2024 National Poetry Month Events
It’s a lot!!!!
All month long: 30/30 Anybody???
Two-time Steel City Grand Slam Champion Shockie G is offering a journal with thirty new prompts to fuel your commitment to writing some new sh!t this National Poetry Month!!!!! Back to back!! Get yours and keep up with the champ HERE
Tuesday 2nd: Poetry Lounge – Mini Workshop 6PM & Open Mic 7PM – Blackout Poetry – Hosted by Lori Beth
Description: Blackout poetry, is a form of found poetry wherein a poet takes an existing text and erases, blacks out, or otherwise obscures a large portion of the text, creating a wholly new work from what remains. Come to the bar from 6-7pm where facilitator Lori Beth will show you the joy of erasure.
Host Bio: Lori Beth Jones has been serving sass and celebration almost weekly as a longtime emcee and co-Slammaster of the Steel City Poetry Slam. Always seeking to share her love of performance and community, she is a founding member of the Cultural District 2 Committee, a group that is devoted to bringing arts events to Pittsburgh’s western neighborhoods. Lori Beth got involved in Pittsburgh’s poetry community because of her natural talent for filling out forms on time and stayed for the Liner Notes showcase. She can also be found co-producing the monthly Poetry & Pints reading that encourages first-time and new readers of all genres. Lori Beth is honored to be included in this program.
Thursday 4th Poetry Lounge- Writing on the Wall Workshop hosted by Sarah Rose 7PM
Description: “Writing on the Wall” is a creative workshop sponsored by the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective that draws inspiration from the intriguing prompts found on bathroom walls, back alleys, and other unique spaces. Participants will explore the diverse and often humorous snippets of text, drawings, and musings commonly discovered in public spaces. Through guided activities, attendees will harness the spontaneity and raw expression found in these unconventional settings to fuel their own poetry. Whether it’s deciphering cryptic messages, interpreting doodles, or reflecting on the unique atmosphere of bathroom graffiti, this workshop aims to unlock the hidden narratives within the seemingly mundane. Participants can expect a fun and thought-provoking experience that encourages them to find inspiration in unexpected places and translate it into their own unique written expressions. The activity will culminate on poets using Sharpies to write their new works on the exterior walls of the Poetry Lounge to be memorialized forever. Entry Fee: $5 suggested donation
Host Bio: Sarah Rose is a spoken word artist living on the sunny side of Pittsburgh. She is ranked among the top poets in the city and has competed at the National Poetry Slam in Atlanta GA. Sarah Rose has been published in multiple poetry compilations, been a regional competitor of The Moth storytelling series on NPR, is a member of the Steel City Storytellers and on the board of the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective. Her greatest accomplishments include being the mother of 5 teenagers, surviving a global pandemic, and having 27 followers on tik tok.
Sunday 7th Pittsburgh Photography Club Open House and Ekphrasis
The Pittsburgh Photography Club will hold its annual salon exhibit and open house on April 7th, 2024 from 12-4 PM, at the Mount Lebanon Recreation Center – Upper Level, 900 Cedar Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15228. The exhibit will feature printed and digital photographs by members competing for various awards. Newly featured this year will be selected photographs from students of the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, and poetry readings by the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective which will be paired with members’ photographs in a merging of two art forms called “ekphrasis”. The Salon has been held most every year since 1914 and the Pittsburgh Photography Club is one of the oldest photography clubs in the United States, founded in 1898. For more information about the Salon, or becoming a member, please visit http://pghphoto.org
Tuesday 9th Poetry Lounge – Mini Workshop 6PM & Open Mic 7PM Free Poet Headshots- Hosted by IncoMEplete
Description: A night of free poet photography in honor of National Poetry Month. Come and enjoy complimentary artist photos with the amazing Lightspell Portraiture . This event is first come first serve 6pm-7pm come dressed to impress. The bar/stage/booths and street (weather permitting) will be our backdrop. Come get a good promo photo without your eyes closed and mouth hanging agape. Open Mic to follow so bring your poems!
Host Bio: IncoMEplete is a Pittsburgh native, a board member of the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective, event host, writer, and poet. Her artistic expression as a poet is a method of coping with trauma and overcoming the emotional challenges stemming from the loss caused by gun violence. She shares and creates pieces for purpose, navigating safe spaces throughout the city spreading awareness of various struggles and issues of society affecting everyday life. Incomplete gives hope one piece at a time through her spoken word art.
Saturday 13th Marie Watt Land Stitches Water Sky Opening Program Carnegie Museum of Art 3:30PM
Marie Watt: LAND STITCHES WATER SKY explores steel and glass—materials deeply tied to Western Pennsylvania’s industrial history—from Watt’s Indigenous perspective as a citizen of the Seneca Nation with German-Scot ancestry. This exhibition presents sculptures informed by the artist’s community collaboration and invites visitors to consider the layered histories and personal memories of familiar materials… For this new body of work, Watt partnered with the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective and Carnegie Museum of Art’s educators in engaging workshops that inspired a list of words in response to Western Pennsylvania’s industrial history and present-day concerns. READ MORE The Forum Gallery is always free and the exhibition runs until September 22
Tuesday 16th Poetry Lounge – Mini Workshop 6PM & Open Mic 7PM – Pittsburgh Photography Club Ekphrastic Poetry Showcase – Hosted by Harly
Description: A Collaboration with the Pittsburgh Photography Club to showcase Ekphrastic poetry. The art of creating art from art. Come and see a photography art show and hear the poems they inspired 6-7pm. Open Mic to follow.
Host Bio: Keivon “K-Harly/Harly” Brown is a poet that currently resides in Pittsburgh. Originally from “Smog City” Donora, Harly expresses himself through the mediums of Spoken Word, Photography, and Modeling. Harly notes Prince, Gil Scott-Heron, and Don Flemons as inspirations for his art. Harly’s notes that learning about the unspoken history and contributions that black soldiers, black cowboys, and black inventors have had on America fuels his Artistic Expression.
Friday 19th 7PM Poetry Lounge – The return of yawp Carnival Poetica!
Description:A multi-disciplinary poetic extravaganza featuring some old familiar faces and some new performances. The release of a new yawp Art + Literature ‘Zine!
Featuring Kevin “The Nerve” Wenner, Chiina Bloodmire, Pete Bush & Fiends, K-Harly, Lumberjag w/ Rick Bach, Sarah Rose, Bingo Quixote, Leslie Anne McIlroy, Mark Dignam, and The Old Cob!
Tuesday 23rd Steel City Grand Slam 2024 TICKETS Doors 6, Show 7PM SHARP
The Steel City Slam is bringing the city’s top 13 poets together to battle it out at City Of Asylum in Pittsburgh’s historic Northside. This is the poetry show we wait ALL year for! The top 4 scoring poets from this annual GRAND SLAM show will create a team to represent the Steel City in a regional tournament. Steel City Team plans to bring BRING THE HEAT! This is your chance to see first-hand the amazing and diverse performance poets Pittsburgh has to offer! Seating is limited and always a sell out! Get your tickets early for the low low price of $10
Tuesday 30th Poetry Lounge – Mini Workshop 6PM & Open Mic 7PM “That’s a Fact”- Hosted by Shockie G
Description: Generative workshop using facts to build a poem.
Host Bio: Shockie G is a talented Spoken Word Poet, known for her captivating performances and powerful words. As the 2022 and 2023 Grand Slam Champion in Pittsburgh PA, she has proven her skill by winning multiple Slam competitions both online and in person. Her work has been featured in various publications, including Read or Green’s “Out Loud” LGBTQ Anthology and “American Graveyard” anti-gun violence anthology, Nymeria Publishing’s “Descendants of Medusa” Anthology, and her own self-published chapbook “Shattered Emotions Scattered Thoughts”.Shockie G recently released a full collection of her work “In Lieu of Flowers”, which promises to be a must-read for poetry lovers. You can catch her performing at Open Mics, Workshops, and other events that allow her to connect with communities and share her passion for spoken word.
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