HERE is the arc of our influences…

Oh yes…it’s back!!!  The international poetry youth slam event of the year. It is the event that showed me how imperative it is for me to empower MORE youth to pick up this incredible art form that is steadily shifting and inspiring us into limitless directions. Since my invitation last year to host, perform and present my STAY POET professional development workshop at Brave New Voices in Chicago in 2009, I went on to winning a title at the Individual World Poetry Slam competition and spending my year implementing this passion to focus on the youth as often as I am able. I have such an incredible personal story to spread and I have seen countless youth who have picked up a pen to explore and implement the strategic retelling of just as many incredible stories.

On the record

We speak for more than just ourselves with our poems.

TIPS TO SLAM:

-Create a voice that has an intention

-The subject can be a struggle. Pick one that allows you to offer your unique voice or a new perspective.

-It’s ok if poetry begins as just a hobby for you. The more you write, the better you will become at your hobby. Your interest will go on and on until the break of dawn.  The break of dawn for me was the moment I implemented a plan to leave my full time, well paying pharmacy job to write and perform my poems full time.

-There is a part of life not being documented. Find it. Write about it. Slam it. Then stay a poet.

At the Brave New Voices festival there is an event featuring the finalists of the Global Climate Change poetry contest, this event takes place on Wednesday, July 21st at Club Nokia. Winners gain a free trip to The Sundance Film Festival in January 2011.

BRAVE NEW VOICES SPEAK GREEN

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE FESTIVAL THIS WEEK VISIT: http://www.bravenewvoices.org/

Iyeoka, who was recently selected as a 2010 Global TED Fellow

attended the TED Global Conference last week in Oxford, England. She had been invited to present songs off her latest EP “Yellow Brick Road”.

Iyeoka is currently back in LA filming her “behind the music” video journey leading to the completion of her debut album with Underground Sun based in Venice CA. The record will be released as a new full length album in the fall of 2010.