If I didn’t fess to being absurdly excited about my own Word Sprout show, that’d just be silly. The New Sh!t Show Minneapolis, about which I’ve blogged here before, is a series of all world premieres, all the time. Performers are given five to ten minutes to debut 100% new work – the new shit – and encouraged to experiment, collaborate, and step outside their usual performance, movement, or lecturing boundaries.
The original New Sh!t Show started in San Francisco as a poetry show, run by Nic Alea and Sam Sax, and I thought the concept was amazing, so I asked them if I could start a Minneapolis offshoot (NSS spinoffs also exist in Austin and Boston). I was ready to jump through any number of hoops, but they essentially just told me to go have fun with it. I brought up the idea to Allison and she asked if I wanted it to be a Word Sprout production. I said yes, if we could find a venue, and one email to Fox Egg Gallery later and we had our reservation.
The original New Sh!t Show started in San Francisco as a poetry show, run by Nic Alea and Sam Sax, and I thought the concept was amazing, so I asked them if I could start a Minneapolis offshoot (NSS spinoffs also exist in Austin and Boston). I was ready to jump through any number of hoops, but they essentially just told me to go have fun with it. I brought up the idea to Allison and she asked if I wanted it to be a Word Sprout production. I said yes, if we could find a venue, and one email to Fox Egg Gallery later and we had our reservation.
What I’m saying is that I feel incredibly lucky to be running the New Sh!t Show Minneapolis, especially after two total knockout months in April and May. We’re back at Fox Egg for the show on Friday, June 20th, and I’m proud to announce here that our feature performers are Chantz Erolin, Thressa Johnson, Cristopher Gibson, and Rae Wood. Doors are at 7:30 – more information at the show page.
Besides my own production, I’m really excited to attend Northern Spark for the first time this year. Related to that, Revolver is currently hosting Write Fight II, in which, yes, I’m participating, but it’s all-around just a stellar concept. This year they’re hosting digital head-to-head bouts, emailing out prompts and giving competitors an hour to send back a response piece, and the final showdown is under the Hennepin Avenue Bridge at Northern Spark. I mean, seriously, how cool is that?
In terms of artists, deM atlas is totally blowing up right now with his Rhymesayers debut; Malachi Black has his first full-length collection coming out from Copper Canyon Press this fall; and Thressa Johnson and I are working on getting her full-length edited, printed, and released properly.
And one of my favorite series, Off the Cuff, has its next show on June 29th. Off the Cuff is an improvisational jazz, hip-hop, spoken word, and otherwise series, held every month at the Aster Café. It was one of the inspirations for the format of the New Sh!t Show Minneapolis, and we were excited to feature Off the Cuff producer Andrew Foreman at our first event in April.
Besides my own production, I’m really excited to attend Northern Spark for the first time this year. Related to that, Revolver is currently hosting Write Fight II, in which, yes, I’m participating, but it’s all-around just a stellar concept. This year they’re hosting digital head-to-head bouts, emailing out prompts and giving competitors an hour to send back a response piece, and the final showdown is under the Hennepin Avenue Bridge at Northern Spark. I mean, seriously, how cool is that?
In terms of artists, deM atlas is totally blowing up right now with his Rhymesayers debut; Malachi Black has his first full-length collection coming out from Copper Canyon Press this fall; and Thressa Johnson and I are working on getting her full-length edited, printed, and released properly.
And one of my favorite series, Off the Cuff, has its next show on June 29th. Off the Cuff is an improvisational jazz, hip-hop, spoken word, and otherwise series, held every month at the Aster Café. It was one of the inspirations for the format of the New Sh!t Show Minneapolis, and we were excited to feature Off the Cuff producer Andrew Foreman at our first event in April.
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