Neighbor News
MOTOWN MUSEUM PRESENTS "MOTOWN MIC: THE SPOKEN WORD" COMPETITION SERIES
Open-to-the-public poetry competition invites local poets to share their talents every Friday evening during April
Motown Museum announced today that it will host its third annual Motown Mic: The Spoken Word competition series on Fridays in April from 8 to 10 p.m. at Motown Museum. Motown Museum Chairwoman and CEO Robin Terry made the announcement.
“Motown Museum is proud to serve as a local platform for the next generation of creative artists by offering opportunities and experiences for them to find and share their unique perspective and artistic gifts,” said Terry. “Every year we see incredible local talent from all walks of life shine as they creatively express themselves through their poetry. We hope the community will join us to witness their art, while learning more about the Motown legacy and its continued impact on today.”
Motown Mic: The Spoken Word, which is open to the public, invites poets to perform original pieces. During the events, two winners will be chosen by a panel of judges to advance to the grand finale in June at the Garden Theatre where they will perform Motown-inspired pieces and compete for the opportunity to be named the 2016 Motown Mic: The Spoken Word Artist of the Year, win a $1,000 cash prize and have their work published on a literary broadside.
“Being Motown Mic’s 2015 Spoken Word Artist of the Year is such an honor,” said Tamyra Rene, 2015 Motown Mic winner. “I am grateful that Motown Museum created this platform for local poets to have a voice. Not everyone can say that they were a part of an event series that celebrates the Black Forum Label, a movement that changed the world and brought forth some of the greatest literary artists of our time.”
Motown Mic: The Spoken Word was created to pay homage to Motown Records’ Black Forum Label—a Motown spoken word label created by Berry Gordy and the Motown Corporation in the ‘70s as a venue for Black expression and education. The label served to capture the voices of African American poets and orators such as Langston Hughes, Stokely Carmichael, Elaine Brown, Ossie Davis and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose moving and inspirational “I Have A Dream” speech was recorded by the label. As Motown revolutionized the music industry, its Black Forum Label documented the social consciousness of a generation—Motown Mic: The Spoken Word is a continuation of that rich legacy.
Open to the public, the events will take place April 8, 15, 22 and 29. General admission tickets are $10 ($5 for performers) and can be purchased at the door. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. Motown Museum is located at 2648 West Grand Blvd. in Detroit.
For more information on Motown Museum, including hours of operation, visit http://www.motownmuseum.org or call 313.875.2264.
