Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Tuesday • May 6, 2014 • by admin
What: Thor Johnson (ArtSpeak Series)
When: Saturday May 17th, 7:00 pm
Where: Mighty Fine Arts, 409 N Tyler
In conjunction with the day-long Visual Speed Bump Tour of Art Tour in Oak Cliff, WordSpace presents performance art with Thor Johnson. The notorious Thor Johnson direct from his recent acclaimed solo art show will seek to further enlighten and amaze with his poetic revelations, unexpected consequences and stark truth and lies.
Also appearing: Master printmaker Matt Bagley backed up by the BarackOBilly Squires, to further your spiritual development as they hope to manifest the Holy Art Spirit and bring the Aesthetic of the Real to the justified. And direct from the Psyche Fest Art Tent are the Grandmaster artists Andy Don Emmons and Clay Stinnett .
The artists of Oak Cliff welcome you into their homes and studios for the 2014 Visual SpeedBump Art Tour. Come out and see artists in their natural habitat and be amazed by all the creativity in “the Cliff”. The tour begins at noon on Saturday May 17th and runs until 6pm. This one-day event is Free and open to the public. Printed maps will be available at each stop.
www.oakcliffstudiotour.com
There’s 16 studios/galleries so start early and plan ahead! The website has the images and info you might need to build your itinerary. Be adventurous, have fun and be safe.
Saturday • May 3, 2014 • by admin
Poets on X Series
A Summer Series created by Opalina Salas —And she reads in this one!
When: August 16, 7 pm
Where: Lucky Dog Books, 633 W. Davis St. (Oak Cliff
kYmberly mieshia dionne Keeton received a BA with Honors in Creative Writing & Graduate Certificate in African-American Studies from University of Houston. She is the author of six books of poetry, and numerous short-stories. As former City Editor of Rolling Out *Dallas and Entertainment Editor for the Dallas Weekly Newspaper, Keeton interviewed Larenz Tate, Illyasah Shabazz, Haile Gerima, Usher, Dwele, Musiq Soulchild, Talib Qwele, Charles Stone III, Pam Grier, Mara Akil Brock, Tamara Peterson, Chi McBride, Monique, Tim Arnold, Mark Curry and countless others in the industry. Keeton’s articles have been published in the Ave Magazine, Young People For.org, The Atlanta Voice, Washington African American Post, The Capitol Outlook, National Society of Black Engineers, Rolling Out, the Dallas Weekly, SacObserver.com, WHERE Magazine, Miami Times Online, Spinner.com, UJIMA, ThyBlackMan.com and Black Chicago Online.net. Keeton created Literafeelya Magazine in 2003, and is also the former Publisher of Songhai News: The Black Collegiate Voice-Black Newspaper at the University of Houston, and one of three founders of the periodical. She now publishes soflynmythirties, an opinionated cultural blog.
Opalina Salas is a poet, former book store owner, editor of lit magazines and creator of the original Poets on X Reading Series, first held at Cliff Notes, the bookstore she owned with her husband-poet Carlos Salas. The series moved to Mighty Fine Arts when Cliff Notes closed and she has been an indie butterfly curator/hostess for many WordSpace events. Her work has appeared in a number of journals and is included in the Anthology of Texas Beat Poets, published by University of Texas Press. She has read all over Texas in festivals, galleries and nightclubs, is a regular contributor to Mad Swirl, and lives in Dallas with Carlos and their daughter, Paloma.
Friday • May 2, 2014 • by admin
Monday • April 21, 2014 • by admin
1st Saturdays: 4-6 pm @ Half Price Books, 5803 E. NW Highway
3rd Saturdays: 4-6 pm @ Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson
Youth Poets Workshops is a component of WS Next Generation Project in support and development of young writers. WordSpace presents workshops mentored by top performance poet and Dallas Youth Poets Executive Director, Joaquin Zihuatanejo and co-founder Alexandra Marie Thurston. They provide poetry and slam outreach to area youth in two great locations. The workshops are open to ages 11-17. Participants receive instruction in writing and performance with a chance to compete for the Dallas Youth Poetssponsored team that will represent Dallas in the annual conference, Brave New Voices. The workshop participants are also eligible to compete in other area youth team competitions.
Joaquin Zihuatanejo (born in Dallas, Texas) is an award-winning American slam poet and teacher. In 2004, Zihuatanejo competed in the National Poetry Slam as part of the Dallas Poetry Slam team, which placed third. He also appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry in 2005. In 2008, he won the Individual World Poetry Slam and was the winner of the World Cup of Poetry Slam in 2009. Currently, Zihuatanejo resides near his hometown of Dallas with his wife and two daughters. Outside of poetry, Zihuatanejo taught English and creative writing for seven years.
Alexandra Marie Thurston, is a writer from Los Angeles and Director of the Dallas Poetry Slam. She bring years of service to the poetry community and inspiring mentorship to young writers. Alexandra Marie Thurston serves as the board of directors of WordSpace.
WordSpace is honored to partner with Oak Cliff Cultural Center to produce Youth Poets Workhops at their facility. Funding for this program is made possible by City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and WordSpace Members.
Special Thanks to Half Price Books, sponsors of WordSpace at The Kessler, for use of their facilities for this program. WordSpace is also honored to be a 2014 recipient of TACA’s generosity.



Monday • February 3, 2014 • by admin

When: May 16, 2014 at 8 pm
Where: Heroes, 7402 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231
Hosted by: Alexandra Marie
Admission: $5, WS Members Free
A lifelong lover of lyrics, Michael Hatcher began writing when his lack of rhythm (and singing skills) thwarted any dreams of making music. When Michael was young, he and his best friend created a comic book: Michael wrote the story and his best friend drew it out. Though he studied poetry while in college at the University of North Texas, Michael didn’t start writing in that genre until 2010. Since then, he has made three slam teams, representing his hometown of Fort Worth in 2011, and Arlington (Inkwell) in 2012 and 2013 at the National Poetry Slam.
Describing his style as minimalist, Michael tries to say as much as he can with the least amount of words. Michael writes about the things he has experienced, his insecurities, regrets, and those who have touched his life in some way. Everything inspires him: The way John Frusciante plays guitar, the books he reads, the way his mother smiles, Katy Trail, the poetry community, his Inkwell family, his Dallas Slam family, his Fort Worth Slam family.
Currently, Michael is writing, slamming, and working on a chapbook. What’s next? He doesn’t know, but by the end of it all…
This reading is a Featured Reader Series at the Dallas Poetry Slam.
Monday • December 23, 2013 • by admin
1st Saturdays: 4-6 pm @ Half Price Books, 5803 E. NW Highway
3rd Saturdays: 4-6 pm @ Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson
Youth Poets Workshops is a component of WS Next Generation Project in support and development of young writers. WordSpace presents workshops mentored by top performance poet and Dallas Youth Poets Executive Director, Joaquin Zihuatanejo and co-founder Alexandra Marie Thurston. They provide poetry and slam outreach to area youth in two great locations. The workshops are open to ages 11-17. Participants receive instruction in writing and performance with a chance to compete for the Dallas Youth Poetssponsored team that will represent Dallas in the annual conference, Brave New Voices. The workshop participants are also eligible to compete in other area youth team competitions.
Joaquin Zihuatanejo (born in Dallas, Texas) is an award-winning American slam poet and teacher. In 2004, Zihuatanejo competed in the National Poetry Slam as part of the Dallas Poetry Slam team, which placed third. He also appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry in 2005. In 2008, he won the Individual World Poetry Slam and was the winner of the World Cup of Poetry Slam in 2009. Currently, Zihuatanejo resides near his hometown of Dallas with his wife and two daughters. Outside of poetry, Zihuatanejo taught English and creative writing for seven years.
Alexandra Marie Thurston, is a writer from Los Angeles and Director of the Dallas Poetry Slam. She bring years of service to the poetry community and inspiring mentorship to young writers. Alexandra Marie Thurston serves as the board of directors of WordSpace.
WordSpace is honored to partner with Oak Cliff Cultural Center to produce Youth Poets Workhops at their facility. Funding for this program is made possible by City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and WordSpace Members.
Special Thanks to Half Price Books, sponsors of WordSpace at The Kessler, for use of their facilities for this program. WordSpace is also honored to be a 2014 recipient of TACA’s generosity.



Thursday • July 11, 2013 • by admin
Who: John Waters: “This Filthy World” When: May 29, 8 pm Where: The Kessler Theater, 1230 West Davis BUY TICKETS
John Waters is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, stand-up comedian, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films. Waters’ 1970s and early ’80s trash films feature his regular troupe of actors known as the Dreamlanders—among them Divine, Mink Stole, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, and Edith Massey. Starting with Desperate Living (1977), Waters began casting real-life convicted criminals (Liz Renay, Patty Hearst) and infamous people (Traci Lords, a former porn star). Waters skirted mainstream film making with Hairspray (1988), which introduced Ricki Lake and earned a modest gross of $8 million domestically. In 2002, Hairspray was adapted to a long-running Broadway musical, which itself was adapted to a hit musical film which earned more than $200 million worldwide. After the crossover success of the original film version of Hairspray, Waters’s films began featuring familiar actors and celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Edward Furlong, Melanie Griffith, Chris Isaak, Johnny Knoxville, Martha Plimpton, Christina Ricci, Lili Taylor, Kathleen Turner, John Travolta, and Tracey Ullman. Although he maintains apartments in New York City and San Francisco, and a summer home in Provincetown, Waters still mainly resides in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, where all his films are set. He is recognizable by his trademark pencil moustache, a look he has retained since the early 1970s.