I came across this at Steve Goldberg's "What's in the Bag" blog and it sounds excellent. Quote: "The new year has finally arrived, but the Literary Café Poetry Academy is already well 2 months into their new year, and we have lined up yet another amazing evening of poetry and party. This Thursday, January 11 at 9:30pm (very sharp, pleeeze) the veterans, Daniel Gray-Kontar and RA Washington will be the features. These two have worked together before for delicious displays of verbal prowess and promise to give a show of extraordinary magnitude. Come to the Lit at 1031 Literary Road to witness the excitement."

RA Washington is a writer, musician, a teacher, a publisher, an artist, an independent film actor, and member of The Progressive Arts Alliance. Washington authored a number of books of poetry and novellas, published the literary magazine, Fair Trade, and his short films and paintings have been shown in independent galleries across the east coast, as well as, London, England, and Toronto, Canada. He was the Cleveland Museum of Art’s first ever Poet-in-Residence and is now MOCA’s director of community outreach. Sometimes known as King Freeqy, he can be seen holding court at Civilization coffee shop in Tremont.

Daniel Gray-Kontar is a former columnist and associate editor for the Cleveland Free Times, and staff writer for In Pittsburgh Weekly. His social, music and arts writing has appeared in such magazines as The Source, The Village Voice, Wax Poetics, The Philadelphia Weekly and The Cleveland Free Times. He was also editor and publisher of the underground monthly magazine, Urban Dialect. Also known as Replife, his poetry has appeared in such anthologies as Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, Spirit and Flame: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry, and on the sound recording Grand Slam: The Best of the National Poetry Slam, Volume One. Daniel was also the 1994 national poetry slam co-champion. A native Clevelander, he received a dual B.A. from Cleveland State University in English and Pan African Literature and is now the marketing/advertising manager for Catalyst Cleveland, a newsmagazine on school-improvement efforts in the Cleveland public schools.

Both these artist not only make the music, but share the opportunity for others to make it, so I expect a ton of Penpad Padpen Spontaneous Poetry created. You know that exercise in self expression where we provide the paper and the pen, and you provide the poetry. Share and give it to us, cuz you only have a couple more times available before we start editing and putting it together for the chapbook. The Literary Cafe is at 1031 Literary Road in hysterical Tremont neighborhood. We are even smoke free with accommodation outside for our dragons.

Photo of RA Washington by Lou Muenz.
Photo of Daniel Gray-Kontar by McKinley Wiley.

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