Ihsan Muhammad is 22. A poet and performer from East Orange NJ. She began writing poetry for her family memebrs at the age of 7, but found that she had a knack for capturing the essence of people and emotions in her work. She wishes to use her art to help heal, inspire and motivate herself and others. She is a spoken word artist, an advocate for interactive art, storytelling and avid use of the imagination. She would like to be remembered when she's dead as a woman who overcame obstacles, raised a strong family, and made people smile at themselves.Name: Kyle K. Abramson
AKA's: Kyle "The Romantic" <<(Label given by Halim Sulliman), Mic Whore
Quote: "Introvert off the Mic.. Extrovert on the Mic"
Born: Oct 17, 1972
Age: 26
Began Writing: Oct '97
Began Reciting: Oct '97 (two days after writing first poem)
First Poem: "Lost"
Talents: Writing Poems & Short Stories, Illustrations and Sketch Art, Photography
Inspirations: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Jerry Gant, Ras Baraka, Halim Sulliman
Personality: Quiet, Laidback and Reflective Thinker, At times overly analytical, tendecy to be an introvert when not performing. Possesses a high degree of spirituality and a firm belief in GOD.
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About Taalam....
The Good Deacon is a native of Newark, NJ where he attended Rutgers University and earned a BS in Accounting and an MBA in Finance. He has been penning lyrics since he was nine years old. Currently he is a favorite performer at The Poet's Corner (Bogies) in East Orange, NJ and represented the Nuyorican Poets Café on their 1999 National Slam Team in Chicago. He has also performed in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, New Orleans, Roanoke, VA, and is a rousing favorite at CafeMyth.com in D.C., where he is the most often requested poet. His CD 'The Wickedest Man In Babylon' has been receiving air play in Toronto, where it is currently a smash success, and where he will be touring in late September. He is also to embark on tours in England and California soon after._________________ see
http://www.slamnews.com/hotnews.html_________________
Timothy Brown
Lyrical Poets Society
Lyrical: “to give voice through spoken word”.
Poets: Poets write P.O.E.M’s which are “products of our environment mentally”
Society: “ generations of ourselves which create the history of our culture”.Founded in 1994, to give a voice to the many experiences of today’s inner city youth.
Many of my compositions are urban based and inspired by my own personal experiences
growing up in Newark, NJ. Through my writings, I hope to reach a generation looking for
a way out; a generation with thoughts about how they are looked at and where they are headed.A graduate of Rutgers University, class of 1994, I studied “Creative Writing” with
Miguel Algarin, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. While at Rutgers, I developed
a screenplay entitled “Street Life”. Street Life, the story of four youth growing up in
Newark during the 80’s, at a point when all black males were destined to be dead or in
jail by the time they were 18, and the struggle these four youth encounter in breaking this cycle. I’m currently revising the screenplay for development, with hopes for productions within the Newark school system.Featured performance credits include: 2nd place in the Nuyorican Poetry Slam 1995, “The Point”- Bronx NY, “The Newsroom”- Bronx, NY, African Globe Poetry Explosion-
Essex County College, African Globe Theater, Newark, NJ.
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Juba Dowdell is a 27 year old writer and teacher from Newark, New Jersey. Along with fellow writer Ras Baraka, he produces and co-host the widely popular poetry series Verse 4 Verse. Mr. Dowdell is studying English as a graduate student at Rutgers University as well as teaching Language Arts to 7th graders at Rafael Hernandez Elementary School in Newark Currently he is co-editing a Verse 4 Verse anthology of poetry with Ras Baraka and completing his own book of poems, stories, and essays entitled Wrong Place, Wrong Time.
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Jerry Gant was born and raised in Newark. He has been an active participant in Newark’s Arts Community for well over 15 years and is presently the Creative Artistic Director of The African Globe Studio Theatre. Gant’s earliest form of expression was part of the New York City Graffiti Culture. In 1992, along with Nzinga Chavis, he founded the Trinity Poets. The author of one book, Bullet Proof Ambition, and well known throughout the Tri-State area, Jerry continues to read as a featured artist at many of New York & New Jersey’s most popular poetry houses.
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http://firstnightnewark.org/thenewarkpubliclibrary.html___________________
Michelle Kurlan is 23 year old artist from Livingston, New Jersey. She graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a degree in Arts Education and Art Studio, and currently works as an Art Teacher at Rafael Hernandez Elementary School in Newark. This particular watercolor painting is inspired by Ihsan Muhammad’s poem “Mama Moses On The C Train”.
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Name: Kirk Nugent
Alias: "Predator"
Home: New Jeru
Affiliations: Lyrical Franchise & New Jersey First Wave Slam Team
Home Mic: Bogies
Mics Blessed @: Verse 4 Verse, Brooklyn Moon Cafe, The loft, Nuyorican Cafe, Lyrical Riot.
Publications: Chapbook, "Ironic, Isn't It?" Chapbook, "The Unpopular Truth". Nugent also recorded a CD entitled, "The Unpopular Truth"1999 Nuyorican Poet's Cafe Grand Slam Champion 6/11/1999
Biography
Political, hard hitting, controversial and thought provoking, this 1999 Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam Champion is a spoken word icon. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Kirk Nugent migrated to the United States in 1983 . Nugent has been performing poetry throughout the tri-state area for three years and is also a member of the 1999 Nuyorican National Slam Team. Affiliations include work with the National Action Network Youth Group under the guidance of Rev. Al Sharpton, the poetic trio 2 Dogs & A Cat, and the New Jersey First Wave Slam Team. Nugent has performed on stages from Florida to Chicago, including Montclair State College, Medgar Evers College, Long Island University, NYU, Seton Hall University and Rutgers University in Newark, NJ. He also writes poetry for the advertising agency, Uniworld to address issues that is important to their clients. Nugent has much to be proud of as he is the author of two publications, and has recently released his first spoken word CD entitled, "The Unpopular Truth." He is the founder and CEO of IRONIC REVOLUTIONARY WEAR. For more information about this cutting edge poet, visit www.deepwatersoulcafe.com
PERSONAL QUOTE: "I never knew racism until I came to America"
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http://www.nuyorican.org/Poetry/poetry.html_____________________________________________________
YICTOVE
This "Brother-Man" from New Orleans who has touched spirits on one shore and the next, has come to touch base with ours.
He speaks of the necessity for serious change in the conditions that are within our control, which hold us back, and to the expediency and commitment with which we need to act. He speaks to the urgency of the need to learn how to truly love ourselves, in order to be free to learn to love each other. Offering no panacea, he zeroes in on the reality of the hard work intrinsic in the finding of solutions.
He is a believer in the wondrous results that can be derived from honest attempts at communication with our lovers, families and friends; a direct path to broader communication with Our People, The World.
A. H. Reynolds AUTHOR OF
COGNAC & COLLARD GREENS
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