Poetry Electric: Women’s Poetry Happening

Amber Atiya is the author of the fierce bums of doo-wop (Argos Books, 2014). Her poems have been selected for Best of the Net 2014 and nominated for Best New Poets 2015. Amber’s work has appeared in the Boston Review, Lithub, Nepantla: A Journal Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color, and been featured on the Poetry Foundation’s radio and podcast series PoetryNow. A proud native Brooklynite, she is a member of a women’s writing group celebrating 13 years and counting.

Helen Benedict, a professor of journalism at Columbia University, is an award-winning author of six novels, five nonfiction books and a play. In 2015, she was a finalist for the UK Liberty Human Rights Award for her play, The Lonely Soldier Monologues: Women at War in Iraq. In, 2013, she was awarded the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism and named one of the 21 leaders for the 21st century by Women’s eNews in the US, and she has also won the Ken Book Award and the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism. Benedict’s most recent novel, Sand Queen, and nonfiction book, The Lonely Soldier, inspired a class action suit against the Pentagon on behalf of women and men who were sexually assaulted in the military and also inspired the 2012 Oscar-nominated documentary about sexual assault in the military The Invisible War. www.helenbenedict.com

Sarah M. Duncan is a poet, playwright, and arts organizer. Her plays have been produced at various theaters, in cluding W.O.W Cafe Theater, The Gym at Judson, and the Baruch Performing Arts Center. Her poetry has been published by Ghost House Review, nin Poetry Journal, Asinine Poetry, Leftovers Mag (upcoming) and Broadside Journal. Sarah organizes theatre and poetry events throughout the city themed on social justice issues. She has produced and performed at The Wild Project with Poetic Theater Company, La MaMa Experimental Theater Company, The Living Theater, The Cherry Lane Theatre, and Judson Arts : Bail Out Theater. www.sarahmduncan.com

Pamela L. Laskin is a lecturer in the English Department, where she directs the Poetry Outreach Center. Poetry collections include: REMEMBERING FIREFLIES and SECRETS OF SHEETS (Plain View Press); THE BONSAI CURATOR and VAN GOGH’S EAR; (Cervena Barva Press), DARING DAUGHTERS/DEFIANT DREAMS (A Gathering of Tribes) and THE PLAGIARIST (Dos Madres Press). Several children’s books have been published, too, VISITATION RITES( Diversion Press) and HOMER THE LITTLE STRAY CAT (Red Balloon Press)  the most recent.

Jane LeCroy poet, performance artist, home-birthing mother of 3, teacher, atheist, vegetarian, hedonist, fronts the avant-pop band The Icebergs with Tom Abbs and David Rogers-Berry.  She has toured as part of Sister Spit the west coast women’s poetry troupe and Nu Voices, Kid Lucky’s hip-hop a capella orchestra.  “Signature Play”her multimedia book from Three Rooms Press 2013,  features her lyric poems, musical scores, visual art, and access to audio files and a pushcart nomination.  Jane is a teaching artist in NYC public schools. Check out her many books and recordings at www.janelecroy.com and request to be put on her list to receive free poems hot off her brain with every show invite, find her by name on social media.

Patrice Miller is a director-choreographer, writer, and native New Yorker. She frequently collaborates with Untitled Theater Company #61, the IPA, and various downtown artists with whom her performance work has been presented at The Brooklyn Museum, Prelude/CUNY Graduate Center, La MaMa, 3-Legged Dog, HERE Arts Center; Theater Row, The Brick, Dixon Place, NYC Fashionweek, 571 Projects, the 68th St subway stop, and city parks. As a poet, Patrice has been a regular reader at Bowery Poetry Club, Telephone Bar, 2A for the better part of a decade. She is currently directing Mad Jenny’s Love und Greed and is the movement director for the upcoming stage adaptation of Paul Auster’s City of Glass. Patrice is utterly in love with her work.

Wanda Phipps is a writer/performer living in NYC. Her books include Field of Wanting: Poems of Desire and Wake-Up Calls: 66 Morning Poems. Her poetry has been translated into Ukrainian, Hungarian, Arabic, Galician and Bangla. She has received awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Theater Translation Fund, and others. As a founding member of Yara Arts Group she has collaborated on numerous theatrical productions presented in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Siberia, and at La MaMa, E.T.C. in NYC. She’s curated reading series at the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church and written about the arts for Time Out New York, Paper Magazine, and About.com.

Emily Present is New York city based poet. Emily’s work has appeared  in The Atlas Review, HTMLGIANT, Similar:Peaks::, IMPERIAL MATTERS, NewHive and elsewhere.  She co-founded and edits the virtual literary and arts magazine, Glittermob, which Time Out New York called a “superb new literary magazine.”

Tyler Rose is a Brooklyn-born poet and artist who wears many hats but is currently working as a multi-media journalist for Killing the Breeze. She spends much of her time working on urban farms or scheming on ways to affordably travel the world. More than anything else, Tyler loves exploring and experimenting with different forms of expression and ways of understanding our crazy world and its beautiful inhabitants.

Ilka Scobie is a native New Yorker poet and art critic.  She writes for  London’s Artlyst and recent poems have appeared in Urban Graffitti, LiveMag, Vanitas and here/there. She teaches poetry in the public school system, and co-curated ART AM 3, a group show of Italian and American artists in Soncino, Italy.