The following is copied from https://iowacitypoetry.com/events/mic-check-poetry-fest-2025/spoken-word-academy:

For the first event of Mic Check Poetry Fest, we invite everyone to join this moderated discussion between three poetry performance artists as they present their work and share insights into the world of slam poetry. With Tracie Morris, Professor at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Warren C. Longmire, MFA candidate from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and Caleb "The Negro Artist" Rainey, performance artist and winner of the 2024 Iowa Author Award, this event offers a unique look into the history and growth of spoken word, as well as its role in the academy.

Tracie Morris (MFA, Poetry, Hunter College, CUNY, PhD, Performance Studies, NYU). Dr. Morris was the inaugural Distinguished Visiting Professor of Poetry at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop before joining the Workshop as its first African-American tenured Professor of Poetry. Tracie has presented innovative poetry, performance art and theory in over 30 countries and is the author/editor of 10 books. University creative fellowships include the Woodberry Poetry Room (Creative Fellow, Harvard University), Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing (Writing Fellow, University of Pennsylvania). She is a 2021 Guggenheim Poetry Fellow. Tracie is a Cave Canem alumna and designated a Master Artist of the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Her installations and performances have been presented by the Whitney Biennial, Dia:Chelsea, The New Museum, The Kitchen Performance Space, Albertine, Furious Flower, Victoria and Albert Museum, Centre Pompidou, among others. Her debut poetic short film, Black Spring, was commissioned by the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies and the Department of Cinematic Arts of the University of Iowa.

Warren C. Longmire is a Negro poet, performer, and educator from North Philadelphia. He is a co-founder of the Excelano Project Spoken Word collective, a CUPSI grand slam and National Poetry Slam group piece finalist, and a former coach for the Philly Pigeon and Fuze Slam Teams. Warren has performed in venues including the Kimmel Center and the Nuyorican Poetry Cafe in New York City and has performed on stage with artists including Ursula Rucker, Sonia Sanchez, Major Jackson, and Staceyann Chin. Warren's work was featured in the 2022 edition of the Best American Poetry Anthology, selected by Tracey K. Smith. His latest book, Bird/Diz [an erased history of bebop], was published in 2022 by Bunny Presse. He is pursuing his master's in poetry at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and event producer. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize, and his second book, Heart Notes, was published in 2019. He released two spoken word albums and produced his first short film, Willing to Grow, as a part of the Brucemore Artisan Studio program. In 2024 Caleb was the recipient of the Iowa Author Award for Poetry. Within the same year, Nik Heftman and The Seven Times production company created an award winning documentary about Caleb titled, The Negro Artist. Caleb is the winner of several slams across the United States, and competed in the 2023 UNESCO Slam-0-Vision global poetry slam where he ranked 7th worldwide. Videos of his performances can be found on his youtube channel, Write About Now, and Button Poetry. When he is not writing and performing he is actively curating a community of spoken word poets in Iowa City through his high school program, IC Speaks, and producing events like the Mic Check Poetry Fest.

Copies of Warren C. Longmire's newest book, Bird/Diz, will be available for purchase at this event.

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