Queens VOICES: A Poetry & Spoken Word Experience + Open Mic

InspiredWordNYC (http://inspiredwordnyc.com) presents Queens VOICES: A Poetry & Spoken Word Experience @ the stunningly artsy Queens Council on the Arts in Long Island City, Queens - an amazing and amazingly diverse phenomenon of an event celebrating Queens-based literary artists + limited open mic. All Ages Welcome. Any non-performer under 14 years old is free. Tickets are $10. Early Bird Audience/Non-Performer for $5 and $7. $15 at the door and with less than 24 hours before the event. Featuring Dynamic Poets, Writers, Spoken Word Artists, Performance Artists from the largest, most diverse borough. LIMITED OPEN MIC (Poetry or Spoken Word ONLY. NO MUSIC or COMEDY!) between 7-8pm. 5 Minute Time Limit. ***FYI - Hate speech will not be tolerated and will lead to banning. Our mission is to unify, not divide.*** Featured Poets/Spoken Word Artists Danielle Bero was born in Queens to hippie parents, given a dose of Shel Silverstein, Tupac, Jazz and classic rock. She was the recipient of a Posse Scholarship and nominated for the Daily News Unsung Hero in Education. Danielle is a Fulbright scholar, teacher and co-founded a school for students in foster-care. She received a master’s in English Education, Educational Leadership and completed her MFA at the University of San Francisco. She’s won slam competitions at Nuyorican’s Poets Café, Bowery Poetry Club, Ubud Writer’s festival and won The Saints and Sinners poetry competition. She’s a Jack Straw Cultural Center Fellow and is published in New American Writing, Sinister Wisdom, Lavender Review, Quiet Lightning, Mad Woman in the Attic, Juked, and Divine Feminist and Aunt Flo Anthologies. Fruit Loops is Danielle’s debut as a screenwriter and director. Her stories aim to share true representations of women and the queer community. Bero is a lifelong creative, traveler and educator, previously the principal of a public high school in Brooklyn, looking to bring short films, open mics and music/poetry to the forefront of everyday life. You can catch her on IG @BeroQueensPoet and www.daniellebero.com Grei (she/they) is a poet, filmmaker, and educator who has been a featured poet at the New York City Poetry Festival, SUNY Old Westbury, DePauw University, Triad Theater, and several popular open mic venues in New York City. She has been published in the anthologies “Ritmo Que Late” and "Ni de Aqui, Ni de Alla" from the Dominican Writers Association, as well as Sarah Lawrence College’s “Lumina Journal." Grei is a former 2018-2019 Fulbright U.S Student Researcher and conducted research on the intersections of film and folklore in the Dominican Republic, where they created their award-winning short film “Si Ardiera La Ciudad.” Jean-Sebastien Surena is a Haitian-American poet and spoken word artist who first discovered poetry during a homework assignment in the sixth grade, where he wrote a love poem deemed (by his teacher) “too passionate to share with the rest of the class.” In June 2021, one year after the start of the pandemic, Jean published his debut chapbook Quarantined Thoughts. The collection of poems serves an amalgamation of the emotions felt during the pandemic while also serving as timeless pieces that resonate in present time. On release, Quarantined Thoughts charted on Amazon’s top 10 African American poetry new releases, selling copies in 5+ countries. He co-directed a short film based on one of its pieces, “Unbroken,” and was selected to six film festivals, winning “Best Poetry” and “Best Performance.” You can find some of his work published in the Pulsebeat Poetry Journal, 5x Poetry, and Orchards Poetry Journal. Jesse Sussman is a poet and artist, despite a lifetime of wrestling with whether he can call himself one. Raised in Jackson Heights, Jesse hosts the Expression Over Perfection podcast, where he has conversations with artists about the creative process, staying connected to your authentic expression, working with the inner critic, and what it means to be human. In addition to writing, he is currently exploring hip-hop as a cultural bridge, by learning to rap in as many languages as possible. Alejandro C. is a Honduran/Peruvian poet born and raised in Queens who has written for 10 years and featured in InspiredWordNYC's marquee event NYC VOICES repping Queens. His poetry, influenced by such poets as Whitman, Louise Glück, and Gabriela Mistra, tends toward introspection and coming of age. He currently lives in College Point and has dreams of being a renowned poet/author one day. ***** When: Friday, Oct. 27 7-10pm Doors Open at 6:30pm Where: Queens Council on the Arts 5-11 47th Avenue Long Island City, Queens Why: Because culture & arts, great literary events are vital to Queens and to New York City *****

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Donations are welcome and appreciated. Use the donation option on the event page. ***** Make sure to bring a printed-out version of your ticket/tickets or be prepared to show your ticket/tickets (with confirmation number) on your phone. Please Note: No TRANSFERS or REFUNDS will be granted less than 24 before the event, though you are welcome to find REPLACEMENTS for your tickets. ***** Produced by the long-running Mike Geffner Presents The Inspired Word, which has featured Grammy, Golden Globe, Tony, Obie, and Pulitzer Prize winners, as well as Emmy nominees, American Idol finalists, America's Got Talent finalists, and HBO Def Poetry stars. Directions Take the 7 train to Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue station