Def Jam, Nuyorican Poets, and Akil Dasan from Missy Elliot's Road To Stardom Crash East Harlem English Class

April is poetry month and in that spirit I am attempting to create a full-fledged workshop day with my two 7th grade English Language Arts students. In middle school, capturing their interest and finding a way to motivate them is always at the crux of every lesson. In order to inspire and motivate my students to write and perform incredible poetry, I have made a connection with a NYC agent who works with professional spoken word/slam poetry artists and a hip hop artist who all hold education and spreading positivity among youth close to their hearts. After some lengthly emailing, the manager came back to me with a full day proposal, including artist performances, two workshops, and a student finale. I know that this would create a lasting memory and give students the opportunity to work closely with role models in the artistic community and, in many cases, of their same ethnicity. I hope that you can support me in what I know is a large-scale and somewhat pricey venture. I think it will be worth every penny! Thank you so much for your support of public school teachers and the arts! Below is the brief proposal that was sent to me via email. A more professional document is being sent through the mail and can be made available at your request. “Expression through Words” will include a Full-Day workshop (9a – 3p) with (4) Artists/Presenters covering Prose, Poetry, Spoken-Word & Song-Writing. There will be an opening performance by the artists, followed by (2) sessions for each topic (before lunch and after lunch). The first session will teach certain skills & the second will exercise those skills in preparation for the finale—collaborative student performances. The price covers the presentations, flyer/program design & prinitng, video & photo coverage (DVD & Digital Photos will be sent to the school), misc Xeroxing for workshop materials, follow-up lessons/activities, and list of resources for students/teachers to further their knowledge. Presenters include: AKIL DASAN from “The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott” ANTHONY MORALES – HBO Def Poet / Nuyorican Poet/Writer/Educator DA BOOGIE MAN – Poet/Writer/Educator who won 4X at the Apollo doing Spoken Word DEVYNITY – Female Poet/Lyricist from the 2002 Nuyorican National Poetry Slam Team