Old News!
March 1, 2011. New York, NY.
Phil competes in louderARTS Storyteller Slam, takes first place
Despite lots of adventures around the country, its always nice to be performing back in New York City. I had the pleasure of competing at louderARTS, one of New York City's four famous poetry venues. It was their first ever "Storyteller Slam", which gives performers a chance to share stories and prose as opposed to poems. Its one of my favorite events, and its always so fascinating to see who the event draws in. It was wonderful to see all of the New York poetry family again after being on the road, and I was incredibly honored to walk away with first place. Thanks to everyone who came out, see you again soon! --P
February 23, 2011. Boston, MA.
Phil features at The Cantab Lounge
It was my absolute honor to be invited to headline a show at the famous Cantab Lounge. Aside from being one of the most well known poetry venues in the country, the host of the 2011 National Poetry Slam, and the site of much poetry legend, its also produces some of the most exciting new work in the nation. Run my the inimitable Simone Beaubien, The Cantab has continually housed some of the best contemporary writers and listeners within its exposed brick walls. The whole experience was wonderful - I did some old favorites, some new work, and even a brand new piece written just that week with a talented violinist by the name of Jonathan Cannon. A huge thank you to everyone who came out, the whole Boston poetry community, and a special hug for Simone Beaubien for making it possible. --P
February 16, 2011. New York, NY.
Sarah performs with Ada Limon for "Page Meets Stage"
I am a huge fan of the "Page Meets Stage" Series at the Bowery Poetry Club, curated by Taylor Mali, Mari-Elizabeth Mali, and Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. (With brain power like that behind it, how could it not be awesome?) I was so honored when they asked me to be a part of this, and so excited when I found out I would be sharing the stage with Ada Limón. Ada is an incredible poet, whose poetry I really connect with. We share a similar spirit in a lot of our work, and my favorite part of the night was when we swapped poems! Much thanks to everyone who came out, everyone who tuned in on live, to Ada for being so graceful and generous, and to Taylor Mali for being a great host! (Also thanks to my Mom who baked everyone homemade cookies!) --S
February 4, 2011. California
The end of California Tour 2011!
18 performances, 12 workshops, 11 tanks of gas, and we are exhausted! But unspeakably thankful for the incredible people we have met along the way, and humbled by the warmth and support we have received. Thank you! Now back to the snowy Northeast! --S
January 31, 2011. Claremont, CA.
Project VOICE at Scripps College
This was my first time at the Claremont Schools, and I could not believe how much I've missed out on! Even though it was dark, I could tell that the campuses I walked through were beautiful, and the people we met were really down to earth and welcoming. I was excited to perform at the feminist coffee shop, the Motley, and they were incredibly sweet and made us tea and hot chocolate on the house! We had a packed room, and the audience was invested and involved. Thanks to Sam Gold for
organizing the event, to the talented ladies
who opened for us, and to the lovely
baristas of the Motley! --S
January 27, 2011. Irvine, CA.
Project VOICE at UCI
You cannot beat the Uncultivated Rabbits of UCI. The Rabbits are UCI's Student Spoken Word Group, and they are an unbelievable bunch of talented, smart, loving people who never cease to amaze us with their kindness. Last year they made us a cake to welcome us, and this year they organized an even bigger event in the Crystal Cove Auditorium to a rowdy, enthusiastic audience! They even graced the stage first with a bunch of great openers. So much thanks to this colossol team, and to all of our Southern California friends and family members who came out for the show! --S
January 26, 2011. Mission Viejo, CA
Project VOICE at Saddleback College
It was a complete honor and pleasure to be at Saddleback for the first time. We had the honor of headlining Saddleback's first ever Social Action Summit, and we were humbled to share our work
with such a dedicated group. Thanks to everyone who made it out, looking forward to sharing again in the future! --P
January 25, 2011. San Diego, CA
Project VOICE at The Bishop's School
This tour stop will bring a smile to my face for a long time. The performance was a blast— we had over 500 audience members, most of whom hadn't experienced spoken word before. The workshop was
an absolute treat: over 60 students showed up to a 5:30pm voluntary poetry workshop! Incredible. And as always with Bishop's, the people we met were consistently wonderful. Thanks to
everyone for sharing! --P
January 22, 2011. San Francisco, CA.
Phil and Sarah perform at Café Royale
Aw man, Café Royale is always such a treat! It's such a warm space, with a supportive vibe. This was our third time performing here, and it was just as great as I remember it. We had a packed house, which was super exciting, including some familiar faces and some brand new ones we were thrilled to meet. Much thanks to everyone who came out! --S
January 20, 2011. Berkeley, CA.
Phil and Sarah perform at UCBerkeley and CalSLAM
A super fun night with some great people. Thanks to the CalSLAM team for hosting us, and thanks to everyone who came out to support, friends new and old! --S
January 18, 2011. Los Angeles, CA.
Phil and Sarah feature at Da Poetry Lounge
I have been looking forward to this gig for so long. Some of my favorite poets have come out of Da Poetry Lounge and team Hollywood, and getting to witness the magic of this venue first-hand was awesome. Even after 13 years of operation, they still pull a packed house every week, and it was so much fun to be in a room with some O.G.'s of the spoken word community! (Special thanks to Shihan for bringing us, and for being such a great host!) --S
January 14, 2011. Huntington Beach, CA.
Project VOICE at The Pegasus School
What a group of bright, engaged, lively and talented writers! We had a fun show, bringing out some old pieces we haven't done in a while as well as some new work. It was a pleasure to visit with everyone, especially with some of the students who started writing poetry after seeing us last year! A big thanks to everyone, and a special thank you to Kendra Dixon for planning the event. --P
January 10-11, 2011. Los Angeles, CA.
Project VOICE at Palisades Charter School
It was so great to be back at Pali! We got to perform for over 1200 students over four assemblies, and just like last year, Pali brought the heat— we invited students to come share the stage with us, and everyone tore it up! Thanks so much to everyone who made our stay so special, and an extra big hug to Bella McGowan for making the event possible! --P
January 4-7, 2011. Sunnyvale, CA.
Project VOICE at Fremont High School
We always love starting off our tour at Fremont High School. The students are excited, the teachers are generous, and the administration is super supportive. This year we were there for four days: 9 hours of performance, 9 hours of teaching! We were exhausted, but thrilled with the positive response. Thank you to the whole Fremont community for embracing us!
(Click the slide show below to see some great photos taken by Sue Larson! Thanks, Sue!) --S
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January 3, 2011. California.
Project VOICE 2011 tour
I thought I left snow back in New York! But when Phil and I started our drive up north, we were greeted with snow on the 5. It wasn't very exciting to us, but there were more than 20 cars stopped on the side of the road so that people could have snowball fights and play in the snow! I guess snow is more monumental out here. After a 7 hour drive, we made it up to Sunnyvale. Here goes Tour 2011! --S
December 9-11th, 2010. Charlotte, NC.
Phil competes at the Individual World Poetry Slam
After a year of build up, preperation and competition, I was selected to attend the Individual World Poetry Slam, held this year in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event takes some of the most talented poets from all around the world and brings them together for a wonderful three day extraganza filled with performance, laughs and friendly competition. I was honored to share the stage with some of my all time favorite poets as well as some up and comers that absolutely blew me away with their talent. A huge thank you to everyone who made the three days as incredible as they were, and a big thanks to the wonderful city of Charlotte for hosting the event! --P
November 21, 2010. New York, NY.
Sarah's one-woman show, "Square One" awarded at the United Solo Festival Closing Ceremony
November 11, 2010. Providence, RI.
Sarah performs in the Providence Encyclopedia Show: Color
The Encyclopedia Show is an amazing idea, conceived of by the wonderful and talented Robbie Q. Telfer and
Shanny Jean Maney of Chicago. The idea behind the show is to create a live variety extravaganza that commissions local and touring artists and experts from many disciplines to use their individual talents to present a different
verbal encyclopedia entry each month. Encyclopedia shows have begun popping up in cities around the country, including Providence, and it was a joy to be a part of this month's entry:
"Color." My assigned topic was "Colorfulness, chroma, and saturation," which was a delightful challenge. It was wonderful to be back in the 401, and a joy to see old friends.
Extra thanks to the always lovely Megan Thoma! --S
November 8, 2010. New York, NY.
Sarah's One-Woman Show, "Square One" Premieres Off-Broadway
What a night! It was a huge honor to perform my one-woman show on the opening night of the United Solo Theatre Festival, called the "Largest Solo Festival in the world"! It was a sold-out show, and after a whirlwind rehearsal process and the speediest tech of all time (the first time we were allowed in the space was the day OF the show, and we only had 2 hours to tech the entire thing!) I was thrilled with the results!
Among the audience of loving and supportive friends, was Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, my dear friend, mentor, and poet whose work inspired much of "Square One"! I am so thankful for my incredibly generous and talented crew (in this picture, left to right): Dennis Kozee (Sound Designer & Technician), Chris Tyler (Director and Production Manager), Lauren Bremen (Lighting Designer & Technician), & Sophia Janowitz (Projectionist). Thank you, thank you! --S
October 21, 2010. Providence, RI.
Phil and Sarah perform at the RISD Museum's "Museum After Dark: College Night"
Providence weather is always a gamble, but it stayed warm enough for us to pull in a big crowd for this awesome venue! The RISD museum is gorgeous, and we were lucky enough to get to perform in the Grand Gallery, which is covered from floor to ceiling with paintings. The space was daunting, but the audience was excited and loving, and the show was lots of fun. It was great to be on our old stomping grounds, and much thanks to Deb Clemons and Hollis Mickey for their help! --S
October 20, 2010. Providence, RI.
Phil headlines at From the RIP
After hearing great reviews for the past two years, I finally got to make it out to From the RIP, a new and highly acclaimed poetry venue in the Northeast. The crowd was lively and the ambience was great - it was a treat to come from NYC and get to perform there. It's always awesome to see new venues poppping up, and the community of artists that come together around it. A huge thanks to Jay Chattelle for making it all happen!--P
September 29, 2010. New York, NY.
Sarah Performs in the "First Annual I MISS YOU Poetry Showcase"
Oh man, what a program of champions. Suheir Hammad, Steve Colman, John S. Hall, Erica Miriam Fabri, Kelly Tsai, Corrina Bain, Tahani Salah, Mindy Nettifee, Aziza Barnes, Black Cracker, Brook Yung, and Jeff McDaniel, all under the same roof! Not to mention the incomparable Beau Sia. It was a lovely night of love and poetry, and catching up with old friends. Much thanks to Beau for hosting such a necessary event! --S
September 28, 2010. New York, NY.
Sarah Features at the NYC Urbana Poetry Slam at the Bowery Poetry Club
I am so lucky to have grown up at the Bowery Poetry Club, under the watchful eye of mega-giants like Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, Shappy Seasholtz, Taylor Mali, Jeanann Verlee, and countless other incredible poets and people. Performing on this stage is like returning to my favorite childhood fort, and this time, I had an amazing surprise waiting for me!
Taylor Mali had a metal plaque made, with the engraving, "This Place Reserved for Sarah Kay," and posted it under the bar, in my favorite spot! It was a huge honor to know that the Bowery, a place I am so grateful for, is proud to call me one of its own. So much love to the Urbana family, and to my own family and friends for coming out! --S
September 11th, 2010. Greencastle, IN.
Phil and Sarah perform at the Annual Stopping Traffick! Conference
Sarah and I had the honor of being part of an amazing and thought-provoking conference on human trafficking called "Stopping Traffick," put together by DePauw University. After making it out to Indiana, we got to speak along side some brilliant people, who were all experts in the some of the many areas that fall under the umbrella term of "human trafficking".
It was a tall order to be the "performance portion" of such a serious conference, but we felt good about our performance, and truly enjoyed the experience. A huge thank you to all the students we met, the amazing speakers, and major props to Michelina Ferrara and Margarita Villa, who put the entire event together. --P
August 27th, 2010. Pittsfield, MA
Sarah Performs in the Word x Word Festival
I have never been up to the Berkshires, but I'm not sure why! It's absolutely beautiful up here. Jim Benson and his team of wonderful volunteers put on a great week of shows, featuring big name poets like Derrick Brown, Roger Bonair-Agard, and Rives, and highlighting local talent as well. My show was at the awesome art gallery Pittsfield Contemporary, and even though the space was small and everyone had to sit on old church pews, we still packed the house! Much thanks to Taylor and Marie-Elizabeth Mali for hosting me and for curating the poetry part of the festival, and to Jim for putting the event together! --S
August 3rd - August 7th. St Paul, MN
Phil competes at the National Poetry Slam, makes it to Semifinals!
What an absolutely incredible week at NPS! Being in St. Paul with over 200 talented writers and performers was an inspiring event in itself - and getting to share all our work together over five days was a moving experience. After heartfelt bouts Tuesday and Wednesday (and a first and second place finish!), we qualified to move onto semifinals - an honor that Providence hasn't had for years. We performed to a packed house at the famed Fitzgerald theater - the home of Garrison Keiller and "A Prairie Home Companion"! In the end, last year's reigning champs Team St. Paul took the first place spot, and went on to win the Championship again - a huge congratulations to them! Overall, the whole week was a phenomenal experience - thanks to everyone I met for their love, humor, support, and inspiration. See you all soon!--P
July 29, 2010. New York, NY
Sarah Performs at SCALEAfrica Fundraiser
I met Erinn McGurn at my Acumen Performance, and I was delighted when she asked me to come perform at a benefit for her organization SCALEAfrica. SCALEAfrica is dedicated to the improvement of rural schools in sub-Saharan Africa through the use of sustainable building techniques and active community participation, and the work Erinn and her husband Guy Baron are doing is really impressive stuff! Check out their website for more info! --S
July 26, 2010. Pune, India
Sarah Teaches at Open space
This was the most beautiful way to end what was already an incredible weekend: A morning writer's workshop at the Open Space office. I can't imagine anything more peaceful than teaching poetry barefoot, to an open terace and a morning rain fall, and the smell of curry floating over from the nextdoor neighbors! The writers were enthusiastic and dilligent, and it was a joy to meet and share with them. Thank you to all who came, and to all who made my weekend in Pune the highlight of my time in India! I hope to be back soon, with more poetry in tow! --S
July 25, 2010. Pune, India
Sarah Performs at Mocha for Open Space
The marvelous weekend continues with a lively performance at the coffee shop, Mocha. Open Space Organized a lovely event, with an open mic followed by my feature. The local poets were wonderful, and it was really lovely to see the different styles of poetry here. The highlight of my night was getting to perform in a sari! I have been dreaming about this day for a long time. Thanks to all who braved the monsoon weather! --S
July 24, 2010. Pune, India
Sarah Performs at the Symbiosis International School
I have been working in Gurgaon, India for a month and I have been aching to find a way to bring Spoken Word Poetry here. Indian culture is so rich and full of vibrant traditions and stories and myths and fables, but so much of it is an ancient voice— one of history and ancestors. Young people here are encouraged to pass their exams, and that's about it. I have spent nights literally tossing and turning over the problem of finding a way to bring voice to the younger generation here in India. If only my Hindi was any good, I would be preaching the importance of creative self-expression at every school I could find. When writer and activist Apphia K. invited me down to Pune to perform and Teach, I was ecstatic. Thanks to the quick organizing of of Ujwala Samarth and Open Space, my first stop was two performances for the Symbiosis International School. First to about 50 high school students in the 12th standard Arts and Liberal Arts Program. Then to a large group of first year law college students. The students were unbelievably captive audiences, and I was thrilled that my hopes and predictions were correct: Spoken Word Poetry does indeed have a place here! --S
July 20th, 2010. New York City, NY
Phil competes at the historic Bowery Poetry Club, takes first place
What a special night this was. I travelled with the Providence National Team to NYC for our last regional competition before going to Nationals, which happened to be at the famed Bowery Poetry Club - Sarah's home venue! It was a tough not to have my partner in crime there - it didn't feel the same without her. But even with Sarah thousands of miles away in India, she has clearly left her mark over many years at the Bowery - everyone's overflowing love for her was so clear, and I was touched how everyone welcomed me with open arms. At the competition, Providence squeaked out with a win in an upset over the home team - but with all the love in the room, I would have been happy just showing up and soaking it all in. Thanks to everyone at the Bowery who made me feel like family, I'll see you all soon! --P
July 18th, 2010. Providence, RI
Phil shares the stage with Derrick Brown, takes first place
Phil, apparently trying to block Derrick's face.
What a fun night! It was Providence's "Decathalon" Poetry Performance, a competition that featured some of the Northeast's top poetry teams competing in ten themed rounds, including a group piece round, a impromtu writing round, and a chubby bunny haiku round. It was a chance to laugh together, share some new work, and take some risks. Poetry godfather and friend Derrick Brown hosted the competition and did a pretty incredible set afterward. In the end, Providence walked away with the win, assisted by a perfect score from both the fabulous Jamila Woods and myself. Thanks so much to everyone who came out, an extra big thank you to Meg Thoma and Sarah Quenon who put the whole event together. --P
July 7th, 2010. Boston, MA
Phil competes at the famous Cantab Lounge, takes the night's highest score
I had the honor of competing at the famed Cantab Lounge in Boston, MA. The venue is magical, and the crowd was wonderful. I got to try out a brand new group piece, written with my Providence National teammate Kai Huang about our conflicting and complicated relationships with China. Thanks so much to everyone in the packed house - you were so respectful and thought; we were both humbled to walk away with the highest scoring piece of the night! --P
June 3rd, 2010. Providence, RI
Phil is named Providence's Grand Slam Champion!
What an incredible honor! After months of competition, making it through the preliminaries, semifinals, and a hard fought Championship round this last Thursday, I am humbled to finish in the #1 spot and be named Providence's Grand Slam Champion! This is huge news - it means I will move on to national competition, performing at The National Poetry Slam this summer and The Individual World Poetry Slam this fall. A huge congratulations to the other three qualifying members of the Providence National Team who will go to The National Poetry Slam with me: Jamila Woods and Kai Huang (My close friends and teammates on the 2010 Brown University College National Team!) and Trevor Byrne-Smith (who tied me for first at the Grand Slam!). See you all at Nationals! --P
May 14th, 2010. Providence, RI
Phil and Sarah feature at Brown University
What a wonderful opportunity - a full length, no-holds-barred feature on our home turf. The energy was palpable, the audience was amazing, and the room felt absolutely magical. Thanks so much to the hundreds of students, professors, and community members that packed the house! You made this an incredible show to end our four years at Brown with. We wouldn't be anywhere near where we are today without you! --P
May 10, 2010. Providence, RI
Sweet Article about Project V.O.I.C.E.!
Check out the Super Sweet article about Project V.O.I.C.E. in Post- Magazine, written by Kara Kaufman! Here's a quick sneak peak:
"Last winter, the pair performed in 12 schools and conducted 14 workshops in 10 days, reaching 4,500 students...Whether they perform pieces about United States history, their own friendship, or even Brown's own "spicy withs," Sarah and Phil have made a conscious choice to follow their passion for poetry and theater. Though neither can predict the future, it seems that Sarah and Phil are the ideal pair to energize the nation's classrooms through spoken word."
Thanks, Kara! --S
May 3rd, 2010. New York, NY
Sarah performs at the Acumen Fund benefit,
*SPARK! Igniting Change in an Interconnected World
It was such an honor to be invited to an Acumen Fund event. I have been a fan of Jacqueline Novogratz for a long time, and I think the people at Acumen have been doing some really amazing work. Plus, being asked to be in the same room as such impressive folk as Gretchin Rubin, Jawad Aslam, and Chris Hughes was a huge privilege. Much thanks to James Wu for all his help! Listen to what Dan Blumberg had to say about me: (It makes me blush!)
"Happy I could be in the presence of Sarah Kay. Everyone I spoke to agreed the biggest “spark” of the night was when Sarah took the stage. The 21-year old poet lit up the room with her self-confidence and poise (she’s got more of both than most of us will ever have). Sarah described how she found herself when she started telling stories on stage at the Bowery Poetry Club when she was 14. Since then she’s become a YouTube sensation and founded Project V.O.I.C.E., which encourages teenagers to tell their stories through spoken word poetry. Sarah insists that “telling stories is a human instinct” and wants other teenagers to feel the empowerment she felt when she started telling stories on stage. She’s founded Project V.O.I.C.E. to give them that chance. All this before she’s even graduating college (which she’ll do later this month). She was a tough act to follow, even for Chris Hughes, who apologized for being “just an Internet dork” when he took the stage next."
(To read the rest of Dan's thoughts on the night, check out the Acumen Fund
Blog!)
Photo Credit: Michael E. Lee
One more blush-worthy quote, from Yasmina Zaidman: "Spoken word artist Sarah Kay lights a spark with each poem she shares, and you, her audience, will find that you catch on fire as you listen, if you let yourself. She has shared her spark with teenagers across the country, helping them find their voices, and I have no doubt that the power of her words has helped save lives." Wow! Thank you! --S
May 3rd, 2010. New York, NY
Project V.O.I.C.E. at The United Nations International School (UNIS)
Hooray! It was so much fun to be back at UNIS! I attended UNIS for 13 years of my life! It was wonderful to see my old teachers and beloved faculty. Our workshop at lunch was also terrific, it made me proud! Much thanks to Dr. Rajan, Mr. Muslin, Dean Magnus, and Ms. Downey for having us, and to everyone who came to cheer us on. (Also, thanks to my little brother for saying that I didn't embarrass him too badly...) I couldn't have asked for a lovelier homecoming. --S
April 28th, 2010. Providence, RI
Project V.O.I.C.E. at Sophia Academy
What a great morning at Sophia Academy. Nothing like a room full of smart, sassy middle school girls to wake you up and keep you on your toes! Sophia Academy is a wonderful place, and I was especially fond of the tennis balls on the feet of their chairs! It makes scuffling around so much quieter! Thank you to Joanna for her help in bringing us! We hope to be back soon! --S
April 7th-10th. Boston, MA.
Phil competes at The National College Poetry Championship, Gets Special Award
After being named Brown University's Grand Slam Champion, it was an absolute honor to represent Brown at College Nationals (also known as CUPSI). Brown made quite a stir - in our first year ever attending Nationals, the Brown team and I made it all the way to the semi-final stage and were given an award for "Pushing the Art Forward", competing with pieces that challenged and experimented with the artform of Spoken Word Poetry. A huge congratulations and thank you to my team members Jamila Woods, Laura Brown-Lavoie, Kai Huang and Tim Natividad - I couldn't have done it without you! --P
April 3rd, 2010. West Yorkshire, UK.
Sarah Features at the One Life Concert for the Global Health Campaign
My first time performing in the UK! And what a "brill" time it was! The Global Health Campaign is a new organization with its eyes on big things, and it was an honor and pleasure to be a part of its early stages. Performing with the talented Abbe Smith was great, and I can't even begin to express my gratitude to the Teece family for all their hard work and generosity. --S
February 28th, 2010. Boston, MA.
Phil features with Anis Mojgani, Rachel McKibbens, Oveous Maximus, Regie Cabico & Simone Beaubien
Its hard to put into words how wonderful this show was. The audience was intensely animated. The theater was gorgeous. And sharing the stage with such phenomenally talented poets is always an absolute treat. It brought a huge smile to my face to reconnect with some poets I hadn't gotten to see in a while, and was great to finally meet some I hadn't run into before. We all got to sit and watch each other's set, which made the whole event that much more special. Its always fun to get to joke around with someone in the greenroom, and then hop into the audience and appreciate how deliberate and skilled they are at their craft.
The show was hosted by Brandeis University, and raised money for a camp in Hinchem, Haiti started in 2009 by a current Brandeis student. The camp, which works to empower youth through education, has now taken on all new responsibility after the 2010 Earthquake. For more information, check out the camp's website. A huge shoutout to everyone at Brandeis who helped put the event together, as well as the very talented Brandeis slam team who also performed and held it down. Great to reconnect with everyone! --P
February 17th, 2010. Providence, RI.
Phil will represent Brown University at The College National Championships!
What an awesome night of poetry and bonding. Brown is gearing up to send its first ever team to CUPSI (College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational) otherwise known as the National College Poetry Championships. After competing alongside 13 other incredibly talented poets to decide who would represent Brown, I was honored and flattered to take first place. The Brown team is going to be a veritable force at CUPSI - the other four team members are Jamila Woods (top scorer at the NorthBeast Championship), Kai Huang, Laura Brown-Lavoie, and Tim Natividad. A huge thanks to the always incredible Jared Paul who hosted the competition, and a huge shoutout to everyone who performed, everyone was absolutely impressive. --P
January 30, 2010. Providence, RI.
Phil performs for the Benefit for Haiti
In the face of such a difficult tragedy, it was genuinely inspiring to see how many people came together to support this touching benefit. The auditorium was packed with over 500 people, and the benefit was able to raise over $2,600 that will go directly to Haiti relief efforts. A geniune thank you to everyone who helped coordinate the event and to all the people to came out and supported. Our hearts go out to everyone who is feeling the effects, both mentally and physically, of the terrible tragedy. --P
January 16, 2010.
The end of our California Tour!
What an absolutely crazy twelve days! We somehow crammed in 12 performances, 15 workshops, 1200 miles, and 4,500 total audience members! Now exhausted, inspired, and happy, we are heading back East. Thanks so much to everyone we met along the way: we were so moved by the support, kindness, and love that so many of you showed us. Thank you all and we hope to see you again soon! --P&S
January 15, 2010. San Diego, CA
Project V.O.I.C.E. at the Bishop's School
This is our second time performing at Bishops, and we had forgotten how incredibly talented they are. Not only did we have a great audience to perform in front of, during our workshop portion people came up and shared their own work and we got to workshop it hands-on. I am always blown away by the level of talent people possess - we felt lucky to hear a lot of wonderful pieces and meet some inspiring people! Thanks so much to Anna for all of your help! --P
January 14, 2010. Irvine, CA
Phil and Sarah feature at UCI
Oh man, what a show. The folks at Uncultivated Rabbits, UCI's Spoken Word group, really know how to throw an event. They packed the house, gave us some killer openers from UCI, and even made us a cake! We were absolutely pumped, and the audience was super responsive. So much thanks to Susan Diep and all the other Rabbits, and friends and fam who made the trip out— we had a fantastic time. (A special shout-out to the folks from Pali who made a pilgrimmage from LA to see us a second time around! You guys are dedicated!) --S
January 14, 2010. Huntington Beach, CA
Project V.O.I.C.E. at The Pegasus School
What a terrific group of students, and a lovely bunch of teachers. We were a little nervous about working with students who are younger than we are used to, but the kids we met at the Pegasus School were unbelievably excited about getting their Spoken Word feet wet!
We had an assembly for the entire 6th, 7th and 8th grade, and were able to work hands-on with all the 7th and 8th grade English classes. We were very impressed by the work they produced and the enthusiasm they showed! Thanks to Paul Greenwood for all his help! --S
January 13, 2010. Irvine, CA
Project V.O.I.C.E. at Tarbut V'Torah
An attentive and introspective group, the listeners at Tarbut V'Torah were a pleasure to perform for and work with. We experimented with some fun on-the-spot set changes and got to do a fun in-class writing & performance workshop. They were so diligent and eager that when we gave people a few minutes to respond to a writing prompt, the entire room went pin-drop silent while everyone scribbled away onto their papers! A big thanks to Principal Laura Roth and Daniel Epstein for making it happen! --P
January 11-12, 2010. Los Angeles, CA
Project V.O.I.C.E. at Palisades Charter School
A truly inspiring two days at Pali High. After performing for over 2,000 students over four super-powered combination performance-assembly-workshop-lectures, we are utterly exhausted, but thoroughly refreshed. Pali students are enthusiastic and supportive listeners, and impressive performers! So much gratitude to Bella McGowan and Monica Iannessa for their help in making this happen. --S
January 8, 2010. Newport Coast, CA
Phil and Sarah at Sage Hill School
This is the third time we've gotten to perform at Sage, and it is always a special show for us. Sage is not only my old high school, but the site of my poetry upbringing. I remember scribbling verses in the columns of my math notes, and my first ever public performance on the school's main lawn. It was wonderful to be back - we had about 400 people in the crowd, including teachers, family and close friends that have all meant a lot to us through the years. Thanks so much to Jason Gregory for having us back again, and everybody who
came that has supported us through all these years! --P
January 5, 2010. San Francisco, CA
Feature at Café Royale with Maxwell Kessler
I love this venue! Café Royale was such a great show last year, and we were so excited that they invited us back again this time around. We were especially thrilled to invite our good friend Maxwell Kessler, Emerson SlamMaster and Heavy Metal Guru to share our set. Max is currently on tour as well, so if you see him on the road, make sure you say hello!
A bonus surprise was having a bunch of friends from the Bay area come through, including another one of our favorite poet friends, George Watsky. George just dropped his first hip-hop album, which you should definitely get your hands on. Seriously. Much thanks to Les for hosting us, and for all the friends and fam that showed up to support! --S
January 5-6, 2010. Sunnyvale, CA
Project V.O.I.C.E. at Fremont High
Whew! What a way to start our 2010 tour! Two marathon days at Fremont High, jam-packed with performances and workshops! We did three different assemblies for 300+ students each, and even though it was so early in the morning, the audiences were great! We were thrilled when we invited people up to perform with us, and a whole bunch of students jumped up to volunteer. Fremont Poets Represent!
We also taught a whole bunch of workshops, with Phil taking over the library, and me set up in a small auditorium—some of the workshops were as big as 70+ each! Great responses and participation all around. Much thanks to Ruben Zamora for helping to bring us back, it's always great to be at Fremont! On to the next! --S
December 4th, 2009. Manchester, NH
Phil & the Providence Team are Northeast Poetry Champs!
What an awesome night of poetry! Four of us Providence poets journeyed up to Manchester, New Hampshire to represent our city in the annual NorthBEAST Regional Slam competition. It was truly an inspiring night; I was blown away by the level of talent across the board, and every city blew it out of the water. In the end though, Providence picked up the win, thanks in part to incredible performances from each of my Providence teammates. In true poet form, all the competitors went out together afterwards, and my win was avenged by losing many, many games of Arcade Buckhunter to the Boston team. A huge thanks to the rest of the Providence crew - Jamila Woods, Steve Subrizi, and Meg Thoma, and an extra shout-out to Meg who went on to win the Individual slam the next night!--P
November 24, 2009. New York, NY
Sarah at the Bowery Poetry Club's NYC Urbana
When I was 14 years old, I went to the Bowery Poetry Club for the first time. Every Thursday night the poetry slam team "NYC Urbana" hosted a night of poetry, starting with an open mic (for anyone who wanted to perform), followed by a feature poet who performed a twenty minute set (usually a Big-Name poet who was touring the country), and then followed by a poetry slam (which helped competitors qualify for the NYC Urbana team that goes to Nationals every summer). Even though I was the youngest by over a decade, and definitely did not belong at a bar, they let me hang around. I love to tell people that the Bowery Poetry Club is truly where I grew up. Every week, I hid underneath the bar and watched and wondered at the incredible poets that performed, especially the Big-Name Poets who featured. Now, NYC Urbana happens every Tuesday, but the structure is still the same, and today, for the first time, I was that Big-Name Poet! It was an enormous honor, and it was so great to see so many familiar faces; it truly felt like a home-coming. I was also so excited to teach a Wordshop about how to teach Spoken Word Poetry within a high school setting! It's something I've dedicated a lot of time to, and something I'm super passionate about. It was great to share what I've learned with people that have meant so much to me! (Check out the FAQ section to hear the audio recording!) --S
November 23, 2009. Glassboro, NJ
Sarah Performs and Teaches at Rowan University
I was up at 5:45am and on a train to New Jersey by 7:15am. Fortunately, the good people at Rowan were prepared with coffee, and an energetic audience for my performance in the Student Center! The performance was super, and I was off to a quick lunch and an interview with Ron Block on his radio podcast, "Writer's Roundtable" on Rowan Radio, 89.7 WGLS-FM. Then I led a workshop with the Undergraduate Writing program, followed by a workshop with the Graduate Writing program. A very long day, but it ran smoothly thanks to the incredible help of Dr. Deb Martin and her sidekick Megan Reese. --S
Check out Sarah Kay on Writer's Roundtable HERE
Sarah Kay on Writer's Roundtable at Rowa
MP3 Audio File [22.9 MB]
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November 20-22, 2009. Providence, RI
Phil Performs in the Brown University WORD! Show
This was such an incredible show to be a part of. The WORD! Show is a showcase of many of Brown University's most talented poets, and it was an absolute pleasure and honor to be part of the experience. Simply being in the company of so many other talented artists is inspiring and uplifting, but then having the opportunity to share that creative process with an audience was truly magical. We were lucky enough to have an overpacked crowd for all three performances, and everyone involved walked away feeling really proud of what we had put together. A huge thanks to all the other poets, the people who came and watched, and everyone behind the scenes that made the show possible! --P
November 2, 2009. Providence, RI
Phil shares the stage with Kelly Tsai
The illustrious and awesome Kelly Tsai was in town, and I had the honor of opening for her. I had home field advantage as well as a lot of familiar faces in the audience. I'm pretty sure that when I'm old and decrepit, I'll look back and remember those big hometown performances as some of my favorite memories. Kelly was absoutely great - aside from killing her set, she was thoughtful, genuine and just plain fun. A big thanks so everyone in the packed house who came, and to Kelly especially for putting on a great performance. --P
October 22, 2009. New York, NY
Phil and Sarah's Performance at the College Board's National Forum
This weekend, Sarah and I were invited to perform at the College Board's Annual National Forum. After being gone in Shanghai for all these months, it was really nice to be back up on the big stage with Sarah. The conference is enormous - over 1700 educators from colleges and high schools around the country - so we were honored to be asked to perform. But we felt at home right away - the conference was all abuzz with discussions about how to improve our school system and empower youth through education - a geniunely inspiring sight! Sarah and I got to perform a newly adapted duet piece, as well as our own solo pieces. It was wonderful to be back in the city, and meet some inspiring new faces. A huge thanks to Marge Nieuwenhuis for helping make it happen! --P
October 5, 2009. Providence, RI
Sarah's Interview on Radio Open Source
Today I was interviewed by Chris Lydon on Radio Open Source for his "Whose Words These Are" series. It was fun to meet the infamous Lydon, and I came prepared with two pieces of my own, and one "poem that started it all"— Epitaph, by Merrit Malloy. I was even prepared for some of the tricky questions he asked, but what I was not prepared for was being asked to perform "Hands"! Lydon sprung the surprise request on me at the last second, and I was worried I wouldn't even remember the piece! But I guess it's ingrained in me forever. Much thanks to Hannah Olson, Ben Mandelkern, and Paul McCarthy for their help! --S
You can check out Radio Open Source and the full interview HERE!
RadioOpenSource-WhoseWordsTheseAre-Sarah
MP3 Audio File [20.3 MB]
Download
August 9-13, 2009. New York, NY
Sarah's Performances with Lincoln Center Out of Doors,
La Casita: A Home for the Heart
What a wonderful festival! I was so lucky to be a part of four different performances with the La Casita Festival at Lincoln Center, The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, The Point CDC, and Teatro Pregones. August is a tough month in New York, but despite the drizzles and the heat, we still had some great audiences attend all four of the outdoor performances.
Photo Credit: Danny Dawson
La Casita presents the words and music of poets and ensembles in the oral traditions of Native America, Asia, The Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and North and South America. I met some incredibly talented performers, and a huge special thanks to Claudia Norman, Richard Sheinmel, and the entire cast and crew who made it all possible. --S
June 21, 2009. Cambridge, MA
Sarah's performance with Kayla Ringelheim at Club Passim
After a quick one-day recovery from my Birthday Extravaganza in New York, Kayla and I hit the road and headed to Massachusetts for this exciting gig at Club Passim! Club Passim has an amazing history, with a very impressive list of past performers: Joanne Baez, Suzanne Vega... lots of wonderful women have performed here! So it was with humble hearts that Kayla and I took the stage. It was a really lovely show, with an impressive audience. Much love and thanks to the fabulous Ringelheim family! Check out Kayla's beautiful music at her myspace! (Or on itunes!) --S
June 19, 2009. New York, NY
Sarah's Birthday Show, "Too Many Commas" at the Bowery Poetry Club
What a wonderful night! A giant room full of people I love, and a great celebration of poetry, music, and laughter! Special thanks to all the people who came out to show love, and to the incredibly talented guest artists who graced the stage with me! (Pictured here: Kayla Ringelheim, Emily Borromeo, Drew Nobile, and Lee Taglin... and also the brilliant Taylor Mali, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, and Shappy Seasholtz!) Phil sent his love from China, and we ate a piece of red velvet cake in his honor! --S
May 13, 2009. Providence, RI
Sarah's Spoken Word After School Class' Final Performance at Hope High School
Today was the final performance for my Spoken Word class at Hope High School! After a semester of working on writing techniques and performance tactics, we had a huge showcase in Ms. Thoma's classroom, and invited all of our friends. The classroom was absolutely packed!
Beforehand, nerves were pretty high, but the performance was a huge success, and Phil surprised us by stopping by to support and say hi! Everybody made a ton of progress this year, and the performances were incredibly impressive. Thanks so much to everybody for their hard work and beautiful words. Have a great summer and I'll see you next fall! --S
April 28, 2009. Waltham, MA
Phil's Feature at Brandeis University
Tonight I was invited to Brandeis University to feature. I was excited and a bit nervous - it was my first show at Brandeis since winning the Vocal 2008 Grand Slam there, and the pressure was on to put on a good show. I got lost, which made me even more anxious, and I finally got there without much time to spare before I had to go on. But as soon as I got there and talked to the Brandeis kids - the nerves melted away. I'm constantly surprised by what a supportive, geniune, and talented scene they have over there at Brandeis. A huge thanks to Justin for helping organize the show, and an especially big hug for Jason who really made it happen and treated me like family. It was a fun set - I got to play around a bit and even pull out some experimental stuff I had never performed before. I was bummed I had to head back to Providence right after, but it was a fun feature and nice to be back in the Boston scene. --P
April 15, 2009. Dedham, MA
Project V.O.I.C.E. at Nobles School
A very early morning for these two sleepy college kids! It took me 9 phone calls to wake Phil up after he had slept through his alarm clock, but somehow we still made it to Dedham on time. (Phil says it is because of his driving skills.) Nobles School is absolutely gorgeous, and the students were incredibly eager to talk with us after our set! We did two different performances in the arts building, a nice Q&A with some of the older kids, and taught a workshop with one of the eighth grade english classes. All in all, it was a pretty speedy trip: Phil and I were back to Providence by noon! Thanks to Ms. Lee for her help! --S
April 11, 2009. Providence, RI
Sarah's Performance at Wheeler School
I had a great performance today as part of a showcase for the Breakthrough Collaborative Program and SummerBridge Providence. SummerBridge Providence is a program for high achieving at-risk seventh and eighth graders in the inner city Providence public schools, and they run a Saturday workshop once a month in addition to after school programs. This month's theme was the arts, and they featured a few different performers. Apparently, the students were already familiar with my work from youtube because when I got there everybody was quoting lines from my poems back to me! After my performance, some of the students performed for us, and it was great to hear their work. Some really strong pieces, especially from some first-time poets! Thanks to Susan Yue for organizing! --S
March 6, 2009. Hartford, CT
Phil and Sarah's Feature at Trinity College
As Sarah tells it, by the end of this night, I had: got us locked out of the car, spilled on her dress, lost (and found) my wallet and got us lost in the sketchy part of Hartford (at 5 in the morning)(after making Sarah drive).
But hey. Other than that, it was a completely trouble free show.
All joking aside, the show was great. We performed in a beautiful oak hall which felt like Hogwarts and had some great openers including the love legend himself, Chase Caillouette. We tried out some new pieces, and Sarah threw down an impromptu duet with the talented Fadil on piano. It was great to jam with other talented performers as part of "The Mill". Thanks to Chase for making it happen, my wallet for turning up, and Sarah for not kicking me out. --P
February 21, 2009. Providence, RI
Sarah's Workshop with Active Bodies/Active Minds Conference at Brown University
Today I taught a workshop on Spoken Word 101 as part of the Active Bodies, Active Minds: Young Women Making Change Conference. The conference was hosted by the Brown University Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, and included a number of workshops on media and activism, self-defense, healthy relationships, audiodocumentary, etc. The keynote speaker was Reza Clifton, a leader among young women in Rhode Island. My workshop was small and intimate: about ten young women attended, and we focused on the transition from written "page" poetry to "stage" poetry since many of them were writers but had no experience performing their work. Over all, a great bunch of young ladies who were curious and enthusiastic about spoken word. Thanks to Kelsey Keith for her help! --S
February 6, 2009. Providence, RI
Project V.O.I.C.E. performs at the Ivy Leadership Summit
What a fun show. We were performing at one of my favorite venues, Solomon Auditorium at Brown University for the Ivy Leadership Summit. Its certainly the home court of my poetry world. We performed for about 300 college students invited to talk about leadership in a global future. Although Sarah and I had no solutions to offer for the problems of tomorrow, we made sure to artistically talk about them for three poems, and then promptly leave. --P
January 16, 2009. Los Angeles, CA
Performances and Workshops at The Buckley School
We had our last show of the California trip today. It was a great show to end on; a big assembly in the gym, and then two different workshops with an english class and a drama class with a lovely bunch of talented kids and teachers. We almost got lost in the hallways when a fire drill caught us off guard, but eating lunch with the students was a big treat. Its been a really wonderful tour, but now we are ready to head back east and rest up. A giant thanks to all the friends and family who have shared their dinner tables, couches, guest rooms, and laughs with us and to everyone who has made this tour possible. It's been fantastic! --S
January 15, 2009. La Jolla, CA
Performance and Workshop at The Bishops School
The Bishop's School in San Diego was a great gig today! It was a pretty intimate group of about 20: mostly students, but also a few teachers and even some alums! The small number was a really nice change of pace from the 500+ audiences we've been doing for the last little while. We started off with a full performance set, and then got started on a pretty writing-heavy workshop. Everybody participated, and we were floored by the quality of the material we saw. Before we knew it, 3 whole hours had gone by! Good thing there was a big supply of cookies to see us through. We walked away creatively energized, and physically exhausted. Poetry's a workout! A huge thanks to Christie Ryan for putting us in touch with the lovely Anna Prouty, and a big shout out to Anna for bringing us! --S
January 13, 2009. Newport Coast, CA
Performance and Workshop at Sage Hill School
The homecoming show! What a wonderful day. Sage is my old stomping ground, and its unbelievably fun to be able to come back and perform. Sarah and I decided that if there was any show to let it loose, it would be this one. So we opened the show with me riding piggy back on Sarah, blaring the first song of the Lion King, and throwing bouncy balls to the 400 people in the audience while mouthing the words to the "Circle of Life". Wah-bam.
We had a great afterschool workshop too. Thanks so much to everyone that came, especially all the alums that came back to see the show. Huge thanks to Jason Gregory, Gordon McNeil, and Chris Marshall for making this happen, and looking forward to another show next year! --P
January 8, 2009. San Francisco, CA
Feature at Cafe Royale
After a long day of workshops and performances at Fremont High School, we had a show in downtown San Francisco tonight. Although we were tired on the way up there, by the time we walked in, the adrenaline started to pump again. Cafe Royale is a classic San Francisco spot - intimate but accessible, inviting but private, easygoing yet outspoken. When we first got there, people were eating and enjoying themselves and we didn't know how trying to perform over people's conversation was going to go. As soon as we started though, we were so surprised to see that people were deeply listening and really thoughtful - we got some really touching feedback after the show and it turned out to be one of my favorites. Not to mention, we had a great turnout of Bay Area friends old and new make it out to the show. Thanks for everyone who made it and a huge thanks to Les at Cafe Royale for making it happen! --P
January 7-9, 2009. Sunnyvale, CA
Performances and Workshops at Fremont High School and Fremont Union High School District Community School
Wow! What a way to start our California tour: Three days of working with Fremont High School in a non-stop whirlwind of assemblies, performances, and workshops! We started out on Wednesday with three back-to-back performances for packed theatres and gyms, with 800-900 students in attendance! We also took a field trip next door to do a performance for the Fremont Union High School District Community School around the corner.
Thursday we were able to get in the classroom, teaching workshops with seniors from the Myth and Folklore English class, juniors from the American Literature class, and freshman from the Literature and Writing class. Special thanks to Ms. Goodman and Ms. Dwyer for lending us their students! The workshops were pretty big, with upwards of 80 students at one time. Phil and I were teaching in separate classrooms so we could split up the number of people in one place! We watched some videos, talked about the basics of Spoken Word, and did some writing prompts. Everybody went home with a writing assignment and the next day, we did some real work on performance with individual poems. The workshops were a huge success, and we got some great feedback from the students and the teachers about how much fun they had! Special thanks to Ruben Zamora for helping make everything run so smoothly! On to the next gig! --S
January 2009 Tour through California!
Two poets, one Prius, one cranky GPS system, two water bottles, Japanese gummy snacks, tangerines, and a bag of popcorn. AND AWAY WE GO!
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