Arts & Entertainment
Matt Garcia To Host Open Mics For Youth
WURD will train and encourage youth to participate in spoken word poetry
The Matt Garcia Youth Center offers many activities for teens afterschool and even on weekends. Coming soon, teens will have an opportunity to express spoken word poetry and even learn how to perform better with one of the center’s newest attraction, an open mic event called WURD.
“The show in general is going to be an open mic, and a poetry slam,” said Go, host and creator of the event.
Go, whom you may have seen hosting various events including Music in the Park and Dance Night, has been performing spoken poetry word since 2004. He previously hosted an open mic at the now closed Listen and Be Heard Cafe in Vallejo.
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His passion for performance has not only lead him to put on poetry events but he also enjoys teaching youth how to use poetry as a form of expression, and he has big plans for his open mic at the youth center. His vision is to bring features of well known spoken word poets in for the youth to learn from.
“The eventual goal is to send Fairfield’s first Youth Speaks team to competition, but I don’t want to start building my team and start working on my team in workshops until I have permission to get features in, in one way or another.”
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Youth Speaks is a nonprofit founded in San Francisco in 1996 and is one of the most recognized organizations of youth development through spoken word performance in the country. Youth Speak poets have been seen on the recent HBO series Russell Simmons Presents: Brave New Voices.
The series was created to show the Brave New Voices 2010 festival, which included over 500 poets from all over the world. The event was hosted by hip-hop artist Common, and actress Rosario Dawson.
A 2008 Sonoma Grand Slam Champion himself, Go is confident that he can train the youth at the Matt Garcia Center to perform nationally. He has already trained many youth, to date, that have gone on to win numerous events. With WURD he hopes to continue to share his passion and inspire more generations of talent.
“It’s a phenomenal thing,” said Go.
The first WURD event will be August 29, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Youth who wish to participate must be registered with the Matt Garcia Youth Center.
For more information about the Matt Garcia Youth Center, call (707) 422-MATT (6288).
