Connectivity Events
On Monday, December 19th at 8pm, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Spit Dat bring you Washingtonian, Kenneth Carroll and poet Kenny Carroll III for a night of lyricism! Add to the energy as an audience member or share your own talents on the open mic. Hosted by Drew Anderson and Dwayne Lawson-Brown. (641 D St NW DC)
KENNETH CARROLL
Kenneth Carroll is a native Washingtonian. He is the author of a book of poems, So What! For the White Dude Who Said This Ain’t Poetry (The Bunny and the Crocodile Press, 1997). As the former director of DC WritersCorps, he created the country’s first Youth Poetry Slam League, which was honored by the President’s Commission for the Arts and the Humanities in 1999. He is the past president of the African American Writers Guild, has served on the board of directors of the Poetry Committee of Greater Washington, and was a founding member of the 8Rock Writers Collective. Carroll’s poems are included in the anthologies In Search of Color Everywhere, American Poetry: The Next Generation, The Lion Speaks: An Anthology for Hurricane Katrina and Full Moon on K Street: Poems About Washington, DC.
KENNY CARROLL III
Born and raised in DC, Kenny Carroll served as the 2017 DC Youth Poet Laureate. He is a Sarah Lawrence and Watering Hole Fellow. His work is published in or forthcoming from The Split This Rock Quarry, Mixed Mag, Hill Rag, Beltway Quarterly, and more
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
641 D Street NW (Between 6th and 7th)
Washington DC, 20004
Add to the energy as an audience member or share your own testimony on the open mic. Hosted by Drew Anderson and Dwayne Lawson-Brown.
December Open Mic Sign Up – Google Docs
SPIT DAT IN RESIDENCE
“We all have a goal of bringing people together by challenging their biases and perspectives, amplifying the voices of folks often unheard, and making space for all types to be. To simply be. These things make me feel joy to officially bring Spit Dat to Woolly Mammoth.” – Dwayne B!, co-host of Spit Dat
ABOUT SPIT DAT
SPIT DAT is the longest-running open mic in the nation’s capital. A profoundly intimate artistic and spiritual experience which has fought to remain a safe space through nearly two decades of societal changes, Spit Dat combines world-class talent with a living room vibe. As much a “venue” as it is an “event”, Spit Dat has won multiple awards for its contribution to the growth of generations of acclaimed international artists. But perhaps its most valued accolade lives in being renowned among its staunch community as no less than “Church”.
DREW ANDERSON, a science teacher turned teaching artist, poet turned parodist, and marathon runner turned motivational speaker, is as hard to define as he is to ignore. Known lovingly throughout DC’s performing arts world as “Droopy the Broke Baller”, Drew is founder and co-host of Spit Dat, the longest-running open mic in DC. Recipient of the prestigious DC Arts and Humanities Fellowship presented by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Drew has recently merged his decade-plus of artistic acumen and educational expertise to develop Spoof School, a dynamic arts education integration residency which teaches students of all ages how to make learning fun by “making fun” of their learning.
DWAYNE B!, aka the “Crochet Kingpin” is a DC native poet, activist, breakdancer, and fashion designer. He is one of the hosts of DC’s longest running open mic series, Spit Dat, as well as Host-Captain for Busboys and Poets’ 450K location. In addition to featured readings at every Busboys and Poets location, SAGAfest Iceland 2015, Spirits and Lyrics NYC and Manassas, Woolly Mammoth, and the C2EA “We Can End AIDS” march, Dwayne’s short form poetry prowess led him to win the Best Haiku Award at the 2011 National Underground Spoken-Word Poetry Awards (NUSPA). His work to increase HIV awareness through spoken-word garnered recognition from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, BBCAmerica, the Discovery Channel, and The Washington Post. Ultimately, his goal is to force his audience to feel. His recent collection of works, One Color Kaleidoscope, is a testament to self-definition and change. When not documenting his life through poetic meter, he can be found on the metro making scarves and hats, or singing karaoke.