Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam

“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

July

Omekongo Dibinga & Raegan Truax - 6
Urban Music Award Winner Omékongo Dibinga is a spoken word artist, rapper, actor, and motivational speaker. He is the Founder & CEO of Free Your Mind Publishing. A first generation Congolese-American who was described by Nikki Giovanni as “outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old”, Omékongo writes and performs in English, French and Swahili, and has occasionally used Wolof in his writings. He also co-stars in the television drama series “Ya Ma’Afrika,” which will air in North America, Europe, Africa, and the West Indies in late 2007. He has released 4 CDs, 3 books, and 1 DVD. The first CD, “A Young Black Man’s Anthem: Love, Afrika and Revolution Revisited,” won the 2003 Cambridge Poetry Award for “Best CD”. His second CD, “Signs of the Time,” was released in June 2003. In 2006, in response to the misogyny in rap music, he adopted the rap name “Young M.A.Y.A.” in honor of Dr. Maya Angelou. The “M.A.Y.A.” stands for “Mighty African Youth Advocate.” His first rap CD, “Bootleg” promotes positive hip-hop with remixes of songs by Tupac, Notorious BIG, Hay-Z, Nas, Lauryn Hill, 50 Cent, and others. His most recent CD, a rap & spoken word hybrid CD, “Reality Show,” was released in 2006. He has featured/lectured nationwide in universities and poetry venues from Harvard to Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit. Internationally, he has performed in South Africa, England, Congo-Kinshasa, Tanzania, France, Cuba, and Canada. His work has appeared on TV and radio from BET, BBC, NPR, Music Choice, and Voice of America in millions of homes in over 130 countries. He has shared the stage with Les Brown, Willie Jolley, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Dennis Brutus, The Last Poets, Awilo, Felix Wazekwa, OutKast, Wyclef Jean, Reverend Run, Free, and Cousin Jeff. Omékongo was a member of the 2001 & 2003 Lizard Lounge Slam Team. He is currently a PhD student in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland where he studies the arts as a tool for social change. He received his MA from The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and BSFS from Georgetown University. He has also studied at Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Morehouse College, and the University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Sénégal. His work has been globally adapted for curricula in primary, secondary, and university institutions. He has released a trilingual book of poetry and DVD, “From the Limbs of My Poetree,” which has received praise from Dr. Maya Angelou, Essence Magazine, and The Washington Times. His second book, an anthology of Maryland middle school students entitled “Poems from the Future: Poetic Reflections from the Next Generation” was published in the summer of 2005. His most recent publication, “Put Your Shoes On” by M.B. Dibinga a step-by-step guide for youth seeking employment, A dedicated educator for over 20 years, Omékongo plans to develop programs that focus on bridge building between young Africans throughout the Diaspora and helping to improve cultural understanding among all races. For more information, please visit www.omekongo.com.

A native of Olympia Washington Raegan Truax first took the stage at Chicago’s Green Mill and never looked back. Her words have traversed the country, from Seattle to her current home of New York City. Raegan published her first chapbook, “Dedication” in 2002 before landing in Boston and beginning a mutual love affair with the Lizard Lounge where she was a semi-finalist for the 2004 nationals team. A participant in the creation of the “The She Show” with Babson College faculty, Raegan saw her one-woman show, “Woman Constructed” run for several months in small venues across the East Coast. Since moving to New York City her music has taken the front seat and artist/producer Akil Dasan is currently working with her on several projects. Poet and activist Jason Gaulden writes: “Raegan’s versatility and unique insights as a writer, musician and performance poet gives her beautifully disproportionate power as her art comes to life on stage. Drawing from her expansive body of work, she masterfully tailors each performance and dials into the right frequency every time. The vivid imagery her poetry evokes takes you on an incredible ride through her experiences and perspectives; sometimes too true for comfort, never diluted or predictable, but always a thrilling dose of creative expression.” Raegan has a BA from Colorado College, an MA from NYU and is currently a Director at one of New York’s leading arts in education non-profits, Learning through an Expanded Arts Program.

Corrina Bain - 13
Corrina Bain was born on September 18th, 1983. She began performing her poems when she was 14. She has opened for spoken word legends as diverse as Patricia Smith and Jim Carroll, and is credited in the lyrics of Sage Francis’s album “A Healthy Distrust”. She has been on multiple New England slam teams, most recently representing Providence in 2005, and is half the magic behind Distilled, an album with Tom Inhaler of Strange Famous Records. She spent a year working with HIV/AIDS prevention educational programs in sub-Saharan Africa, returning in 2007. A recent transplant to the Boston area, she currently works in an abortion clinic, is an avid reader, and a lousy dancer.

Cantab Slam Team - 20
The Boston Poetry Slam kicked off in 1991, imported directly from slam’s birthplace, Chicago, by Michael Brown and Patricia Smith. The slam started at T.T. the Bear’s, migrated to the BookCellar, and in 1992 settled into its since-permanent home, the Cantab Lounge at 738 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge.

Boston has sent a team to the National Poetry Slam since the inception of NPS in 1992, winning the whole shebang more than once and always proudly upholding Boston’s tradition of poetry. One of the oldest poetry slams in the country, the Boston Poetry Slam @ the Cantab Lounge has hosted (and continues to host!) national and international team and individual champions, award-winning published authors, and plenty of very talented folks who may have never won a dang thing but sure put on a helluva show.

In 2004, Michael Brown stepped down from the position of SlamMaster, turning the post over to 2001 slam team member and then-Champion of Champions Simone Beaubien. The weekly show and its rotating cast of hosts continues to thrive, acting as one of the hubs of the Boston performance poetry scene, and consistently bringing in new featured poets and up-and-coming slammers.

The Boston slam community has been witness to over fifteen years of triumph, tragedy, scandal, heartbreak, and glory, one Wednesday at a time. Consider this your personal invite to join in, either to read or listen in, at the weekly open mic and slam.