SAVE THE DATE
& BE THERE!
Verbs on Asphalt tells the story of a revolutionary art form as it was born in New York City. It creates the first comprehensive online history of the original Poetry Slam in New York – where it began–
at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, a non-profit arts organization on the Lower East Side.

A truly multi-cultural performance form, the original New York Poetry Slam at the Nuyorican has created a national and international impact that cannot be ignored. As the first virtual online "museum" of its kind, Verbs on Asphalt will also show the crucial role that the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in helping to develop Performance Poetry in America.

From SlamMasters to Open Mic Hosts, Grand Slam Finalists to Grand Slam Champions and National Teams, if you were there, you are here! Bios and pics were taken directly from the artist or from artist online resources, with links provided to individual websites.

Organized year by year, from the first Grand Slam Finale in 1990 until the present, Verbs on Asphalt is a complete guide and resource to "who did what and when" at the Nuyorican Poetry Slam – with plans to grow and develop through the future.


From Clare:
You're out there and you know who you are... now you are a part of an artistic legacy for the world to see whether you planned it that way or not! So...walk, bike, hail a cab, rent a spaceship, but please come down to the Nuyorican for the Launch!

 
A night of All-Star Gala Performance, hosted by former SlamMistress Felice Belle, is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will bring together legendary Nuyorican Slammers, hosts & fans.
For press info contact Marc Newell at Arcos Communications, (212) 807-1337 ext. 14 or mnewell@arcos-ny.com.
About Clare:
Clare began reading her poetry at the Nuyorican in the Open Room in 1993 but has functioned in many behind-the-scenes roles since then. She is the creator of the Nuyorican visual identity, as well as originator of the Nuyorican Poetry Slam identity and archive. She designed and published "SlamBook" the only magazine of Nuyorican Slam (now a collector's item) and has attended ten years of National Poetry Slams as an inside observer along with her team. "Verbs on Asphalt" is a culmination of her passion to acknowledge and encourage free speech and creative expression in our society, as it is seen through the expression of Poetry Slam.

She has read her poetry at The Kitchen, Bowery Poetry Club, The American Museum of Natural History, Cornelia Street Cafe, Carpo's Cafe, The West End Bar and The Bottom Line. At the suggestion of Diane Di Prima, her poetry has been published in "The Paterson Literary Review". Her chapbook "Fear of Bensonhurst" is available upon request.

Clare is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, writer and educator. She began an award-winning design studio in 1987, spending many years creating communication projects for clients like A&E Networks, Warner Music and American Express. Her work has twice been nominated for the Chrysler Innovation in Design Award by Milton Glaser and she has quietly been on the forefront as an advocate of socially and ecologically responsible design since 1991, long before it became popular.

In 2000, she invented "Poetry Dog Tags" and "Friendship Tags", (poetry you can wear!) published by Chronicle Books. Ultimo has an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College and has taught Communication Design at Parsons, Pratt and Hunter. She has shown her visual work at the Ward Nasse Gallery and the Judson Memorial Church in NYC as well as the Eyedrum Gallery in Atlanta. Her experimental video work "Inner Dialogue" is in the permanent collection of the Casoria Museum of Contemporary Art in Naples, Italy.

A book of her new digital artwork, combining cross-cultural wisdom teachings in text with sacred geometry, has been commissioned by Duncan Baird Publishers for Fall 2009 publication.