Teaching Matters Hosts Poetry Slam on 6/11 for 200+ Students, with Prominent Guest Poets
WHAT: The Spoken Word annual poetry event is the culminating activity for Teaching Matters’ writing curriculum, WritingMatters, which offers 5th through 9th grade teachers powerful new ways to approach writing instruction using 21st Century technology tools. Created by Teaching Matters, Writing Matters offers a private, safe, free e-Zine space for students to publish and share their work in progress. At the competition, 250 young people from New York City public schools perform their own original poetry to an audience of their peers and poets. The students are in breakout rooms throughout the morning, and finalists take the stage in the afternoon.
WHY: When an engaging curriculum is coupled with excellent teaching methods, the results can be exceptionally good. The Spoken Word Competition showcases students’ exciting creative output.
WHO: About 250 middle school students from M188, K397, M328, K347, Icahn Charter School 1, New World Preparatory, X368, K282, South Bronx Preparatory, K281, X022, Icahn Charter School 3, K228, and K722; parents and teachers; TeachingMatters’ staff; and the following guest poets:
Carlos Andrés Gómez: an award-winning poet, actor, and writer from New York City. He is the author of the coming-of-age memoir Man Up: Cracking the Code of Modern Manhood. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize and named Artist of the Year at the 2009 Promoting Outstanding Writers Awards, he costarred in Spike Lee’s #1 movie Inside Man and appeared in the sixth season of HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. He has headlined festivals all over the world. He is a former social worker and inner-city public school teacher.
Felice Belle: a poet, playwright and the former host of the Friday Night Slam at the Nuyorican Poets Café. Her poetry has been published in numerous journals and anthologies including Roots and Culture, SLAM, DrumVoices Revue, Longshot, His Rib and Bum Rush the Page. Her playwriting credits include Joy in Repetition, Hip-Hop Theater Festival (2002), Tell the Truth Lying, ROAR Theater Festival (2003) and Definately, Real Theatre Works Fresh Voices Festival. She is currently working on a book about the history of the poetry slam at the Nuyorican. For more information: verbsonasphalt.com.
WHEN: June 11, 2013, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: New York Law School, 185 West Broadway (in Tribeca), New York, NY 10013
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