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Lyrics as Poetry: Hip Hop with Toni Blackman


The Lyrics as Poetry Series begins with Hip Hop Classics presented by Toni Blackman, acclaimed poet and first US Hip Hop ambassador on Friday, July 24th at 7:30 pm. It will be a creative adventure wherein the audience will listen, discuss, and recite poetic gems from classic and popular rap forms to challenge the stigma often associated with Hip Hop as a genre of art. An introduction to Hip Hop music and culture, this interactive presentation will provide definitions, insight, and inspiration. Ms. Blackman will be joined by DJ Courtland Hankins.

As a poet and performer, Toni Blackman has shared stages with the likes of Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Sekou Sundiata, Lucille Clifton, Philip Levine, the Last Poets, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, KRS One, Vernon Reid, Meshell, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Onaje Allan Gumbs, and Youssou Ndour. A sought after speaker, Ms. Blackman has presented at the ASPEN Institute Summit in Oman, the Pio Manzu Conference in Italy, the DODGE Poetry Festival, the World Social Forum in Barcelona, as a featured speaker at Chicago Ideas Week, at TEDx UMass at Amherst and most recently at Rockefeller Plaza for NBC Universal’s B.P.A. Conference.  Ms. Blackman has appeared in FORBES, the Washington Post and NY Times, ESSENCE Magazine, featured on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, BET, VH1, Fox News and other media outlets. The leading authority on Cyphers, Toni Blackman’s creation of groundbreaking projects like Freestyle Union Cipher Workshop and Rhyme Like A Girl achieved fellowships with Echoing Green Foundation and the Open Society Institute. In 2012, DOVE soap selected her as a Real Woman Honoree. She is currently a Nasir Jones Fellow at Harvard University and on the artist roster for Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute.

Event Location and Ticket Information

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Hudson Valley Writers’ Center
300 Riverside Drive
Sleepy Hollow, NY
Handicap Accessible? Yes

Date: Friday, July 24, 2015
Times: 12:00 am

Ticket pricing:

Get tickets now
- $10.00

Presenter: Hudson Valley Writers' Center
Presenter Phone: 9143325953
Presenter Website: www.writerscenter.org