on veterans day, i was the writing assignment, the live in-class lesson on poetry for 8th graders at stoddert middle school in temple hills, md. here is part of my poem written up to be dissected by the students. we were working on making inferences using our background knowledge and text clues. the day before, … Continue reading inferences and poetry workshops
Category: news
Jon, Barack, Saul, Amy, Van & Dick
this past week has been a major one for me. i've had no shortage of gigs and events, shows and adventures to keep me busy. monday was pretty normal, hosting the open mic at bloombars. tuesday was big because it was my first time hosting the beltway poetry slam. my friend dj niteshade held down … Continue reading Jon, Barack, Saul, Amy, Van & Dick
TASA opening retreat workshop
this afternoon i met with the students of TASA- Teens Against the Spread of AIDS, who i will be coaching on spoken word performance poetry and street theatre for the coming year. we wrote some together, performed, and discussed the relevance of poetry to peer education work. key word: connection. that's what we decided it's … Continue reading TASA opening retreat workshop
veggie samosas and spoken word
prior to biking to the bookstore for work tonight i had the delightful opportunity to crack open the performance portion of the party at the small is beautiful arts festival here in uptown washington, dc. it was beautiful and organic and made dc feel much cooler than it often does. thank you friends. while there … Continue reading veggie samosas and spoken word
new post
so july was awesome. just trust me. it was awesome and intense and it is over for the next eleven months. and that is a good thing. i co-led another amazing civil rights journey, and again this year all of our students survived. and that is a good thing. came back home and went straight … Continue reading new post
11th hour
i made the dc slam team again this year!!!!!! it was super exciting. i don't have time now to recount the whole evening, but suffice it to say that it was a nail biter til the end. here is our team (from l to r): me, 13 of nazareth, pages, and rasheed copeland (the peeps … Continue reading 11th hour
imagine the tea party was black
i just had to re-post this great article by Tim Wise. Let’s play a game, shall we? The name of the game is called “Imagine.” The way it’s played is simple: we’ll envision recent happenings in the news, but then change them up a bit. Instead of envisioning white people as the main actors in … Continue reading imagine the tea party was black
national underground spokenword poetry awards
our friends at great publishing are sponsoring the 2010 national underground spokenword poetry awards on may 1st at the l'enfant hotel. you can still nominate poets if you register at nuspa.greatpublishing.com. there is only one more week to nominate poets, groups, venues, hosts for awards. then the online voting will begin in april along with … Continue reading national underground spokenword poetry awards
mobilizing for impact
need to post again, don't mean to boast my friend, i'm just reopening, the page and hoping when you read you learn what's goin down tomorrow morning we gonna run this town (ima be performing to help open up the community leaders conference with my friend Brandon, more of my friends at the United Way, … Continue reading mobilizing for impact
national clearinghouse on family and youth
quoted, i am, in this article. it is called "Teaching Youth the Power of Words" and can be found here i say things like “It’s not about poetry,” says Jonathan Tucker, a slam poet and freelance workshop facilitator in Washington, DC. “It’s about giving people what they need to deal with the world.”
a young hot mess
will be rockin the mic friday night in columbia heights. you gotta come check this out. and it's free! no haters. hope to see you and ur peeps there. if not, we gots another one on march 5th at the fort davis rec center in southeast, dc and the dc yout slam team finals are … Continue reading a young hot mess
new book
here it is! finally, my latest book of poetry is ready for sale. only $8. you can buy it online and i'll send you a copy, signed sealed delivered, it's yours! just click the picture below. get yours before they sell out.
lo siento
it has been way too long since my last post. please forgive me. i've been busy with the work of life. you know how it is. i've been juggling two jobs, several volunteer efforts, and some fantastic new relationships. today is the national celebration of our hero, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and … Continue reading lo siento
11th hour slam friday the 13th
we ain't scared. halloween and all soul's day has already come and gone, so friday the 13th ain't got nothing on us poets. we're gonna duke it out on the 11th hour of the 13th day of the 11th month at the only poetry slam incorporated certified dc slam. come support your friends this friday, … Continue reading 11th hour slam friday the 13th
DC POETRY FESTIVAL friday aug 28th
come one come all come for FREE this FRIDAY< AUGUST 28th> 2009 at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Northwest Washington, DC GIL SCOTT HERON is featuring!!!! and both the adult and youth DC Slam teams are performing and that means me it's gonna be a big show i hope you can make it "i'm jumpin … Continue reading DC POETRY FESTIVAL friday aug 28th
helicopteros y zopilotes
this friday, june 12th, at the bethesda, md writing center, and also next friday, june 19th, at the dc arts center, my good friend henry mills will be performing his one man show: helicopters & vultures. it is guaranteed to be an amazing performance. please check it out, if you can. i am emceeing the … Continue reading helicopteros y zopilotes
karma kitchen
this sunday, june 7th, i will be cooking up some generosity with the amazing folks at karma kitchen. every sunday from noon to 3pm they open the doors and give the gift of a fresh, hot, healthy meal to anyone who should want to come in and dine. the "bill" at the end of the … Continue reading karma kitchen
brave new voices slam/jamming with the fourth stream
yesterday sol y soul hosted the dc youth slam that determined who would represent the district on the national stage at this year's brave new voices youth slam. i was there to help out and encourage/coach two of my friends. it was a great event, with some amazing surprises. an 11 year old girl named … Continue reading brave new voices slam/jamming with the fourth stream
JBT 