PLEDGE today & LOCK IN a PRE-ORDER OF IYEOKA’S NEW ALBUM!!!
TriBe UP!!!
Campaign begins on February 28th and ends on May 27th 2010.
GET TO KNOW IYEOKA
IYEOKA is a lover of the usual–anything in full bloom, crescent moons, summer rain, miracles, most fellas named David, lazy days in June, ALL usages of the smiley face emoticon, good movies, beagles in need of a little love and a lot of exercise, soulful melodies, skinny dippers, electric blankets in the winter, happily ever after endings, watching a beautiful woman dive into an ocean and a truly brave man dive after her, poems that begin at the end, poems with clever beginnings, subliminal morals in a story, and catching side glances of thunder and rainbows in waterfalls;
IYEOKA is the sworn enemy of the ugly side of beauty, dirty underwear, MTV’s Real World except for the very first one that was the one and only REAL real world, permanent frowns–although she believes she can turn them upside down with her don’t worry be happy songs, general mud throwers and stereotypes that all Nigerians are 419 scam cons.
Born and raised in the heart of Boston by two very deep rooted Nigerian parents, Iyeoka learned from an early age the value of education and the poison of poverty, the meaning of words like hope and change and the power we have to manifest the change you were hoping for.
Now on her third installment to her life’s work, she writes deep, lyrical, catchy, soul-baring music that has drawn comparisons to the timbre of Sade and the thirst of a young undiscovered Nina Simone. She has two independent releases under her belt, 2004’s LP “Black and Blues”; 2008’s LP “Hum the Bass Line”, both produced by Francis Phan; and Fall 2009 releases of 2 of 3 EP’s leading to her third full length project, a self-titled debut album with independent label Underground Sun Records.
On the eve of mainstream recognition, Iyeoka’s newest single “The Yellow Brick Road Song”, produced by composer David Franz and recently placed in the third episode of HBO’s newest series “How To Make It In America”, embodies the raw philosophies of a hopeless optimist highlighting messages to the world that “…I know just how possible we are, we can follow our own yellow brick road. And there’s no tornado that can stop us now!”
Iyeoka is currently recording songs between Boston and LA while traveling to distances near and far offering her music and poetry for a living.
The Yellow Brick Road song by Iyeoka
more music here:
http://www.jango.com/music/IYEOKA
Boston Phoenix Best Local Poet 2010
As you may know, Iyeoka had the great honor of representing BOSTON at the Individual World Poetry Slam Competition in October 2009 and pulled off a 2nd place victory! Well, the nomination period for Best Boston Poet 2010 is open. We’d be thrilled to have you consider IYEOKA for this spot, so if you’d like, please do nominate her! You can do this by Clicking the VOTE NOW link above or by going to: http://thephoenix.com/thebest/boston/vote/nominate.aspx?cat=arts#10109 and entering “Iyeoka” in the POET category. Your vote doesn’t count until you finish with their two-part process. First, you must click “Submit Vote” and then after, you must click “Finished” and enter an e-mail address. They won’t add you to a list if you don’t check the “add me” box. If you feel uncomfortable using your real address, you can also always use any address at Mailinator.com, which can be checked (if you want to) on their web site.
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This is the girl who passed through a real rainbow two weeks ago on her way to a mountaintop that asked her to arrive 2 hrs earlier. She took her time, daydreamed sweetly in her rental car. She celebrated the detours. Turns out the rainbow waited for her.
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Sound: With a sweet soul vibe reminiscent of Sade and a fresh mix of LIVE and electronic instrumentation from production duo David Franz and Francis Phan, the new sound of spoken-word soulstress, Iyeoka (pronounced “EE-yo-kah”) is emerging as a perfect balance of thought provoking lyrics, captivating vocals and gratifying music production.
The name of the new EP “This Time Around” is far from just a slogan or a silent vow. This Time Around is an anthem addressing the hopes and dreams of each of us, from the individual to the Nation, and the innate power we all have within us to change everything. As we navigate through one of the most transitional periods of our generation, Iyeoka’s music speaks of the journey that catapults us through the challenges and triumphs, chronicling the trajectory of our lives as an extraordinary people and the changes we’d like to make This Time Around.
Iyeoka on The Dr. Thema Show **THURSDAY** 1/7/10
Tune in tomorrow to The Dr. Thema Show a weekly live internet show focused on healthy living – mentally, physically, and spiritually. Tomorrow’s topic is “Step out on faith and follow your dreams”. Dr. Thema will be interviewing Poetry Slam Champion and rising soul singer Iyeoka as well as Pastor Jamal Bryant, founder of Empowerment Temple. The program is available on-line live from 12 – 1pm Pacific and 3 – 4pm Eastern. You don’t want to miss it. When the number is given if you have a question about following your dreams or advice to our listening audience, feel free to call-in. Just go the following link to catch the show:
http://drthema.com/radio/
Thema Bryant-Davis, PhD
President Elect, Society for the Psychology of Women
Associate Professor of Psychology, Pepperdine University
Author, Thriving in the wake of trauma: A multicultural guide
www.drthema.com
the point is, she’s my hero.
i’m thinking about my mother as I’m writing this. last poem i wrote for my mother was over 10 years ago. I spoke about her hands. she loved that poem. Now that I know her so much better—I can smile at memories that I used to remember differently. i see you now mommy.
___________________________________________________________
i’m a traveler
i travel for love
to love
in search of–
pulled by it
i make it
with moments
i inherited my spirit
from my mother Aminetu.
She journeyed to the US
from Nigeria for love.
she claims for education
i say she did it for love
she loves him
Daddy needed to be challenged by an educated woman
So she gave birth to 4 children–this self made woman
She managed to achieve the highest degree in her field of education.
I call her Doctor Mommy sometimes. She loves that. My mom is just like me—
full of passion, chases rainbows like it’s her undercover mission.
She taught me how to survive everything.
She prays for me often.
I love that.
She makes me feel like
I
am
in good
hands
sparks of creativity. productive productivity. the next idea. i could go on forever with this. i think i farmed 7 harmonies today. Honestly, I have no idea what makes the perfect combination that completes me. What I do know is that Life doesn’t end in December–just the calendar year. Leads me to believe that new years have new meaning and “meaning” is a big deal. FIND IT in the moments you choose to invest in. Take this as your calling—your OMEN of good things coming, your vision of a beckon. You can begin again. Not quite born again. But close enough to taste the wind like it was your first time flying.
(THESE WORDS born FROM A BLOG I WROTE HERE) because i gotta trick myself into writing sometimes.
I sculpted my spirit a perception of love.
I beckoned my heart to look upon this image daily
and return with word of the vision the heart felt.
The heart confessed that her eyes were hungry.
Distant was the memory of her last love’s feast.
Lost was the promise of a love labeled new.
The heart replied lovingly to me,
“This sculpture reminds me of you.”
Iyeoka ivie Okoawo 2009 ©
NEW IYEOKA TRACKS NOW ON LALA.COM!!!
YOU ARE JUST ONE CLICK AWAY…
leave a review on the LALA site. She likes it when you TESTIFY.
IYEOKA’S 2nd EP Out on November 28!
Old School Iyeoka fans are surely aware of Iyeoka’s poem “Run Into the Rain…” we are pleased to announce that (due to popular demand) the poem is now officially being introduced to the rest of the world. A studio recording of the poem will be available on her next EP of the same title Run Into the Rain (Underground Sun, 2009), along with another familiar song “Descending” for the first time, will be available for download on iTunes through TuneCore on November 28th, 2009.
But wait, there’s more! A live performance of the poem Run Into the Rain will also soon be available and featured exclusively on the next Poetry Slam Inc’s (PSI) 2009 WPSI DVD as it is one of the poems that led Iyeoka to a 2nd place win at the Individual World Poetry Slam competition last month in Berkeley, CA.
This is one image on the short list of possibles to represent the cover artwork for the 2nd of 3 EP's proceeding the March 2010 highly anticipated Release of IYEOKA'S Full length Album
AVAILABLE NOW ON ITUNES
CLICK BELOW to purchase Iyeoka’s This Time Around EP & WRITE A REVIEW DIRECTLY ON ITUNES TO RATE THE EP/***** JUST CLICK ON THIS ALBUM COVER TO BE REDIRECTED TO ITUNES—thanks for your support!
Our goal is to get a bunch of REVIEWS on itunes before the release of the 2nd EP. If you like the songs buy it–it’s just $2.99 and it directly supports the full album!!!
poem from MASTER WORKSHOP @ WELLESLEY COLLEGE
Here, Iyeoka Journeys to Wellesley College one week after presenting a concert at the Multi-Faith Center. She guides participants into a free write collaboration that introduces the first three sentences of this poem. She challenges herself along with participants to accept an invitation to create a current anthem.
Impractically, water becomes roses.
Roses create vessels for spontaneous collecting clouds.
We slide in-between—effortlessly.
And perhaps this is why we come
Bending in these rituals
Finding joy in the trees that appear
As dark shadows in the backdrop of a grey sky
Finding joy in pretending there is a grand piano
creating music somewhere in the distance
Finding joy in believing ANYTHING is possible
That ANYWHERE is exactly where you can find yourself
Knowing that this time—THIS time…
I will find my way.
-Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo
Official Release of Iyeoka’s This Time Around EP
Sound: With a sweet soul vibe reminiscent of Sade and a fresh mix of LIVE and electronic instrumentation from production duo David Franz and Francis Phan, the new sound of spoken-word soulstress, Iyeoka (pronounced “EE-yo-kah”) is emerging as a perfect balance of thought provoking lyrics, captivating vocals and gratifying music production.
The name of the new EP “This Time Around” is far from just a slogan or a silent vow. This Time Around is an anthem addressing the hopes and dreams of each of us, from the individual to the Nation, and the innate power we all have within us to change everything. As we navigate through one of the most transitional periods of our generation, Iyeoka’s music speaks of the journey that catapults us through the challenges and triumphs, chronicling the trajectory of our lives as an extraordinary people and the changes we’d like to make This Time Around.
the science of slamming
Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo will be among the ninety-six of the world’s top performance poets, representing slam venues from around the globe, converging for three days of competition and community for the 2009 Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS) Oct 8-10 in Berkeley, California.** Iyeoka writes on the science of slamming:
I say for arts sake SLAM a poem.
You can READ a poem just as casually
as you can declaim what is on your mind.
You can take a stab at leaving OUT the poetry and the rhyme.
Delete the memory and the melody.
Leave the gut alone.
Forget about who is listening.
Better yet, stop listening to poems you could never write on your own.
Choose to rearrange the game to pronounce every poet who touches the stage a champion.
or…you can watch what happens when the rules of engagement is injected into the formula. You can write the syllabus, the curriculum, the objectives of the movements. You can DANCE if you want to.
You can witness the emergence of a qualitative standard of fierceness.
You can testify to a simple action suddenly becoming more difficult to accomplish.
A moment involving voice and words, body and microphone to materialize into the art of balancing strategy and poetry.
This is the science of slamming.
Technically anyone of us can win.
To win is not why we come.
To lose is NOT why we come.
We come to slam.
Anything else would be uncivilized…
or boring.
**Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo went on to win the 2nd place title at the 2009 IWPS competition on October 10th, 2009.
This Time Around on SOUNDCLOUD
The Yellow Brick Road song by Iyeoka
YBR is about the journey of a moVement. Much like the road President OBAMA lead us on to bring us to such an incredible time of change, this song is our anthem and a testimony that marks our readiness to CELEBRATE that road to change.
Produced by Francis Phan (Phanai Media Group) and David Franz Composer, Producer, & Engineer (Underground Sun Studio) Digital Media Developer, Author, & Instructor (Berklee College of Music & Lynda.com) Contributing Writer (Electronic Musician & DigiZine)
WHY FACEBOOK IS TURNING ME INTO AN INSOMNIAC (selective-narcolepsy-style)
So i was actually a selective narcoleptic-insomniac way before FB.
But i have come to realize that i enjoy the paparazzi-celebrity effect that FB activity provides for my catalogue of moments longing for permission to proceed towards procrastination and miscellaneous information. Especially with the latest upgrade and updated format of the Facebook app on the IPHONE (thanks Francis). I get my dose often. It’s like Calcium. I used to read the STAR magazine and PEOPLE. Now I just check out the FB newsfeed to see where my peeps are at. Holla! The news they care about enough to +share/ click link this. It’s like making superheroes out of ordinary citizens. I’m on it. It does a body good. RED CARPETS ARE EVERYWHERE. Really, everywhere. No, I’m not paranoid. Check out my 1,001 photos of me (literally). Check the Tag-gloids (wordplay on Tabloids), event reports: Where they went to dinner last night. What concert rocked and why. Who won the slam last night? Who’s going to IWPS? Who’s in love, who broke up, who thinks everything is always so complicated? Who’s writing poems? Hell, who’s got 20 (likes) on a status update posted 10 minutes ago. Enquiring minds WANT TO KNOW. Apparently. So keep up the good work all 1,642 of my closest friends, fans, stalkers and colleagues. I can’t tell you when I’m going to finally outgrow this. I’m sure at some point we all will. Twitter this: Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo reports 1,642 was the friend count at the time of this post.
Is this news REALLY worthy of reporting? Probably not. But that’s the VERY essence of the FACEBOOK NATION that makes this phenomena so intriguing.
I Travel Home
I travel home to remember the sound of morning
I choose the evening to pray I remember this as it is
For when the city returns
When the sound of the green-line trolley cars and skyscrapers
Surround my senses diminishing this version of my imagination—
I will remember this
The silence and the night time
I will remember red sand on bare feet
My skin sticky glistening in the sun
My hair like untamed wool
I will remember the air thick of Africa
I will remember my mother in the night
And the children she cares for
I will see them once more as they play
Peeking at me from the crack in the doorway
I will remember my aunti– her famous Jeloff rice
Asking me in flawless Ishan native tongue
“ofure…Onegbe?”…How is everything…your too skinny”
And I struggling to keep up clumsily responding
“Butayay aunti?” That means, I don’t know what you just said
I will remember the market place
The women selling smoked corn and plantain
The taste of moy-moy and egusi
The sound of Doris pounding yam
Fresh oranges from the Arrimogiga farm
When Boston city lights mask the majesty of my favorite constellations
I will remember the moon…
Pregnant and smiling
Because I am a poet
Invested enough to write about it
Perhaps because I am a poet
I will remember the unseen
The homeless and the beggars, the roadside wanderers,
people just trying to survive
Children roadside selling cell phones and unwanted trinkets
I will remember the local roads
Beaten and eroded by rain and time
Huts built beside a 15 story hotel skyrise
So many having so much
Neighbors with others living with nothing
But the hand me downs on their backs
And the realities of poverty crushing their
promises of tomorrow
I leave behind my rose colored glasses
In my grandfather’s village
Because when my plane finally lands back in Boston
I want to believe that Nigeria changes me every time
These moments teach me how to recognize what we take for granted
constant electricity and clean water
hospitals on every corner
the opportunity to rise beyond our native borders
These are the details that risk a fate of becoming forgotten or lost
Like sounds of the morning
For when the city returns
When the sound of the green-line trolley cars and skyscrapers
Surrounds my senses diminishing this version of my imagination
I will remember this
We need to remember this
By Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo 2009 ©
Iyeoka to Pay Tribute to Mia Farrow at Kennedy Center
PRLog.Org – Global Press Release Distribution
Leon H. Sullivan Foundation hosting Star Studded 6th Biennial Awards dinner at Kennedy Center in DC
By Phanai Media Group Dated: Aug 27, 2009
Boston Poet Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo to Pay Tribute to Mia Farrow during 2009 Leon H. Sullivan Summit Awards at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Quincy Jones, Henry Louis Gates and Tyler Perry Also to be Honored.
The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation will host their Sixth Awards Ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Art in Washington DC on August 27, 2009. The honorees will be celebrated for their advocacy, humanitarian efforts and contributions to helping the poor and disadvantaged worldwide. The 2009 Honorees are Founder, Wheels to Africa, Winston Duncan; actress/activist, Mia Farrow, scholar and educator, Dr. Henry Louis Gates; composer/musician Herbie Hancock; mobile communications entrepreneur Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim; Grammy-award winning conductor, producer/arranger, Quincy Jones; and actor/producer/playwright, Tyler Perry.
The program will also include a special performance poetry and song tribute presented by Nigerian poet and vocalist Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo to Mia Farrow who has stood at the forefront of advocacy for the underprivileged in Africa for years working tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for children in those afflicted areas.
“The poem I will present testifies to the journey of awareness and action that occurs when leaders in our worldwide community armed with resources, heart and a voice choose to allow themselves to be inspired enough to speak out about conflicted and developing regions in Africa,” offers Iyeoka. “All of these honorees have that in common and I am honored to celebrate them at the Award Ceremony.”
Like Ms. Farrow, Iyeoka uses her position in the spotlight to work for positive social change. As official spokesperson for the Amenawon foundation, a non profit focusing on projects in smaller villages that often fly under the radar of international resource pools, Iyeoka uses her inspiring poetic abilities to raise awareness of global public health issues and speaks out on how these challenges resonate in the lives of rural villagers in Nigeria.
The honorees will be celebrated Thursday, August 27, 2009 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (reception 6:30 p.m.; program 8:00 p.m.). Among many event highlights; Ambassador Andrew Young (the Chairman of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation) will pay a tribute to His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, President of The Republic of Kenya.
“We will always portray the best of Africa and bring the majesty of the continent to her lost sons and daughters,” said Hope Masters, President and CEO of the Sullivan Foundation. “We are bringing the finest elements of Africa for everyone to enjoy; we are going to honor amazing people who contribute to making the world better.”
The evening also serves as a platform to showcase the Ninth Leon H. Sullivan Summit (The Summit) which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya July 19-23, 2010. Held every two years in Africa, the Summit is designed to enable African countries and other friends of Africa an opportunity to focus on economic empowerment, self-help, social responsibility and human rights.
The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation is a 501c3 designed to carry on the spirit and legacy of Reverend Leon H. Sullivan, the great African-American international humanitarian who dedicated his life advocating for the poor and disadvantaged in Africa and worldwide.
### Phanai Media Group is a Boston based interactive agency, independent record label and front office for the works of founder and CEO Francis Phan.http://www.phanai.com/
RE-CONNECTING the SLAM Dots between Brave New Voices (BNV) and THE National Poetry Slam (NPS) International COMPETITIONS
FOR ME—PART OF THE REASON WHY I FIND MYSELF RETURNING YEAR AFTER YEAR TO COMPETE THROUGH THE ART OF SLAM POETRY IN THE NATIONAL LEVEL IS BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT THE EXPERIENCE GOES WELL BEYOND THE COMPETITION. MY EXPERIENCE AT THE 12TH ANNUAL BRAVE NEW VOICES HELD IN CHICAGO, WHICH WAS ALSO MY FIRST EXPERIENCE AT A BNV, SHOWED ME THAT ALL OF OUR EXPERIENCES WITH SLAM HAS CLEARLY GONE WELL BEYOND BEING JUST A COMPETITION. IT IS A TRUE CONVERSATION CONNECTING A COMMUNITY OF POETS. THE MOMENT WE FIND A WAY TO EFFICIENTLY AND VISIBLY LINK BNV WITH THE COLLEGIATE TO NPS WE WILL HAVE TRULY MOBILIZED A REVOLUTION WITH THE SYNERGISTIC CAPABILITIES OF EVANGELIZING THE SPOKEN WORD MEDIUM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD. NOTHING ELSE HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT WITH THIS GENRE. WE FINALLY HAVE THE PIECES TO MAKE THIS MOVEMENT FIT SOMETHING INCREDIBLE AND SO MUCH BIGGER THAN ANY OF US INDIVIDUALLY. I BELIEVE IN THIS. I HAVE BECOME A WITNESS TO THE GROWTH. I AM CONSTANTLY IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING. I AM A PARTICIPANT. I HAVE BECOME A MENTOR. I AM A BELIEVER IN THE IMPORTANCE FOR US TO RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER AS NECESSARY VOICES FOR THE GREATER GROWTH AND INTEGRITY OF THE MOVEMENT. WE MUST KEEP IT FRESH AND THE EXISTENCE OF THESE THREE MAJOR components PROVIDES AN UNOFFICIAL NATIONAL REALITY CHECK TO BALANCE THE PASSION, THE FUN, AND THE SOCIALLY ACTIVE AND ENERGIZED PROFESSIONALISM OF THAT WHICH HAS BEEN LABELED SPOKEN WORD POETRY.
-Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo-July 26,2009
10X consecutive competitor
at the National Poetry Slam
Iyeoka will be representing Boston this summer competing on the 2009 Lizard Lounge Team at the 20th Annual National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach, FL from August 3-8th
***On October 10th 2009, Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo went on to winning the 2nd place prize at the 2009 INDIVIDUAL WORLD POETRY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIPS held in BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
12th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival
Youth Speaks Inc., the nation’s leading spoken word organization, is proud to present, in partnership with Columbia College of Chicago & Young Chicago Authors, the 12th annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival.
Convening the top young poets and spoken word artists, aged 13-19, from across the United States and beyond, Brave New Voices is a one-of-a-kind festival that truly engages everyone involved; from the participants, to the adult mentors and the audience members. Each year, Brave New Voices is held in a different city, highlighting the changing demographics of the country and a new poetic and politic for the 21st Century. For the second time, the six-day festival will be held in Chicago.
Brave New Voices 2009 features over 500 Teen Poetry Slam Champions from 45 parts of the country and 5 additional cities from across the globe, representing over 50,000 young poets in their local communities. These young writers are a diverse, creative, intelligent group of trendsetting community and cultural leaders. They come to Brave New Voices each year not only to compete, but to attend world-class workshops led by renowned poets and writers, participate in youth development programs, and highlight the voices of a new generation of leadership.
Following the April airing of the HBO special Brave New Voices – which filmed youth from across the country as they prepared for, and participated in, Brave New Voices 2008 in Washington DC – the festival in Chicago will be the largest, most high-visible Brave New Voices yet.
The 5-day festival features 25 events across Chicago, from July 14-19, in community-based theaters, major performance venues, public spaces and college campuses.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION FEATURING IYEOKA IVIE OKOAWO
Art AS LIfE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
BRAVE NEW VOICES 2009 CHICAGO
Workshop Description:
Living as a professional artist takes initiative and perseverance. If we are to survive doing what we love we must first find the avenues and pathways to succeed within it.
ART AS LIFE is a new PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM that introduces youth poets to the ins and outs of creating a viable foundation into navigating potential future income streams and career opportunities in spoken word. This workshop will give access to resources for individual art funding, a comprehensive “cheat-sheet” for establishing a strategic professional resume, and information on expanding your artistic profile and repertoire beyond the “slam”. Drawing from roundtable discussions, research on best practices in the spoken-word field, and artists’ on-the-ground experience, this workshop incorporates a step-by-step overview of the topic, partner exercises and case studies. We will present “the process of becoming”, putting your art into action (ie: teaching, mentoring, project development etc), and working through the social/familial/political challenges of a career as an artist. Handouts will include University slam resources, a Find Your Approach list to begin framing your career strategy, and quick tips for building your support group.
Led by IYEOKA IVIE OKOAW & MATT GANO
BRAVE NEW VOICES 2009 SCHEDULE
===================================
OPENING CEREMONY
Tuesday July 14, 2009
5pm to 7pm
Art Institute of Chicago
112 S Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603
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AFTER DARK ACTIVITIES
Tuesday July 14, 2009
Multiple Locations
YCA PRESENTS: WORDPLAY
Tuesday July 14, 2009
7:30pm to 10pm
Barnes and Nobles
1 East Jackson St.
Chicago, IL
Hosted by FM SUPREME & Shadell Jamison
FEATURING; DEJA K. TAYLOR, SHANNON MATESKY, GEORGE WATSKY, JOSHUA BENNETT, ALEXIS MARIE, ALYSIA HARRIS, MILES HODGES, MELANIE AKA GEORGE, LTAB COLLEGE SLAM TEAM * Special performance by Purpose of Life
_______________________________________________________
Columbia College Chicago: 8 – 10pm
623 S. Wabash- Coaches Meeting
731 Plymouth Court- Peoples Championship Qualifier
618 S. Michigan-Peoples Championship Qualifier
618 S. Michigan- Contest Workshops
618 S. Michigan- Networking Activity(Cyber Café)
Columbia College Chicago: 10 – 12am
623 S. Wabash- Late Night Open Mic
731 Plymouth Court- Peoples Championship Qualifier
618 S. Michigan- Peoples Championship Qualifier
618 S. Michigan- BNV Future Corps Workshop
618 S. Michigan- Cyber Cafe
===================================
===================================
WRITING WORKSHOPS
Wednesday July 15, 2009
9am to 2pm
Columbia College Chicago
33 E. Congress and 623 S. Wabash.
Chicago, IL 60603
*Registration for these Writing Workshops takes place on Tuesday, July 14th at the Festival Check-in table.
===================================
OPENING PLENARY
Wednesday July 15, 2009
9am to 10am
Art Institute of Chicago
112 South Michigan
Chicago, IL
===================================
NATIONAL TOWN HALL MEETING
Wednesday July 15, 2009
3pm to 5pm
Art Institute of Chicago
112 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603
===================================
FIRTS WAVE/KUUMBA LYNX
Wednesday July 15, 2009
7pm to 9pm
618 S. Michigan
Chicago , IL 60605
===================================
SPEAK GREEN POETRY SLAM
Wednesday July 15, 2009
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
610 S. Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60605
===================================
AFTER DARK ACTIVITIES
Wednesday July 15, 2009
9:30pm to 12am
Multiple Locations
Columbia College Chicago: 10 – 12am
731 Plymouth Court- Peoples Championship Quarters
623 S, Wabash- Peoples Championship Quarters
618 S. Michigan- MC Olympic Quali Fire
618 S. Michigan- Future Corps Workshop(Pre Registration Required)
618 S. Michigan- Cyber Café Open Mic (Space is Limited)
===================================
QUARTERFINALS
Thursday July 16, 2009
9:30am to 11:45am
Poetry In Motion at Esalen
Making her 4th appearance at the Esalen Institute, Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo accompanied by musician David Franz will be presenting an Artistic Offering of empowering poetry and music. Iyeoka is one of the leading presenters of this hybridized genre of music intertwining spoken word. Themes for the evening will include work from her newest Cd and her latest collection of poetry that speaks of her learning journey’s to Oaxaca Mexico, Hawaii and to her homeland of Nigeria.
The Esalen Institute is a center in Big Sur, California, in the United States, for humanistic alternative education and a nonprofit organization devoted to multidisciplinary studies ordinarily neglected by traditional academia. Esalen offers more than 500 public workshops a year in addition to invitational conferences, residential work-study programs, research initiatives, and internships.
“Iyeoka embodies such a unique gift, which she beautifully and willingly shares. It is the gift of transmuting one’s personal experience into a collective expression of the human condition. She bears witness to experience with her riveting presence, her vulnerability, her joy and her sublime artistry. Her voice stirs the soul to remember what it is to be human and we become connected to all other human beings through her stories and songs.”
Margaret Wheatley, author, “Leadership and the New Science” and many other writings
IYEOKA IVIE OKOAWO RECEIVES REVIEW FROM Page and Stage EVENT @ ACADEMY OF MUSIC IN NORTHAMPTON
Yesterday’s Spoken Word: Page and Stage, put on by the Northampton Arts Council as part of their Four Sundays in February series, was a variety show at its best.
The three headliners were US Poet Laureate Richard Wilbur and slam poets Taylor Mali and Iyeoka Okoawo. They were joined by members of the Hampshire Slam Collective and UMass MFA candidates. By sharing the stage with each other they implied respect for one another. It was a beautiful thing.
Iyeoka Okoawo performed with a strong, honest voice and powerful imagery. Richard Wilbur read regally. …
I attended the event to support the poetry community – and there was a great showing, as the Academy of Music was nearly filled by several hundred people. Thanks to all who made the show possible!
Posted by Kat Good-Schiff at 12:50 PM
The Return of Hip-Hop’s Slick Rick to Boston at Harpers Ferry and The Rise of The Rock by Funk Tribe
Boston-based band IYEOKA & the Rock by Funk Tribe opens for legendary rapper from the Bronx, SLICK RICK backed by Bad Rabbits, happening on February 27 at Harpers Ferry. The evening promises to showcase to Hip-Hop fans the true “ART OF STORYTELLING”.
Iyeoka and the Rock by Funk Tribe Supports Slick Rick @ Harpers Ferry Feb 27th FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) – Feb 04, 2009 – Slick Rick is scheduled to headline Harpers Ferry on the 27th of the month with backing band Bad Rabbits. Opening act, Iyeoka & the Rock by Funk Tribe will be present to light up the microphones and the stage to support the British-born MC. From supporting act role to popular international world music group ZAP MAMA at the Paradise Rock Club this past summer, to the “La Di Da Di” Grammy nominated Hip-Hop Icon SLICK RICK at Harpers Ferry on Friday, February 27th, the Rock by Funk Tribe is quickly making their name as a refreshing sound emerging in the Boston music scene. Backed by a tight tribe of solid musicians fronted by both a male and female vocalist, award winning national slam poetess Iyeoka Okoawo and Hip-Hop MC B.Cap of The Press Project, make up the heartbeat of the Rock by Funk Tribe. Clearly capable of crossing genres, one merely needs to consider the magic of blending an Unplugged Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott and Jay-Z vibe to create a magnetic duo interweaving harmonies, lyrics and poetry. The combination is a hip-hop-funk-soul-poetry LIVE band that is dynamically fitting to support Slick Rick who has been nicknamed both “The Ruler” and “The Storyteller” due to his success at influencing an entire culture with his elaborate and witty narratives. In October of 2008, Slick Rick was honored on the VH1 Hip Hop Honors show for his more than 20-year career contribution to Hip-Hop nation. Iyeoka explains fondly, “… I still remember my NU college days going through my college party walking phase with my girls and getting down on the dance floor when “La Di Da Di” (we like to party) would come on. Everybody knew the words. I can only imagine at this point what it feels like for a cross-generational audience to get that ‘old school’ familiar with your hooks and lyrics. I’m honored to share the stage with the legendary Slick on the 27th and shut the month down on this 2009 RBFT February Funky College Tour at the H. Ferry.” In addition to being featured performers at the 2008 Boston Arts Festival and the 29th Annual Oktoberfest in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Iyeoka and the Rock by Funk Tribe are featured monthly to an enthusiastic and diverse crowd at the Alchemist Lounge in Jamaica Plain, MA, consistently filling the house to capacity with a line out the door. As one of the most sought after poetry slammers in the country and a 2008 National Performance Network/NCCC Artist Residency Award recipient, Iyeoka Okoawo has been embraced for the fresh infusion of poetry and music she offers to the Northeast college circuit. This month, Iyeoka, along with her Rock by Funk Tribe will be embarking on the February Funky College Tour that includes Simmons College, Northeastern University, Massachusetts College of Art, Wellesley College and Wheaton College among other universities to celebrate Black History Month.
message to you
Keep Heaven close wherever you go.
a good place to put it is in your back pocket.
Heaven comes in handy you know.
So hold the globe.
You’re invincible now.
