the Inaugural Poet we see today, and we hope to continue uplifting fellow promising youth poets of color through this fund," said the nonprofit's executive director, Quentin Ring.

"We're looking forward to ushering in new word warriors who can speak for not only themselves but also their respective communities and maybe one day, like Ms. Gorman, the world," added Shonda Buchanan, Vice President of Beyond Baroque's Board of Trustees.

The Amanda Gorman Future Voices Poetry Fund includes a poetry contest and a scholarship for college-bound student poets of color. A total of $10,000 will be awarded for the 2021-2022 school year. The fund continues Beyond Baroque's long history of nurturing some of Los Angeles' most prominent poets, including Wanda Coleman, Amy Gerstler, and Amanda Gorman herself. As a teenager, Gorman began her development as a poet in the Beyond Baroque Student Poets' Program, established by former Executive Director Richard Modiano. After completing the program, she was appointed the first Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, and then of the United States in 2017, by Beyond Baroque partner Urban Word. She later named Beyond Baroque as the place "where a young poet found the love of her life."

The fund will begin accepting applications in November 2021, and more details will be announced in the following months.

To learn more about Beyond Baroque, or to make a contribution in support of the Amanda Gorman Future Voices Poetry Fund, please visit https://www.beyondbaroque.org/.

ABOUT BEYOND BAROQUE:

Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center is one of the nation's most successful and influential grassroots incubators of the literary arts. Founded in 1968, and housed in the original Venice City Hall building in Venice, California, it is a nonprofit public space dedicated to cultivating new writing and expanding the public's knowledge of poetry, literature, and art through cultural events and community interaction.

The Center offers a diverse variety of literary and arts programming, including readings, workshops, art exhibits, and education. Across five decades, Beyond Baroque has provided crucial support to a series of seminal writers, artists, and musicians that include Wanda Coleman, Dennis Cooper, Amy Gerstler, Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Mike Kelley, Viggo Mortensen, Will Alexander, and Amanda Gorman. Today the Center continues to provide a vital cultural forum through its free workshops, reading series, and general programming.

ABOUT AMANDA GORMAN:

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, as well as an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she studied sociology. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is the author of the "The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country" (Viking Books for Young Readers, March 2021), the poetry collection "Call Us What We Carry" (Viking, December 2021) and "The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough" (Penmanship Books, 2015). In 2017, Gorman was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. She previously served as the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles, and she is the founder and executive director of One Pen One Page, an organization providing free creative writing programs for underserved youth.

Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291.

Beyond Baroque, one of the nation's leading independent Literary Arts Centers, has announced the Amanda Gorman Future Voices Poetry Fund. The fund, named in honor of Beyond Baroque alumna and U.S. Presidential Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman, will provide $10,000 to young poets of color.

Related link: http://beyondbaroque.org/

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Joins Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival as Celebrity Judge

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. /ScoopCloud/ -- Pompano Beach Arts is proud to announce that television icon Malcolm-Jamal Warner is joining the fourth annual "Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival" as a celebrity judge. The famed star of "The Cosby Show" and current hit "The Resident" will also be performing his poetry at the festival and sharing thoughts about his career during an Artist Talk.

The three-day event attracts the premier spoken word artists in the country and will take place December 9-11, 2021 at the City's cultural venues. Event details and tickets are available at https://www.pompanobeacharts.org/exit36.

"We are honored that actor and poet Malcolm-Jamal Warner will be a judge at this year's festival. His participation will shine the national spotlight on an event that is growing in prestige every year," said Phyllis Korab, Director, Cultural Affair Department. "Warner stole our hearts as a lovable Huxtable kid in the 80s and is now gaining raves as Dr. Andre Jeremiah Austin on the hit show 'The Resident.' But many do not realize the acclaimed actor is also a leading voice in the spoken word realm."

Warner, who is a Grammy(R) Award-winner, has tackled many important issues with his spoken word performances including problems with the penal system and in 2020 he chronicled life as a black man with his film "Word Warriors III."

Warner has said, "Poetry had always been a huge part of my life. My father went to Lincoln University with Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, so I literally came out of the womb listening to Gil Scott-Heron. So, poetry's always been a huge part of the expression of self."

The Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival was founded by Eccentrich, one of the top-ranking female poets in the country. She developed the platform to serve the community through educational, theatrical, and literary performances. The festival showcases local, regional, and nationally recognized poets, while educating and encouraging self-expression in local youth.

"Now more than ever, spoken word artists are shaping the cultural and social dialogue in our country," said Eccentrich. "This form of expression empowers those who have felt unheard, providing platform to address both deeply personal situations and larger global issues. We are excited to return for our fourth year, and we look forward working with a dynamic group of participants."

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFORMATION:

Tickets are $10 a day or $25 for a festival pass, available at https://www.pompanobeacharts.org/exit36

* Thursday, December 9, 2021

Bailey Contemporary Arts Center

Artist Talk & Happy Hour 6p to 7p (In-person and virtually via zoom)

Prelim bout - 7p to 8p (In-person and virtually via zoom)

Artist Market & pop-up poetry - 8p to 9p

* Friday, December 10, 2021

Blanche Ely House Museum

Lunch Time Story Slam - 12p to 1p (In-person and virtually via zoom)

Pompano Beach Cultural Center

Artist Talk - 6p to 7p (In-person and virtually via zoom)

Prelim bout 7p to 8p (In-person and virtually via zoom)

Artist Market & Cyphers - 8p to 9p

* Saturday, December 11, 2021

Pompano Beach Cultural Center

Final Stage - 7p to 10p (In-person and virtually via zoom)

About the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department

The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to provide cultural programming that includes visual arts, digital media, music, film, theater, dance and public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of residents and visitors to Pompano Beach, Broward County, and the greater South Florida area. The department programs and manages the City's premiere cultural arts venues including the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and the Blanche Ely House Museum. The department also oversees the City's Public Art Program and the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town grant awarded to the Pompano Beach Crossroads place-making arts initiative.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kay Renz

Kay@KRPRMediaGroup.com

Pompano Beach Arts is proud to announce that television icon Malcolm-Jamal Warner is joining the fourth annual "Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival" as a celebrity judge. The famed star of "The Cosby Show" and current hit "The Resident" will also be performing his poetry at the festival and sharing thoughts about his career during an Artist Talk.

Related link: https://www.pompanobeacharts.org/

The Vaccine for Racism, Inequality, and Hate Has Arrived in The Form of a New Children’s Book Series

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Author/Educator and Chiropractor based in Santa Monica, Dr. Todd Gewant, today announced the release of his 2nd book in the "What I Wish I Was Told" children's book series, "What I Wish I Was Told: Part 2: A Poetic Guide To Unite Us All" (ISBN: 979-8696235394).

Jane Elliott, renowned American diversity educator, endorsed "What I Wish I Was Told Part II," saying, "This book should be taught three times before college, and become the future bible of unification."

The book helps educators (primarily grades 4-12) and parents use illustrated poetry to promote and encourage dialogue with children around topics such as equality, acceptance, unity, and anti-racism. The included curriculum/activity guide helps young people explore their feelings, experiences, and opinions based on current societal issues of life.

"Poetry is an incredibly powerful tool for learning. Children will be taught how to write poetry and socialize appropriately, through the lenses of creative and free thinking, self-directed learning, and reading/writing comprehension. They will learn so much more of 'what I wish I was told' when I was young," says the author, Dr. Todd Gewant.

Each lesson in the book creates a highly unique platform for children to develop important qualities of self-esteem and an appreciation of diversity in all areas of life.

As stated by Dr. Todd, "We can help our children to become positive, caring, and creative adults through this curriculum."

Dr. Todd has been a frequent guest speaker at schools and social organizations, and has consulted with a variety of education administrators and teachers to develop a robust core curriculum around the true values of diversity.

Learn more about this original and timely journey of multicultural themes and modalities at https://whatiwishiwastold.com/.

Both books in the "What I Wish I Was Told" children's book series can be purchased on Dr. Todd's online shop or on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KZ47BW9.

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-1203-what-i-wish-book-300dpi.jpg

*Caption: Cover, "What I Wish I Was Told: Part 2: A Poetic Guide To Unite Us All."

Author/Educator and Chiropractor based in Santa Monica, Dr. Todd Gewant, today announced the release of his 2nd book in the "What I Wish I Was Told" children's book series, "What I Wish I Was Told: Part 2: A Poetic Guide To Unite Us All" (ISBN: 979-8696235394).

Related link: https://whatiwishiwastold.com/

Pompano Beach Arts presents Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. /ScoopCloud/ -- The Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department is proud to present the 3rd Annual Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival, an enriching and entertaining showcase of the best local and national spoken word artists and writers. While poets will be competing live at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center from December 10-12, due to COVID-19, the festival will be live streamed to the public.

The preliminary and final bouts are $10 each, in addition there will be free virtual artist talks and workshops that require registration to receive the links. An all-access virtual pass is $25.

For tickets, registration and details, visit http://www.pompanobeacharts.org/exit36.

"We are thrilled to broadcast some of the best slam poets in the country to a national audience via our virtual platforms," said Phyllis Korab, Cultural Affairs Director. "The Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival is an entertaining and inspiring event, featuring 15 acclaimed poets sharing their authentic selves as they battle it out for the top prize."

The first prize winner will receive $2,500, second prize is $1,500 and third prize is $1,000. The prizes are generously underwritten by the Pompano Beach Arts Foundation.

This year's competitors include:

Alex Tha Great from Dallas, TX; Meccamorphosis from Baltimore, MD; Ed Mabrey from Los Angeles, CA; Ninel Ninel from Atlanta, GA; Jahman Hill from Birmingham, AL; Lady Brion from Baltimore, MD; Ephraim Nehemiah from Baltimore, MD; Aleathia "GG" Dupree from Orlando, FL; Blacqwildflowr from Tampa, FL; Jonkel from Miami, FL; Charles Hines fromTampa, FL; Jazzmen Victoria from Dallas, TX; Alex Lu from Los Angeles, CA; Ed Figures from Orlando, FL; and Byrd from Pompano Beach, FL. Last year's winners, Jahman HIl, Lady Brion and Jonkel, are all returning to defend their titles.

Event Coordinator Sharonda 'Eccentrich' Richardson is the 14th ranked female poet in the world, an honor she received during the Women of the World Poetry Slam. 'Eccentrich' was born and raised in Pompano Beach, is the winner of a Pompano Beach Cultural Arts Award recognizing outstanding creativity and has graced the stages of over 45 venues from Florida to California. She is a member of the celebrated spoken word team, Dada, which finished first in the nation during the 2017 National Poetry Slam. Her poetry is also featured on Button Poetry, an acclaimed platform committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for performance poetry.

"I am very proud of how this festival has grown, and despite COVID-19, we have an incredible lineup of spoken word artists who arriving from all over the country to participate in this festival, which grows in prestige each year," said Richardson. "We hope every poet's hometown friends and family reserves a spot to experience all the emotional performances and dynamic events scheduled."

To view the daily schedule of events, workshops and artist talks visit http://www.pompanobeacharts.org/exit36

About the City of Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department

The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to provide cultural programming that includes visual arts, digital media, music, film, theater, dance and public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of residents and visitors to Pompano Beach, Broward County, and the greater South Florida area. The department programs and manages the City's premiere cultural arts venues including the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Ali Cultural Arts Center, Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, and the Blanche Ely House Museum. The department also oversees the City's Public Art Program and the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town grant awarded to the Pompano Beach Crossroads place-making arts initiative.

Media Contact:
Kay Renz
Kay@KRPRMediagroup.com

The Pompano Beach Cultural Affairs Department is proud to present the 3rd Annual Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival, an enriching and entertaining showcase of the best local and national spoken word artists and writers. While poets will be competing live at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center from December 10-12, due to COVID-19, the festival will be live streamed to the public.

Related link: http://www.ccpompano.org/

New Book: ‘Poems, Untold’

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. /ScoopCloud/ -- "Poems, Untold" (ISBN: 979-8651689033), by Elen Krut, is a collection of inspirational poems written by the author to encourage, guide, reflect, and present a different perspective and observations to readers.

"Offering a variety of topics, the poems were written with the reader in mind and, whether you are an eager poetry lover or a newcomer to poetry, you will find yourself re-reading verses that resonate with what's important to you over and over again," says Krut.

So, hop on another journey with the author to explore and discover passion, meaning, and inspiration.

The book has been gaining five-star reviews on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Poems-UntoldElenKrut/dp/B089M61B92/

About the author:

Elen Krut, Esq., a long-time resident of Staten Island, New York, graduated with honors from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and was admitted to practice in New York in 2017. Prior to her legal career, Ms. Krut graduated with a Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Brooklyn College, CUNY.

Ms. Krut wrote her first book, "Summer On a Poultry Farm," after being inspired by a chain of events that took place in her professional life. After finding herself in an unwanted pause in her new career and while traveling through the journey filled with challenges, rejection, and uncertainty, she kept noticing just how many people are facing similar issues on a daily basis. Fears and doubts don't discriminate between social and economic statuses, education, or profession and equally target all.

Ms. Krut's second book, "In Pursuit of More," is an inspirational fiction filled with more philosophy designed to help people overcome challenges and phycological barriers. The book invites readers to hop on the journey and join the main characters as they seek and find motivation, inspiration, fresh perspective, and guidance.

The latest publication, "Poems, Untold," is a collection of inspirational poems written to encourage, guide, reflect, and present a different perspective and observations to readers. Offering a variety of topics, the poems were written with the reader in mind and, whether you are an eager poetry lover or a newcomer to poetry, you will find yourself re-reading verses that resonate with what's important to you over and over again.

Learn more at: https://elenkrut.com/

Publications:
New York Law Journal: "Bar Associations Must Invest In Millennial Lawyers to Survive." November 2, 2019 - https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2019/11/02/bar-associations-must-invest-in-millennial-lawyers-to-survive/

*Image link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0615s2p-poems-untold-300dpi.jpg

"Poems, Untold" (ISBN: 979-8651689033), by Elen Krut, is a collection of inspirational poems written by the author to encourage, guide, reflect, and present a different perspective and observations to readers.

Related link: https://elenkrut.com/

Online Literary Journal ‘COVID TALES’ Helps Readers Find Meaning During Quarantine

OAKLAND, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- APOCRYPHILE PRESS, LLC (apocryphilepress.com) has announced the launch of a new online literary journal, "COVID TALES" featuring fiction, memoir, and poetry set during the Covid-19 Sheltering-in-place order.

Apocryphile Press Publisher John Mabry says, "We are looking for memoir pieces that tell us what happened during the shelter-in-place order. We are looking for fiction that explores what might have happened during the shelter-in-place order. And we're looking for poetry that captures the feelings we experienced during the shelter-in-place order."

Mabry adds, "It's hard to understand what's happening to us while we're in the thick of it. Everyone wants to talk about it, but writers process what is happening to us by writing. We're hoping 'COVID TALES' will be a place to do that. This is also a time for grief, and one of the stages of grief is making meaning of it. We hope that 'COVID TALES' can be part of a larger collective meaning-making exercise as we seek to understand these weird times."

"COVID TALES" is free to anyone to visit, and does not require a subscription, nor any payment, nor does its website host any ads. The Apocryphile Press is sponsoring the project as a gift to the community.

Visit "COVID TALES" at https://www.covidtalesjournal.com/

Submissions of up to 4,000 words welcome.

About the Apocryphile Press:

The Apocryphile Press is a small publishing company based in the San Francisco East Bay specializing in edgy spirituality. Their goal is to bring to market books that religious publishers wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Plus, pretty much anything else that strikes their fancy.

For more information on "COVID TALES" or the Apocryphile Press, visit: https://www.covidtalesjournal.com/ or http://apocryphilepress.com/

APOCRYPHILE PRESS, LLC (apocryphilepress.com) has announced the launch of a new online literary journal, "COVID TALES" featuring fiction, memoir, and poetry set during the Covid-19 Sheltering-in-place order.

Related link: http://apocryphilepress.com/

Beyond Baroque to Mark 50th Anniversary in 2018

VENICE, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Beyond Baroque, one of the nation's leading independent Literary Arts Centers, is planning a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2018. Guided by the nonprofit's Executive Director, Richard Modiano, and council of prominent artist-curators, a program of activities commencing January 1, 2018, will take place at Beyond Baroque's Venice location and in venues throughout Los Angeles.

"Beyond Baroque has an incredible record of cultivating some of the most innovative and widely influential literature and art to come out of Los Angeles over the past 50 years," said Modiano. "We aim to nurture the next 50 years of cutting-edge Los Angeles poetry, literature, and art."

Special features of Beyond Baroque's 50th Anniversary will include:

• The commissioning of new works for performance and publication from major writers and rising stars in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.
• A series of public dialogs between poets and prominent artists, performers, community leaders, and thinkers on the intersection of poetry and culture.
• The selection of diverse guest curators to organize a major festival of multidisciplinary artistic events and community gatherings at Beyond Baroque and in neighborhoods all over Los Angeles, spotlighting the many literary and artistic communities that make LA one of the world's richest cultural centers.
• Appearances and performances by prominent Beyond Baroque alumni and friends.

The Center's busy calendar of events will showcase Beyond Baroque's extensive roster of talent as well as exciting new voices drawn from Los Angeles' diverse literary communities. The celebrations will be highlighted by Beyond Baroque's 50th anniversary gala in November 2018, at which honors will be awarded recognizing the achievements of selected poets, writers and artists.

About Beyond Baroque:

Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center is one of the nation's most successful and influential grassroots incubators of literary art. Founded in 1968, and housed in the original Venice City Hall building in Venice, California, it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public space dedicated to cultivating new writing and expanding the public's knowledge of poetry, fiction, literature, and art through cultural events and community interaction.

The Center offers a diverse variety of literary and arts programming, including readings, workshops, art exhibits, and education. The Center also houses a bookstore with the largest collection of new poetry books on the west side of Los Angeles; the Mike Kelley Gallery, which specializes in text and language-focused visual art; and a 50,000 volume archive of small press and limited-edition publications that chronicles the history of poetry movements in Los Angeles and beyond.

Few literary spaces have done more to cultivate innovative art from cultural outsiders, or to shape emerging artistic movements. Across five decades Beyond Baroque has nurtured the Venice Beats, cradled the Los Angeles punk scene, and provided crucial support to a series of seminal experimental writers and artists that include Dennis Cooper, Kate Braverman, Mike Kelley, and Will Alexander.

Its legendary free workshops have profoundly shaped Los Angeles literature by helping to launch a number of influential careers, including those of Wanda Coleman, Tom Waits, Leland Hickman, Bob Flanagan, Eloise Klein Healy, David Trinidad, Jim Krusoe, Exene Cervenkova, Amy Gerstler, Paul Vangelisti, Harry Northup, Brendan Constantine, Jenny Factor, and Sarah Maclay. It's reading and performance series have exposed L.A. audiences to some of the world's most notable writers and artists, often at early stages in their careers, including Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, Raymond Carver, X, Patti Smith, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Ondaatje, Chris Kraus, Eileen Myles, Luis J. Rodriguez, Dana Gioia, Hector Tobar, David St. John, Robin Coste Lewis, and Maggie Nelson.

Today the Center continues to provide a vital cultural forum through its free workshops, reading series, youth programming, and artistic gatherings. Learn more at: http://www.beyondbaroque.org/.

Beyond Baroque's Mission:

Beyond Baroque's mission is to encourage the writing, reading, publication, dissemination, and preservation of contemporary literature through programming, education, archiving, and services in literature and the arts.

Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291. Phone: (310) 822-3006.

Beyond Baroque, one of the nation's leading independent Literary Arts Centers, is planning a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2018. Guided by the nonprofit's Executive Director, Richard Modiano, and council of prominent artist-curators, a program of activities commencing January 1, 2018, will take place at Beyond Baroque's Venice location and in venues throughout Los Angeles.