Voter Assistance Commission & Urban Word NYC present:

2011 NYC Voter Slam Program to name NYC’s Youth Poet Laureate

REGISTER NOW to become NYC’s Youth Poetry Laureate, serve for the city for 1 year, complete a full NYC library tour, and win a book deal to publish your first book of poems.

1: Email signup@urbanwordnyc.org and indicate whether you will take your workshops at Urban Word NYC, The Point, CFB/NYC, St. Johns Recreation Center

2: Participate in 5 of the workshops at the sites listed above.

3: Complete workshops and submit your resume and poetry portfolio for a chance to slam. Resume/VC and poetry portfolio are due Monday October 17^th.

4: All semifinalists will be announced by Oct. 19 to perform at one of the Voter Poet Slam Semifinals on either 10/23 or 10/24. Top poets from the semifinals will advance to the Voter Poet Slam Finals on SATURDAY, November 5th at The Great Hall of Cooper Union at 7pm.

Workshops:

Manhattan
Location: Urban Word NYC
4:30-6:30pm
Monday, September 12th , 2011    
Monday, September 19th , 2011     
Monday, September 26th , 2011     
Monday, October 3rd , 2011
Monday, October 10th, 2011      

Contact: Mikal Amin lee
Email:  mikal@urbanwordnyc.org

BROOKLYN  (St. Johns Rec Center) 
Location: St. Johns Rec Center
4:30pm-6:30pm
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
Friday, September 30th, 2011
Friday, October 7th, 2011
Friday, October 14th, 2011

Contact: Mikal Amin lee
Email:  mikal@urbanwordnyc.org

BRONX
Location: The Point
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Monday, September 12th, 2011
Monday, September 19th, 2011
Monday, September 26th, 2011
Monday, October 3rd, 2011
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Contact: Mikal Amin lee
Email:  mikal@urbanwordnyc.org

MANHATTAN      
Location:  VAC site
4:30pm-6:30pm
Wed., September 14th, 2011   
Wed., September 21st, 2011   
Wed., September 28th, 2011   
Wed., October 5th, 2011      
Wed., October 12th, 2011     

Contact: Mikal Amin lee
Email:  mikal@urbanwordnyc.org

POET SUBMISSIONS DUE MONDAY OCT. 17th. EMAIL them to mikal@urbanwordnyc.org or give to your Poet Mentor from workshops.

SEMIFINAL SLAMS:

Semifinal slams are by invitation only. You will be notified by Oct. 19th if you have advanced to the semifinal round. Most, if not all poets in the workshops will advance to the semifinals.

Semifinal #1: Saturday, October 22nd, Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Semifinal #2: Sunday, October 23rd, Nuyorican Poets Cafe

VOTER POET SLAM FINALS to name NYC Youth Poet Laureate

SATURDAY November 5th, 7pm
The Great Hall at Cooper Union
7 East 7th Street (at 3rd Avenue)
FREE to the public. Get there early, first come first served..

 

The NYC Voter Assistance Commission (VAC) is a nonpartisan government agency, established by a revision to the New York City Charter in 1988, dedicated to increasing voter participation in the democratic process by encouraging and facilitating voter registration and voting by all eligible United States citizens who are residents of New York City.  Each October, VAC celebrates Youth Voter Education as part of its Voter Awareness Month initiatives. It is a citywide, nonpartisan campaign to stimulate greater voter awareness and participation in New York City municipal, state, and federal elections.

 

Founded on the belief that teenagers can and must speak for themselves, Urban Word NYC (UW) has been at the forefront of the youth spoken word, poetry and hip-hop movements in New York City since 1999.  UW presents literary arts education and youth development programs in the areas of creative writing, journalism, college prep, literature, and hip-hop.  UW works directly with 15,000 teens per year in New York City alone. Urban Word NYC believes that free self-expression - matured in an enhanced critical literacy environment - improves self-confidence and strengthens educational achievement for NYC’s inner-city youth.  UW promotes active literacy, critical thought, and positive social dialogue across boundaries of age, race, class, gender, culture, and sexuality.