Featured Poets
“Whether they’re the fierce undercurrent of a poet’s musings or simply jammin’ on their own, the Jeff Robinson Trio exhibit a power and confidence that flirts with perfection.” Patricia Smith
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March
Cheryl Maddalena – 7
Cheryl Maddalena
Cheryl Maddalena began her slam career in Berkeley in January of 2000, where she came in dead last and won a glow-in-the-dark yo-yo prize because “the finest poet never wins.” That yo-yo apparently planted a beautiful seed in her heart. Cheryl went on to be Grand Slam Champion of San Jose in 2002, and was “the pregnant poet” on the National Poetry Slam Finals stage with Berkeley in 2004. Also in 2004 Cheryl received her doctorate in psychology with her dissertation titled, “The Resolution of Internal Conflict Through Performing Poetry” (to be published in a shortened version this summer in the peer-reviewed Arts in Psychotherapy journal).
In 2005 Cheryl moved to Boise, and has since become slammaster of Boise as well as founding Big Tree Arts, a nonprofit organization that supports performance poetry in Boise and beyond. Cheryl was Grand Slam Champion of the Boise teams for 2006, 2007, and 2008, but is most proud of barely squeaking onto the 2009 team because it shows that all that “supporting performance poetry in Boise” work she’s been doing has finally paid off.
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Iyeoka Okoawo – 14
Iyeoka Okoawo
Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo is the founder and lead singer of the music group The Rock by Funk Tribe. Iyeoka is at the forefront of creating a new artistic genre that gracefully interweaves spoken word poetry with jazz, blues, gospel and electronic soul. Iyeoka & the Rock by Funk Tribe is one of the most sought after supporting acts for touring artists showcasing in New England. As a dynamic sensation in the Boston music scene, Iyeoka and the Rock by Funk Tribe have been chosen as the supporting act of choice for touring artists including son of Afrobeat FEMI KUTI, popular “World Music” group ZAP MAMA at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston and SLICK RICK @ Harper’s Ferry.
In 2010, Iyeoka’s latest hit single, “the Yellow Brick Road song” received national placement in an episode of the new hit HBO series “How To Make It In America”, gaining many positive reviews for both lyrical content and musical composition.
Embracing the power of words from writers such as Sonia Sanchez, Patricia Smith and Alice Walker, Iyeoka is a powerful songstress whose lyrical prowess invokes the spirit of the renowned soul-shaker Nina Simone. A story teller to the core, Iyeoka’s hope-filled poems come from within and build momentum with truth transformed into songs that reemerge as unique, emotionally complex gifts to her audience, touching on a wide range of issues-love, women, culture, struggle, relationships, among many others. In 2008, Iyeoka’s vocal talents on a cover of U2’s 1988 hit song “Desire” was showcased on a compilation of U2 covers Produced by Shawn Amos and Paul Heck, In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 features Grammy Award-winning/nominated African artists including Angelique Kidjo, Les Nubians, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Vieux Farka Tour, Vusi Mahlasela and the Soweto Gospel Choir where proceeds benefited the Global Fund.
A gifted performer, Iyeoka’s acting prowess has been featured as the title character in a PBS documentary on Harriet Tubman, as well as an off-Broadway play produced by Dr. Thema Bryant Davis. Her poem on Rwanda is featured in a documentary film “Rwanda Rising” from Executive Producer Andrew Young, the former ambassador to the United Nations.
The buzz surrounding her poem-songs has garnered her national attention through performances at the TBS Trumpet Awards, the Sullivan Honors Awards at the Kennedy Center, the CBS hip hop show The Source All Access and Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam airing on HBO. Iyeoka also has opened for the Tony Award winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway tour at the Colonial Theater in Boston. Sharing the stage with recording artists Chuck D of Public Enemy, Musiq Soul Child and Vivian Greene to poets Gil Scot Heron, Sonia Sanchez, and Amiri Baraka—Across the nation, at venues ranging from universities, concert halls, and neo-soul clubs to venerable spoken word haunts like the Nuyorican Poets Café in NYC and the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge; Iyeoka’s warm spirit, stirring lyrics and passionate performances leave audiences not only entertained but transformed with empowerment.
During 2007, Iyeoka began working with a 7 member Live Hip-Hop band called the Press Project which featured her future collaborator Brian Capobianchi (B. Cap) who would later join Iyeoka’s band The Rock by Funk TRiBE. While never a full member of the Press Project, Iyeoka played an important role as guest vocalist (as a counterpart to B Cap) and contributed to a track on the album “Get Right” and various high profile Live concerts such as playing for support with Soullive , the 2008 World Snowboarding Cup in Lake Placid and the Bonnoroo Music Festival.
Iyeoka lended her coaching abilities as a spoken word expert on the syndicated PBS KIDS GO! TV series FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman. For her most recent project involving the youth, Iyeoka was invited to develop a workshop for Brave New Voices, Russell Simmons’ HBO docu-series about teenage slam poets.
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“The Lizard Lounge is the Blue Note of spoken word. Backed up by The Jeff Robinson Trio, my words felt held, or rather anointed, in the garb of jazz, which, of course, they were. I cannot wait until I can get back!” Award winning poet Taylor Mali
Every Sunday with a Poetry Slam starting at 7:30pm and a Featured Poet and Open Mic accompanied by the Jeff Robinson Trio starting at 9:00pm - there’s a $5 cover and you must be 21 to enter the venue - Sultry red lights, intimate tables, and wooden church pews give this small room one of the best ambiances in town.