Write About Now featuring the Southern Fried Poetry Slam Winners!

This week we present the Southern Fried Poetry Slam Winners. Southern Fried is a 23 year arts festival celebrating poetry, spoken word and slam. The name alone evokes a sense of home cooked meals and good ol’ Southern food, and Southern Fried shares the absolute best southern offerings-- hospitality, comfort and tradition. @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Southern Fried recorded in Little Rock, AR. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from Anitek http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/SouthernFriedMixdown/southern%20fried_mixdown.mp3

This week we present Tova Charles and Zai Sadler. Nova and Zai are from Austin, Texas. You can find them online at http://tovacharlespoetry.tumblr.com/ and http://zaispitstruth.bandcamp.com/ @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Tova and Zai’s performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from Anitek http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/tovazai_bounce/tovazai_bounce.mp3

This week we present Element 615. Hailing from Texas, he speaks in a cadence that does not break down across barriers of race, age or geography. Soulful stanzas echoing something between Coltrane and Cyrano, Element 615 is unapologetically romantic, devoid of pretension, and delightfully sensual. His work promotes thought as a natural bi-product of itself, while unambiguously uniting his audience with his honest, compassionate take on the human experience. Find him at http://element615.bandcamp.com @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Element 615's performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from Anitek http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/ElementMixdown/Element_mixdown.mp3

This week we present Button Poetry. Sam Cook, Dylan Garity, and Hieu Minh Nguyen are from Button Poetry. Button produces and distributes poetry media, including: video from local and national events, chapbooks, collaborative audio recordings, scholarship and criticism, and many other products. Find them at http://buttonpoetry.com @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Button's performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from BOPD, 6th Sense, and Cheese N Pot http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/ButtonMixdown/Button_mixdown.mp3

This week we present poet Neil Hilborn. Neil Hilborn is a College National Poetry Slam champion, and a 2011 graduate with honors from Macalester College with a degree in Creative Writing. His debut full-length book, Our Numbered Days, is now available, as well as his chapbook, Clatter. Neil was a member of the 2011 Macalester Poetry Slam team, which ranked first in the nation at the 2011 College National Poetry Slam. He co-coached the 2012 Macalester team, leading them to a second place finish nationally. He was also a member of the Minneapolis adult National Poetry Slam team in 2011, which placed 5th out of 80 teams from cities across the country at the adult National Poetry Slam. He is the co-founder of Thistle, a Macalester literary magazine, and has run numerous writing workshops with college and high school students. His work has been featured in publications such as Borderline Magazine and Orange Quarterly. Find him at http://buttonpoetry.com/2013/06/03/neilhilbor/ @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Neil Hilborn's performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from Ketsa http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/NeilHilbornMixdown/Neil%20Hilborn_mixdown.mp3

This week we present poet Pages Matam. Pages Matam is a Cameroonian artist residing in the D.C. metropolitan area. He is a Write Bloody author, Callaloo fellow, 2014 National poetry slam champion and winner of Beltway Poetry Quarterly's Best New Book of 2014. Pages is a proud gummy bear elitist, bowtie enthusiast, professional hugger and anime fanatic. When he takes stage – as a performer, educator, or activist for immigration and surviving sexual trauma – be prepared to be taken on an experience of cultural, socially conscious storytelling. Find more about him at: pagesmatam.com @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Pages Matam's performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from Ryan Little http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/PagesMatamMixdown/Pages_Matam_mixdown.mp3

This week we present poet Zach Caballero. Poet. Organizer. Energy Enthusiast. Mover & Shaker. Professional Optimist. Bokononist. Co-Founder of Spitshine Poetry. Law Student South Texas College of Law. @CabbythePoet @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Zach Caballero's performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from Willbe http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/ZachMixdown/Zach_mixdown.mp3

This week we present poet Arati Warrier. Arati Warrier was a member of the 2013 and 2014 They Speak Austin Youth Slam Teams and has been a member of UT Spitshine Poetry Slam since the fall of 2012. She represented UT, Austin at the national collegiate poetry slam in 2014, winning 1st place and the title of Best Poem and in 2015, where the team placed 13th and was awarded Best Writing for a Team. She has performed and led workshops across Texas. Arati is a third year English and Asian American Studies major and an aspiring English teacher. Her work is currently focused on reconciling multiple identities and experiences in one body and honoring the joy of living. She has performed and led workshops across Texas. Arati's other interests include dancing, reading, and loving intentionally. She likes to think of her heart as an ocean. You can find more about her as well as purchase a book at aratiwarrier.com @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Arati Warrier's performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from deeB http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry https://archive.org/download/AratiMixdown/Arati_mixdown_update.mp3

This week we present poet FreeQuency. Born in Kenya in 1991 as Mwende Katwiwa, FreeQuency is a spoken word artist living, loving and working in New Orleans, LA since 2009. The daughter of two lifelong educators, FreeQuency was raised believing in the power at the intersection of education, art, service and activism. Known for her social justice work and poetry, FreeQuency has been described as 'challenging', 'dynamic', and it has been said on numerous occasions that "the room isn't the same after hearing FreeQuency spit". You can find her at freequencyspeaks.com @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info FreeQuency’s performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Recorded and Arranged at WCAI in Woods Hole, MA Music from the FMA from MC Cullah and the Quality Time Vol. 1 mixtape. http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/FreequencyMixdown/Freequency_mixdown.mp3

This week we present poet Kevin Burke. Kevin W. Burke was born and raised in the aged suburban stretch, industrial parks, and haunted forests of the Chicago Southland. He has found work in a grocery store, animal shelter, power plants, scaffold yard, coffee shop, windshield warehouse, film studio, bar, classrooms, the back of an ambulance, and most recently in poetry of the homemade flyers, frayed cables, and broken nosed laughter between punk-rock and hip-hop. Most recently he founded and is president of Timber Mouse, an independent poetry publisher, promoter, recorder, and partier. He likes hugs, Radiolab, “big-fat-dirty-bass”, and saying things that make people feel ways about stuff and recognize that there is electricity in their chests. @WANPoetry writeaboutnowpoetry.com youtube.com/WANpoetry facebook.com/WANpoetry wanpoetry.tumblr.com Hosted by Davis Land. davisland.info Kevin Burke’s performance recorded at AvantGarden in Houston, TX. Arranged in Bryan, TX Music from Tha Silent Partner, Amir Safi http://feeds.feedburner.com/WANPoetry http://archive.org/download/Kevin_201504/Kevin.mp3