Words Up

Pan African Arts Society founder Ashara Ekundayo, who also curated and produced tonight's "Urban Poetics" Poetry Slam at the Denver Art Museum, describes the event as "a multimedia mash-up of spoken word meets hip-hop meets Black History Month — an amazing lineup of gifted artists and musicians and painting and...

By Michael Roberts

February 14, 2008

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Pan African Arts Society founder Ashara Ekundayo, who also curated and produced tonight's "Urban Poetics" Poetry Slam at the Denver Art Museum, describes the event as "a multimedia mash-up of spoken word meets hip-hop meets Black History Month — an amazing lineup of gifted artists and musicians and painting and video art."

The bash's roster of talent backs up Ekundayo's claims. Participants include hosts/performance poets Sunni Patterson and Mums (best known for his role on HBO's Oz), the eclectic group Les Nubians, performance painting courtesy of Jay Paul Apodaca, and appearances by wordsmiths from Colorado and beyond, who'll scrap linguistically under the auspices of sponsors Cafe Nuba and PodSlam.org. In Ekundayo's mind, the location only adds to the ambience. "We're treating spoken-word art as high art," she says.

"Urban Poetics”" starts at 6 p.m. at the DAM, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway; the $15 admission also provides museum access. Learn more at 720-865-5000 or www.denverartmuseum.org.
Fri., Feb. 15, 6-10 p.m., 2008

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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