Imani Cezanne

Last updated
Imani Cezanne
[[File:[Imani Cezanne 165486.jpg|frameless|upright=1]]
Born
San Diego, California
OccupationPoet

Imani Cezanne is an American activist and spoken word poet. [1] She is the founding president of President of S.P.E.A.K. (Spoken Poetry Expressed by All Kinds). [2]

Contents

Biography

Cezanne was born and raised in San Diego, California. [3]

Cezanne has been on multiple National Poetry Slam teams including: Da Poetry Lounge, [4] San Diego Slam Team, [2] Oakland Slam Team Elevated, [5] Golden State Slam, [3] The Root Slam, [6] Berkeley Poetry Slam, [7] and Busboys and Poets Beltway [8] [9]

She represented the Root Slam at the 2018 National Poetry Slam. [10]

"Heels"

"Heels" was originally filmed by All Def Poetry during her performance of the piece at the Da Poetry Lounge. [11] Later, Cezanne performed the piece again at the Ill List Slam Poetry Invitational in December 2014. [12] [13] [14]

"Protest"

Cezanne performed "Protest" at the 2015 National Poetry Slam. [15] [16]

"Angry Black Woman"

Cezanne performed "Angry Black Woman" at the Da Poetry Lounge in 2015. [15] [17]

"Hunger Games"

Originally performed at the 2014 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas. [18] It was filmed by Button Poetry and uploaded to YouTube. [19]

"#flyingwhileblack"

Filmed at Women of the World Poetry Slam Finals 2016 in Brooklyn, NY, an event hosted by Poetry Slam, Inc. [20]

Awards

Imani Cezanne has won several Grand Slam Championships, and ranked in the top 10 at several World Poetry slams. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poetry slam</span> Competition arts event

A slam poetry is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoken word</span> Type of performance art

Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of recitation and word play, such as the performer's live intonation and voice inflection. Spoken word is a "catchall" term that includes any kind of poetry recited aloud, including poetry readings, poetry slams, jazz poetry, pianologues, musical readings, and hip hop music, and can include comedy routines and prose monologues. Unlike written poetry, the poetic text takes its quality less from the visual aesthetics on a page, but depends more on phonaesthetics, or the aesthetics of sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Gibson</span> American poet and activist

Andrea Gibson is an American poet and activist from Calais, Maine, who has lived in Boulder, Colorado since 1999. Gibson's poetry focuses on gender norms, politics, social justice, and LGBTQ topics.

The Austin Poetry Slam (APS) is one of the longest running poetry venues in Texas. Founded in 1994 by Wammo of the Asylum Street Spankers and helmed for 15 years by former Poetry Slam, Inc. president, Mike Henry, Austin Slam is renowned for memorable and often raucous performances by many of the best poets in the slam poetry world. Austin Slam is best known nationally for hosting the National Poetry Slam (NPS) in 1998, 2006, & 2007, and for Austin teams' national finals stage performances in 1996, 2003, & 2008.

Suzi Q. Smith is an American award-winning artist, activist, and educator who lives in Denver, Colorado.

Sini Anderson is an American film director, producer, performance artist, choreographer, dancer and poet, from Chicago, Illinois. Anderson is widely known for directing The Punk Singer (2013), a documentary about riot grrrl musician Kathleen Hanna's legacy and experience with late-stage Lyme disease.

The Women of the World Poetry Slam (WoWPS) is an annual international poetry competition and festival. The poetry slam is open to "people 18 years and older who navigate the world as and/or identify as womxn".

Jamara Mychelle Wakefield is an American spoken word poet, community organizer and writer, previously known by her stage name London Bridgez. She founded Neo.logic Beatnik Assembly, an idea shop and creative arts production company, and organized the TEDxRoxburyWomen event featured on Basic Black, a TEDTalks event in Boston.

The College Union Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) is an annual Poetry Slam tournament put on by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) in which teams of four or five college students from different colleges and universities compete against each other. Its location changes every year.

Chingona Fire is a Latina feminist poetry collective from Los Angeles, California. It was founded by the poets Angela Aguirre and Yesika Salgado in February 2016. Their goal is to create a safe space and visibility for women of color. They are helping women of color to have locations to perform on stage and to have their voices heard. Each month they host events where people can perform in front of audiences of approximately 80-100 listeners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Coval</span> American poet

Kevin Coval is an American poet. Coval is a Chicago-based writer who is known for exploring topics such as race, hip-hop culture, Chicago history, and Jewish-American identity in his work. He is also known for his appearances in four seasons of the Peabody Award-winning television series Def Poetry Jam on HBO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Button Poetry</span> American poetry publisher

Button Poetry is a Minneapolis-based poetry company and independent publisher of performance poetry. They are known for their viral videos of slam poetry performances, including a performance of "OCD" by Neil Hilborn that the Knight Foundation called "the most-viewed slam performance in history."

Da Poetry Lounge is the largest weekly open mic performance space for poetry in the US. It is located in Los Angeles at the Greenway Court Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alyesha Wise</span> American writer

Alyesha Wise, aka "Ms. Wise" is a poet, teaching artist and co-founder of Spoken Literature Art Movement (S.L.A.M). From Camden, N.J., Alyesha currently resides in Los Angeles where she also serves as a teaching artist for Street Poets, Inc. She previously served as the head coach of Da Poetry Lounge's slam team and a co-coach for the Get Lit Youth slam team. Wise co-founded and was a co-host of The Pigeon Presents: The Philadelphia Poetry Slam. She has been featured in a speaking engagement on the TEDx Talk series in which she dedicated the talk to her younger sister and Camden. While in Philadelphia, Wise was a co-host of Jus Words, the longest running weekly open mic in the city at the time. She also founded the organization Love, Us, a Philadelphia-based organization and annual production which worked to spread unity and self-love through the arts. The production was a large attraction in the Philadelphia poetry scene and a Twitter trending topic in 2010. She is currently the founder and organizer of Black Women Necessary, a safe space for black women. Wise also served as a former teaching artist and volunteer coordinator at New Earth, and continues to teach and mentor in Los Angeles youth detention centers. In 2017, she authored the book, Carnival. Ron Howard once said about Alyesha's performance style, "Very Powerful."

Desireé Dallagiacomo is an American spoken word poet and teaching artist. She is of European and Choctaw descent, and she is an enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Her first book of poetry, SINK, was published by Button Poetry in March 2019. Before publishing her first full-length collection, her poems amassed millions of views on Youtube. Her poems, "Thighs Say" “Real Sex Tips.” and “Shave Me” among others were first published by Button Poetry. She is a Pushcart Prize Nominee.

Javon Johnson is an American spoken word poet, writer, and professor. He is the director of African American and African Diaspora Studies in the Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the author of Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franny Choi</span> American writer and poet

Franny Choi is an American writer, poet and playwright.

Porsha Olayiwola is a Black American poet based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Janae Johnson is a writer, cultural worker, and DJ from Sacramento, California.

Walela Nehanda is a Black non-binary writer, cultural worker, cancer & stem cell transplant survivor, and mental health advocate from Los Angeles, California.

References

  1. ↑ Riley, Ricky (2016-03-28). "Woman Shares Harrowing Story About 'Flying While Black'". Atlanta Black Star. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  2. 1 2 Jerome, A. Tony (2018-03-28). "100 of My Favorite Poets For Your Survival Pack". Autostraddle. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  3. 1 2 Sheffer, Devery. "PHOTOS: SF State poetry organization creates room for student expression". Golden Gate Xpress. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  4. ↑ "2013 National Poetry Slam finals at the Berklee Performance Center" . Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  5. ↑ National poetry Slam Semi-Finals 2015 - Elevated!, 28 December 2015, retrieved 2023-02-20
  6. ↑ "Our Poetry Slam | The Root Slam". Root Slam. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  7. ↑ "Vets vs. Newbies at Grand Slam in Modesto".
  8. 1 2 "Congratulations to our Newly Crowned WOWps Co-Champions, Imani Cezanne and Emi Mahmoud! – Poetry Slam Inc". poetryslam.com. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  9. ↑ "Imani Cezanne | PSi Scores [beta]". scores.poetryslam.com. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  10. ↑ vangmayiparakala2018 (2018-08-15). "Chicago leads a national-level push towards mental well-being within poetry slam circuits". Medill Reports Chicago. Retrieved 2023-02-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "How Tall Women in Heels Demolish Misogyny – Everyday Feminism". Everyday Feminism. 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  12. ↑ Vagianos, Alanna (2015-01-08). "This Is For Every Tall Girl Who Loves To Wear Heels". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  13. ↑ Cueto, Emma. "For All the Tall Girls Who Love Their Heels". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  14. ↑ "Imani Cezanne's Poem "Heels" Hits The Nail On the Head For All Tall Women Who Love High Heels". Bustle. 27 December 2014. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  15. 1 2 "23 Resistance Poems to Express Your Rage". BOOK RIOT. 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  16. ↑ Pearce, Lillian (2020-06-18). "The poetry of protests". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  17. ↑ DaPoetryLounge (2015-09-14), Imani Cezanne – Angry Black Woman , retrieved 2018-08-21
  18. ↑ Saul, Isaac (2014-05-09). "Spoken-Word Poet Spears 'Hunger Games' With Her Own Story". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  19. ↑ Blacksher, Anthony. ""The Hunger Games" by Imani Cezanne". Spit Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  20. ↑ "#flyingwhileblack | Poetry Database | Split This Rock". www.splitthisrock.org. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  21. 1 2 {{Cite web |title=2020 Writing Contest Winners Announced |url=https://fuguejournal.com/news/blog-post-title-one-z9anh-k4bsx |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=fuguejournal.com
  22. ↑ "Women Of The World Poetry Slam". Citizens Of Culture. 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  23. ↑ "Women of the World: Voice Becomes Fire Part II. – Spit Journal". Spit Journal. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  24. ↑ Cezanne, Imani (2015-02-08). "The Critical Difference Between Consent and Silence". Everyday Feminism. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  25. ↑ "2016: Women of the World Poetry Slam Awards (Full Audio)". poetshouse.org. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  26. 1 2 {{Cite web |title=Imani Cezanne Hollingsworth|url= https://www.hurstonwright.org/authors/imani-cezanne-hollingsworth/%7Caccess-date=2024-12-27 |website=hurstonwright.org
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.