STARRING
Poets:
GUILLERMO CASTRO is a writer and translator. His poems appear in The Recluse, Bloom, Lapetitezine, Frigatezine, Margin, Barrow St., among others, and the anthologies Saints of Hysteria, This New Breed, Short Fuse, Poetry Nation, and more. His translations of Olga Orozco, in collaboration with Ron Drummond, are featured in Guernica, Terra Incognita, Visions, and the U.S. Latino Review.
ZAEDRYN MEADE is a queer writer, classically trained in formal poetry but passionate about spoken word and aspiring to write fiction. Her work has previously been published in various literary magazines, she has produced two chapbooks, Covet (2002) and Valence: Fool's Gold in the Shape of Poems (2005), and one CD, For the Record (2005). She recently co-wrote and performed with the group Girlstory in "Boxes and Boundaries" at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. She received bachelor's degrees in both Social Change and Creative Writing, which she believes are actually the same thing, from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2004. Originally born in Juneau, Alaska, she is now living in New York City. More about her upcoming performances and publications is available on her website, at www.zaedryn.com.
MATT MCCARTHY hails from Providence RI and got his start as the Fordham University Mascot, the Ram. Bad Ass Larry is a drifter from parts unknown, his poetry engages,repels, and shoots the American dream in the face.
Comedians:
TARA CLANCY was born and raised in Queens but now lives in Manhattan(the journey is considered so monumental that the day she left a parade was held- the tribes people threw handkerchiefs, waved tiny flags and like all good indigenous folk do, sent her off with some reassuring words “if all else fails you can always come home and weave baskets.â€_) She currently writes and performs monologues (her solo show CHANNEL RAT was presented at the 2005 New York Fringe Festival), teaches other people to write and perform monologues (at the Brooklyn College Art Lab and the Hetrick-Martin Institute) and tends bar on Sunday nights (at Milan's Bar, 51 E. Houston St.).
ROBIN CLOUD moved to New York City after getting her BS in film studies from Howard University, grabbed the mic and hasn't let go since. She has been seen spewing her inner most thoughts, passions, and comedic observations to the masses at Caroline's, The Duplex, New York Comedy Club, and The Peoples Improv Theatre; at times in the form of characters Jerri Beige, Angela Davison and JD West. Robin is one of the founding members of the sketch group Connecticrack and is currently studying acting with Larry Singer at the Michael Howard Studios. Robin has also written a one woman show titled Tales from the Big House. Tales is a comical coming of age story about a young African American woman who gallantly claims her lesbian identity at the age of 16 only to find that being a lesbian is only half the battle. When not entertaining the masses with comedy, Robin is avid painter and singer/songwriter.
MATT LITTLE loves words. Oh, how he loves them. Sometimes he will string several together and form a sentence. Sometimes that sentence (along with others) make people laugh. Matt Little loves laughter.
MUSICAL COMEDY GUEST:
ROBIN GELFENBIEN recently appeared on Sirius Satellite Radio’s “The Wiseguy Show” hosted by Vinny “Big Pussy” Pastore (The Sopranos) singing her original comedy songs. She has also performed her offbeat tunes at The Improv, The Peoples Improv Theater, Mo Pitkins and Juvie Hall. Her favorite TV credits include a commercial directed by Spike Lee and VH1’s “Awesomely Badder Videos” and “What’s My 20?” She has performed sketch and stand-up comedy at Carolines, Stand-Up NY and various Atlanta, New York and Toronto venues. She is a founding member, co-producer, writer and performer for the
sketch comedy troupe, Freedumb, which was selected to perform at the Toronto and Chicago Sketch Comedy Festivals. An improviser with ComedySportz New York, she is also a member of the Manhattan Comedy Collective. She has written for
VH1, The Food Network and ELLEgirl magazine, and she was recently featured in Marie Claire magazine.