Def Poetry & Spoken Word

Jamele “Harlym125” Adams is, hands-down, one of the most powerful performance poets in the country. A onetime NPS finalist with the Boston Poetry Slam team back in 2008, he now…

ButtaFlySouL as he is known by family, friends and students is a nationally recognized training consultant and inspirational speaker.  He is a powerful advocate for youth with a strong focus…

Who said that Poetry has limitations? Flowmentalz will demonstratehow poetry has “No limitations”, by bringing infinite thought into all his work. Creative thinking magnified through sound is the best synopsis…

A native of New York’s Lower East Side and a current resident and local legend of Los Angeles, Shihan is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic spoken word artists of…

Poetri was one of the the first poets featured on “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” on HBO and has also been seen on ABC, NBC, BET, MTV and VH-1. He…

Craig Grant, a.k.a. muMs, is an actor, poet and playwright best known for his role in the HBO prison Drama OZ as the character ‘Poet’. His performances have led to…

Elizabeth Acevedo was born as the youngest child of Dominican immigrants. Raised in New York City, her poetry is infused with Dominican bolero and her beloved city’s tough grit. With…

Mixing the heartfelt angst of a singer/songwriter with the cocky brashness of a garage rocker, Ryan Adams is at once one of the few artists to emerge from the alt-country…

Meena Alexander was born in Allahabad, India. She turned five on the Indian Ocean, on the journey with her mother from India to Sudan. She was raised both in Kerala,…

Miguel Algarin is a true renaissance man, a literary mastermind whose passion for the art of poetry and the rawness of spoken word has transcended him into a living legend…

Lemon Andersen is a poet, spoken word artist and actor. He first garnered national attention appearing in Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway in 2002, which won a Tony…

Daniel Beaty is an award-winning actor, singer, writer, and composer. Recently he had an extended off-Broadway run of his acclaimed solo play Through The Night produced by Daryl Roth. For…

Using his experiences growing up in Newark, Bill Bellamy started doing stand-up while he was a student at Rutgers University. Bellamy quickly discovered how much he enjoyed making people laugh,…

Dr. Joshua Bennett has recited his original work at events such as The Sundance Film Festival, The Clinton Global Citizen Awards, The NAACP Image Awards, and President Obama's Evening of…

Mohammed Bilal is best known as "the even-tempered, dread- locked rapper guy” on MTV's Real World III: San Francisco. He is also a diversity consultant, a musician, a poet, and…