For our Season 2 Finale we are EXCITED to welcome Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa to the podcast! Sukhjit is a spoken word poet, playwright and screenwriter. She has competed in the Australian Poetry Slam Competition (2014) as a finalist, performed on Australia’s Got Talent (2016) as a semi-finalist, and presented at TedxUWA (2017) and TedxNewtown (2019). She has performed with notable artists including Missy Higgins and L-FRESH the Lion, and her poetry and community arts projects have led her to tour globally and across her nation. In 2019, Sukhjit premiered her debut theatre show Fully Sikh with Barking Gecko Theatre Company and Black Swan Theatre Company. Sukhjit is currently developing three film projects as well as an experimental film compilation to be exhibited in April 2022. Check out this AMAZING ending to Season 2 of The Poet Speaks Podcast! Sukhjit's Links: https://www.instagram.com/thesukimonster/?hl=en Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda, book interviews, as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services

We have Melania Luisa Marte on the podcast this week! Melania is a writer, poet, and speaker from New York living in the Dominican Republic. Her most viral poem “Afro-Latina” was featured by Instagram on their IG TV for National Poetry Month and has garnered over 9 million views. Her work has also been featured by Ain’t I Latina, The Root, Teen Vogue, Facebook, Telemundo, Remezcla, and People En Español. Melania’s won two Audie awards for her most recent voice-over work co-narrating novel-in-verse, CLAP WHEN YOU LAND by National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo. Marte’s latest commissioned work includes a commercial poem for McDonald’s ‘Hacer Mas’ scholarship campaign as well as starring in and writing a unique poem for Facebook’s 2020 Heritage Month celebration. In 2021 Melania co-wrote and starred in Instagram´s Somos Limitless campaign. Marte is currently working on her debut collection of poetry, PLANTAINS AND OUR BECOMING that will be published by Tiny Reparations, an imprint of Plume and Penguin Random House Summer 2023. Melania's Links: https://www.melanialuisa.com/ Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda, book interviews, as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services

We welcome to the Podcast, Stephen James Smith! Stephen James Smith is a Dublin poet and playwright central to the rise of the Irish spoken word scene. His poetry videos have amassed over 3 million views online, including ‘My Ireland’, a short poetry film commissioned by St. Patrick’s Festival. Stephen has performed extensively at top venues and events such as Electric Picnic, Other Voices, the National Concert Hall, the Abbey Theatre (Noble Call), Vicar Street (alongside Oscar winner Glen Hansard), the London Palladium, the Oscar Wilde Awards (LA), Glastonbury Festival and George Town Literary Festival (ML). His debut collection, Fear Not, is published by Arlen House with a launch due in June 2018. Listen in on him and Amanda's conversation! Stephen's Links: https://www.stephenjamessmith.com Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda, book interviews, as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services

We welcome to the podcast, Asantewaa Boykin! Asantewaa is the Daughter of Valerie Boykin, Granddaughter of Bertha Brandy and Gladys Boykin and the Great-Granddaughter of Nonnie Boykin and Drucella Bluford. She is a proud San Diego, CA native that found her voice in Oakland, CA Berthas’ home and Drucellas’ frontier. Her poetry and art combines her love of words, storytelling, and resistance. Exploring topics like; space-travel, black-femme militancy,& motherhood. Which describes her first full-length poetry collection, “Love, Lyric and Liberation (Nomadic Press), and embodies the essence of her visual art. She is also the Co-founder of APTP (Anti Police-Terror Project) an organization committed to the eradication of police terror. Her greatest honor is being the mother of her son Ajani, bonus daughter Aryana and granddaughter Lilith. Check out her and Amanda's conversation! Asantewaa's Links: https://www.asantewaaboykin.com/about Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda, book interviews, as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services

Check out Amanda's conversation with Biankah Bailey! Biankah is a writer and educator from Kingston, Jamaica. She has been teaching English in Japan for over a decade and currently resides in Saitama Prefecture with her husband and cat. Some of her written work has been published in Musings, an anthology series by Writers’ Bloc, Tokyo as well as in Tokyo Poetry Journal Volume I. She is one of the editors of Umoja, an anthology of Black poetry, prose and art, published by Tokyo Poetry Journal. Biankah's Links: https://www.instagram.com/biankahbailey/?hl=en Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda, book interviews, as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services

On this week's episode Amanda talks to Usolosopher! Molimau Andrew Fatu aka Usolosopher (ooo-so- losopher) is a Samoan poet from Long Beach, California. He has three self-published books. He was also a radio personality on Hotwordz Lyrical Theatre. He has mentored the youth in the inner cities of Los Angeles county. Being part of the CSUDH poetry club F.L.O.W. (For the Love Of Writing) he was president and also competed in slam poetry against other universities in California. Now being a newlywed with his wife Jen living in Pasadena, California.  Usolosopher's Links: http://www.usolosopher.org/ Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda, book interviews, as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services

This episode we have Anouk Yeh! Anouk is a spoken word poet, journalist and organizer from San Jose, California. She is Santa Clara County’s 2021 Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate, a 2020 National Student Poet Program semifinalist and a U.S. delegate to the International Congress of Youth Voices. A firm believer that "the role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible," Yeh is always actively looking for inventive ways to tackle current events in her poetry. Her poetry has been featured by Stanford University, Planned Parenthood and the Kronos Quartet. Her journalism pieces have been published in Refinery29, the Los Angeles Review of Books and the Education Post, among others. Anouk's Links: https://www.anoukyeh.com/ Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda, book interviews, as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services

On this week's episode we have Tyrone Lewis! Tyrone is a pop-culture powerhouse of a poet. He is a UK Poetry Slam Champion for 2020, former Roundhouse Poetry Slam Champion and author of his very own debut poetry collection, ‘Blackish’. Tyrone has worked across England with poetry in a variety of ways, including performing, teaching and peer mentoring. He was nominated as the editor’s choice for Best Spoken Word Performer for the 2018 Saboteur Awards and was a semi-finalist in the 2020 World Cup Of Poetry. As comfortable in front of a camera as he is behind it, Tyrone is a full time video editor as well. Listen in as Amanda and him talk all about his career in Spoken Word and Poetry! Tyrone's Links: https://tyronelewis22.com/ Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda, book interviews, as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services

This episode, Amanda talks to Jennifer Alicia! Jennifer  is a queer, mixed Mi'kmaw and settler (german/Irish/Scottish) multidisciplinary artist originally from Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk (Bay of Islands, Newfoundland), now residing in Toronto, Ontario. She is a two-time national poetry slam champion and recently published her chapbook titled "Mixed Emotions." Jennifer Alicia was published in Issue 09 of Canthius Magazine and NOW Magazine in 2021. They are currently working on a play titled Restor(y)ing Identity, and part of it was presented at the first ever Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival in 2021. An audio version of the play was presented at the Weesageechak Begins To Dance 33 Festival in 2020 and at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in 2021.  Jennifer's Links: www.jenniferalicia.com. Be sure to check out The Poet Speaks Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoetspeakspodcast/ And listen to , The Poet Speaks Podcast, on the go on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poet-speaks-podcast/id1595514895?uo=4 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1cM1rdF7XBfxwBcc6IPQow?si=52a2f5e63d6c4bc7 Did you know The Poet Speaks is also Amanda's touring global workshop? She teaches people all about how to make, create and the history of Spoken Word and Indigenous oral traditions! To make a booking for The Poet Speaks Workshop with your organization, apply for mentorships with Amanda as well as writing consultations, please use this link: https://www.amandaeke.com/services