Spit Dat in Residence

Born in the Philippines and raised in northeastern Maryland, Jenny is a writer and arts administrator. She was the first Asian American open mic host at Busboys and Poets and was the Founding Executive Director of Sulu DC, an arts organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander artists. Jenny took a longer-than-planned break from performing, and most recently collaborated on a musical concept album with support from the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. Last year she received her master’s degree in arts administration from Goucher College. Her major paper, “Looking for Our Own Stories: Asian American Representation and the Legacy of East West Players and Theater Mu” won the award for best paper. Earlier this year, she reclaimed her Philippine citizenship and is now a dual citizen of the US and the Philippines.

Regie Cabico is the first Asian American Poet and openly Queer Poet to win the Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam and is a 3 Time National Poetry Slam Finalist. His work has appeared on TEDx Talk, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and NPR’s Snap Judgement. He is the recipient of a Writers In Residency from La Maison Baldwin and The Asian Pacific Studies Artist in Residence at NYU. Awards include a New York Innovative Theater Award for his work on the New York Neo-Futurists production of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind. His collection of poetry, A Rabbit in Search of a Rolex is forthcoming from Day Eight Press. PHOTO CREDIT: REGIE CABICO SELFIE.

Instagram: @regieguy

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.