GREAT show for you TONIGHT - don't miss it!! (just $5 b4 9pm too)
OaklandSlam
2012 season in stunning style with a feature of thrilling proportions!
One of not just the nations but the world's (The WORLD son!) premiere
spoken-word artists hits our stage - Joaquin Zihuatanejo. If you've
never heard Joaquin then you are seriously missing out. He'll be
sharing the stage with tour partner Natasha Carrizosa and promises a
set full of powerful multivoice work in addition to his award-winning
signature solo work.
Natasha Carrizosa is a mother, a dreamer, and a lover of music and
life. She is a poet/spoken word artist who celebrates her dual
heritage (African- and Mexican-American) with works that weave an
intoxicating blend of cultures, languages and impressions. She has
shared the stage with Maya Angelou, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, E. Lynn
Harris and countless other poets, authors, and artists. Her writings
have been featured in Rhapsody, Her Mark, and x magazine (United
Kingdom.) She is the author of mejiafricana, a spoken word CD and nude
– a collection of love and erotic poems. She recently recorded her
second spoken word CD – the dreamcatcher. In 2008 she collaborated
with Joaquín Zihuatanejo on of fire and rain - a spoken word CD that
is a testimony of life/love that spans from the barrios of East Dallas
to the ghettos of the west indies. Selections from of fire and rain
were published by Poetry in Motion, and organization that promotes the
work of young American poets by publishing their work alongside the
work of masters from the past on trains, subways, and buses across The
United States. Natasha is the 2010 Austin International Poetry Slam
Champion and one of two American poets chosen to represent The United
States at El Proyecto Poesia Slam 2010 in Madrid, Spain.
Joaquín Zihuatanejo is a father, husband, poet, and award-winning
teacher. In his work he strives to capture the duality of the Chicano
culture. The conquered and the conqueror, the Pagan and the Christian,
and the earth and the sky all find refuge in his voice. Joaquín has
shared a stage with Maya Angelou, Billy Collins, E. Lynn Harris, Saul
Williams, and Alicia Keys among others. He is the author of BARRIO
SONGS and co-author, along with Natasha Carrizosa, of the collection
of poems OF FIRE AND RAIN. Joaquin has recorded seven spoken word CDs,
Barrio Songs, Stand Up and Be Heard, Live at Longwood, of fire and
rain, a spoken word collaboration with Natasha Carrizosa, Child of the
Hood Days, HOPE 5 MILES, and Barbaric Yawps: Best of Joaquín
Zihuatanejo for Students. Joaquín is the winner of the 2008 Individual
World Poetry Slam Championship and the 2009 European World Cup of
Poetry Slam Championship held in Paris, France making him the number
one ranked slam poet in the world on both sides of the Atlantic in the
same year. Joaquin along with Natasha was one of two American poets
chosen to represent The United States at El Proyecto Poesia Slam 2010
in Madrid, Spain. Joaquin was recently awarded the Artist in Residence
Award by the National Hispanic Cultural Center and spent most of the
summer writing and teaching at the NHCC in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Joaquín recently performed at the La Casita 2011 Project produced by
Lincoln Center Out of Doors in New York City in early August of 2011,
and joined Natasha for a feature performance at the Inspired Word
Reading Series and the Nuyorican Poet’s Café in September of 2011.
Joaquin recently became the only poet on the planet to win the $2,000
Arkansas Grand Slam three times, winning the championship in 2005,
2008, and 2011. Joaquín has two passions in his life, his wife, Aída
and poetry, always in that order.
As always we'll start the show with the patented WIDE-Open-Mic
(singers, comics, MCs welcome). If you wanna rep The Bay at The
National Poetry Slam in August in Charlotte this is where you go to
qualify.
The Oakland Poetry Slam & Open-Mic
Featuring Joaquin Zihuatanejo & Natasha Carrizosa
Thursday December 8th 2011, 8pm - 11pm
The Oasis Restaurant & Bar
135 12th St (@ Madison)
$5 before 9pm / $7 after