Join OnMilwaukee at Nō Studios for 5 nights of spoken word poetry across 5 months. Emceed by SamanthaStarr Events and OnMilwaukee’s Molly Snyder, it’s bound to be an event worth talking about.
Night 1
Kavon Cortez-Jones
Kavon Cortez-Jones was born and raised in Milwaukee, a city he calls the “Paris of the Midwest.” He is a Renaissance poet, storyteller and author of a collection of poetry called “Club Noir.” Cortez-Jones was inspired to write poetry in 7th grade thanks to local mentors Kwabena Nixon and Muhibb Dyer who wrote about subjects like losing loved ones to gun violence and the lost artform of Double-Dutch jump roping — both topics that deeply resonated with him.
Night 2
Lilo Allen
Milwaukee native Lilo Allen got her start performing poetry on UWM's Lyrical Sanctuary stage as a young teen. She’s performed in several popular poetry houses over the years, from the famed Apache Cafe in Atlanta, Georgia, to The Ritzy Open Mic in the Brixton borough of London. She prefers to use real life events and current social justice issues as her inspiration for her pieces. Her experiences as an Afro-Caribbean woman informs all of her works and she enjoys exploring her identity through poetry.
Night 3
Ajamou Butler
Spoken word artist, author, HBO documentary feature, educator and lecturer Brother Ajamou Butler has always been one to progress from his pain. Growing up in Milwaukee’s notorious 53206 zip code, Butler was exposed to the uglier sides of poverty. In May 2012, Butler launched a non-profit organization, Heal the Hood MKE, that works to push against social injustice and rewrite the narrative of inner-city Milwaukee. Butler is known to use his experiences in Milwaukee and his spirituality mixed together to come up with his own style of spoken word ministry. Butler lives by the motto “Heal the hearts, heal the homes, heal the hoods!”
Night 4
Brit Nicole
Brit Nicole is a spoken word artist, community healer, performer, musician and facilitator based. Her first feature performance was in August 2013 at Brewing Grounds for Change. That same year, Brit co-founded PENtastic, one of the longest-running open mics in Milwaukee. Since then, Brit has taken her talents to Poetry Unplugged, Middle Earth MKE, Imaginary Heroes events, churches, Voltage! Teen Slam, Br(OK)en Genius and many more.
Night 5
Frances “Freebird” Morgan
Lovingly nicknamed by her father and grandfather, Frances “Freebird” Morgan is a performer, published author, designer and scholar working on her PhD. She is best known for her truthful, passionate and empathetic storytelling, her incredible smile, and her penchant for being a goofball.