Poetry & Art @ SDAI — Michael Klam and Gill Sotu Host, Steve Kowit Features plus Poem Performance Award, Friday, April 25

Poetry & Art Series 2014 on Friday, April 25 – People’s Choice Poem Performance Award (Cash Prizes), with special guest Steve Kowit, host Michael Klam, and DJ Gill Sotu.  This social, fun, lyrical and interactive arts and culture experience takes place in the Museum of the Living Artist, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park and is open to the public.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for snacks and music, and the show starts at 7 p.m. Members are free, $5 at the door or bring wine or snacks to share and get in free. This event is co-sponsored by Poetry International.

The People’s ChoicePoem Performance Award – All participants read/perform one poem under three minutes long. Audience members choose (by secret ballot) their favorite poem based on content and performance. Props, artwork, singing, music, dancing, all accompaniment is allowed and anything goes. Top poem performances (the poems that receive the most votes) win $50. Audience members will be encouraged to hoot for their favorites and try to influence the rest of the audience.

Writers/artists who would like to participate can get their names in the hat ahead of time at mkklam@gmail.com or sign in on the night of the show.  For National Poetry Month all performers who sign up will get a chance at the microphone and at winning The People’s Choice Poem Performance Award.

Steve Kowit is a poet, essayist, teacher, and workshop facilitator.  His publications include Lurid Confessions, Serving House Press Edition;Crossing Borders (an art/poetry collaboraion with the painter Lenny Silverberg and intro by Robbie Conal); The First Noble Truth; The Dumbbell Nebula; The Gods of Rapture (poems based on the amatory poetry of india); and The Maverick Poets (an anthology Kowit edited in the mid-80’s containing the work of Charles Bukowski, Billy Collins, Kim Addonizio, and Jane Cortez to name a few).

DJ Gill Sotu will provide music throughout the event. Sotu has opened for Grammy-nominated legend Sheila E, and partnered and performed with the San Diego Symphony.  He has been commissioned to create numerous poetry pieces for the United Way of San Diego and performed for TEDx San Diego in December 2013. Gill has been featured on NBC 7’s Art Pulse TV and was named the 2012 & 2013 San Diego Raw Performing Artist of the Year.

Poetry International is an annual literary journal published by SDSU with Ilya Kaminsky as editor-in-chief.

There will be goodies and wine as always. Bring beverages or snacks/desserts/dishes to share and get in free. Please contact host, Michael Klam, with any questions: 619-957-3264 (cell) or 619-236-0011 (museum).

Visit us online at sandiego-art.org.