Events & Calendars Spoken Word Slam for Amherst Students

LitFest kicks off with the Spoken Word Slam, hosted by Daniel Gallant, executive director of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. The Slam will begin with performances from reg e gaines and J.F. Seary.

Interested students should register now to participate in this virtual event. Registration is open until February 22.

Daniel Gallant is the executive director of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the author of the short story collection Determined to Prove, and a playwright, theatrical producer, actor and teacher. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Time Out, the New York Post, the Daily News, six anthologies from Applause Books and Vintage Books and elsewhere. He is the recipient of an Eisenhower Fellowship and fellowships from National Arts Strategies and the DeVos Institute, and was recently named to the Fulbright Specialist roster. He has been featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Crain’s New York, Forbes, Adweek, Inc., The Washington Post and Voice of America; and on CNN, MTV, NPR, NBC, NY1, CBS, Univision, the BBC and other networks.

reg e gaines is author/lyricist of the Tony Award-winning musical Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk and is in his ninth year as artistic director of the Downtown Urban Theater Festival in New York. Most recently, reg directed Through the Looking Glass for Center Theatre Group and Rock WILK’s Brooklyn Quartet. He is currently writing and directing two musicals: The 88 and FREE. His spoken-word career began at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, where he was named Grand Slam Champion.

J.F. Seary is a Nuyorican poet and actor. She has performed at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the Bowery Poetry Club and Le Poisson Rouge in New York City, as well as in London, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Juan, Grand Rapids and Orlando. She has also toured colleges across the United States with her solo poetry show and with the ensemble production HerStory. Seary has taught English and drama for Monroe College, John Jay College and Borough of Manhattan Community College for 13 years. She is currently working on Necromancer (pilot), and she is a co-creator/co-writer for the web series The New York Effect.