A Prayer by Amal Kassir
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“We are afraid like all mothers.” In this Write About Now Poetry video, spoken word artist and activist Amal Kassir reads her poem “A Prayer” for a live audience.
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Genre: Spoken Word
What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
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In this video from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Amanda Gorman reads her poem “What We Carry,” which appears in her debut collection, Call Us What We Carry (Viking, 2021), set to world-renowned cellist Jan Vogler’s performance of “Suite for Violoncello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude” by Johann Sebastian Bach.
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An All-Purpose Product by Patricia Smith
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In this Button Poetry video, Patricia Smith reads her poem “An All-Purpose Product,” which appears in her award-winning collection Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah (Coffee House Press, 2012), for the 2016 Get Lit Classic Slam in Los Angeles.
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A Few Things by Rudy Francisco
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“I know a few things about my body, it’s the only one that I have and it becomes everything I say it is.” In this Button Poetry video, Rudy Francisco reads his poem “A Few Things,” which appears in his collection Excuse Me as I Kiss the Sky (Button Poetry, 2023), at Icehouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Summer / New York City
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“Is it any wonder our lips feel so lonesome these long evenings?” Phil Kaye reads his poem “Summer / New York City,” which appears in his collection Date & Time (Button Poetry, 2018), in this 2021 event with accompaniment by The Westerlies at Little Island in New York City.
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Ramya Ramana on Forgiveness
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Author, lyricist, and former New York City youth poet laureate Ramya Ramana discusses and reads a piece about forgiveness in this video for PBS Newshour’s “Brief But Spectacular” series. “Forgiveness is a doorway. A garden of curses spill from her lips and the city inside me crumbles. I tell myself, all poison has once been poisoned too,” reads Ramana.
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CAConrad Reads Jack Spicer’s “For Mac”
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“A dead starfish on a beach / He has five branches / Representing the five senses / Representing the jokes we did not tell each other.” CAConrad reads Jack Spicer’s poem “For Mac” in this short film directed by Matthew Thompson and produced by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation, in collaboration with the 92nd Street Y, for their Read By poetry film series.
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Cigarette Women by Keyma Flight
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“Everything that we think is shining is actually burning.” In this Button Poetry video, Keyma Flight reads her poem “Cigarette Women” at the 2022 Womxn of the World Poetry Slam in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Blip Roasters
Blip Roasters is a café in a sunny, brick urban building in Kansas City, Missouri, which hosts weekly open mic nights, writing workshops, and bike nights for motorcyclists. Their Poetry Underground series features seasonal showcases and an annual poetry slam, typically requiring a cover fee for entry. There is also a conference room available for booking offering a quiet environment with a conference table, Wi-Fi access, and tinted windows for privacy.
Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers: Broadway
Shakespeare & Co. is an independent bookstore located in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan. The store hosts a plethora of events including book signings, readings, talks, monthly book club meetings, and open mic nights for comics, poets, and musicians. Their flagship shop is located in the Upper East Side on Lexington Avenue.
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