Street Books Presents:
Speaking Up for Street Books: A Spoken Word Showcase and Fundraiser
Come enjoy poetry and help us kick off our spring campaign!*
Tuesday April 23rd 6-8pm, at Up Up Books, 1211 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR
Featured poets: Brianna Renae, Marcus Lattimore, Alex Dang & Mindy Nettifee (see poet bios below)
Enjoy an evening of spoken word poetry by some of Portland’s powerful poets, and support the vital work Street Books does, providing literature and a community of care on the streets of Portland. This event will kick off Street Books’ spring campaign, raising $20,000 in support of one of Portland’s essential nonprofit organizations. We hope you can join us!
Books
are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind… — Toni Morrison
Featured poets:
Brianna Renae started writing as a way to heal herself and was pleased to find out that her words helped heal others as well. Brianna’s work centers around themes of activism for equality, the vulnerability of love, and raw black girl magic. All of her work is centered from a female perspective. Brianna’s poetry embraces her intersectionality as a black woman, but also exposes its complications. Brianna Renae was the 2018 Grand Slam Champion. She has featured for many great organizations such as Pickathon, WeMakePdx, Friends of Noise, and many more. Brianna has something to say, and is thankful for anyone ready to listen.
Marcus Lattimore is a spoken word artist, poet and former athlete. He co-owns ZEN:MNM—a creative wellness business with his wife, Miranda—where they offer mindfulness, nature and movement workshops. Marcus moved to Portland in 2020, diving into poetry with his vintage typewriter. Since then, he has performed in local theatre as well as winning the 2024 Grand Slam Poetry contest, and will be representing Oregon at the BlackBerry Peach Poetry Slam in Georgia this June. Marcus is a proud dog-dad to his standard poodle, Mocha and loves exploring the PNW with his family.
Alex Dang started performing poetry at 17 and hasn't slowed down since. He was on the Portland Poetry Slam nationals team in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, making him the only Asian-American poet in Portland's history to be on the team four years in a row. Alex earned his way to become the Eugene Poetry Grand Slam Champion in 2014, 2015, and again in 2017. His work has been featured on HuffingtonPost, UpWorthy, and EverydayFeminism, and has been viewed over 2 million times on YouTube. A proud graduate of Cleveland High School, Alex has performed in over 50 cities, 30 states, 7 countries, and wants to know what your favorite food is.
Dr. Mindy Nettifee is a poet, professional teaching artist, and somatic therapist specializing in trauma healing and expression. She is the author of three full-length collections of poems: Sleepyhead Assassins (Moon Tide Press), Rise of the Trust Fall (Write Bloody Press), and Open Your Mouth Like a Bell (Write Bloody Press) as well as a collection of essays on writing Glitter In The Blood – A Poet’s Manifesto for Better, Braver Writing (Write Bloody Press). She is a three time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, a Powell’s Books Indie Press Best Seller, and she co-edited the anthology Courage – Daring Poems for Gutsy Girls (Write Bloody Press). Her latest work is her doctoral dissertation Voice as Embodied Sense: Rethinking Voice and Language in Trauma Healing (ProQuest), which investigates the sensory capacities of the voice and the role they play in trauma healing and integration.
Sparkling wine, tea and cupcakes provided!
Thank you to Up Up Books, Christopher Myers, and the featured poets for the generous support of Street Books!
*If you are a restaurant or bookstore and you would be interested in helping Street Books with our spring campaign April 23rd - May 31st (or finding out more what that means) please call 503-860-9880 or email monica@streetbooks.org.