The zeitgeist of contemporary American poetry is happening at the intersection of great writing and great performance, and if poetry is to gain ground in both relevance and effectiveness, it is that intersection that needs to be explored. With that as the driving force, Write NOW produces the Best Contemporary American Poetry Series, a series of Boadway-quality theatre shows that feature the best performance poets in American today. The current run of the series is the critically acclaimed The Drums Inside Your Chest, and features poets performing with musicians and magicians in what has been hailed as "world class" and "a Woodstock of poetic celebration." The 2007 Drums was held at the Brentwood Theatre; the 2008 and 2009 Drums were held at the New Los Angeles Theatre Centre in downtown Los Angeles; and Drums 2010 will be held August 14th at the Largo Coronet Theatre.
The BCAPS performances are designed to attract new audiences to poetry and to inspire greater participation from the existing audience by exhibiting poetry in an elevated context: poems performed by those who wrote it, backed up by gifted musicians, with a magician and a host that lead the audience through an "experience" rather than a "reading." In sum, a show that guarantees to charge souls, stir hearts and create believers in the twin arts of poetry of spoken word. Past performers include Amber Tamblyn, Bucky Sinister, Beau Sia, Mindy Nettifee, Buddy Wakefield, Derrick Brown, Jeffrey McDaniel, Brendan Constantine, Mike McGee, Wanda Coleman, Roger Bonair-Agard, Andrea Gibson, Patricia Smith, CR Avery, Anis Mojgani, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, Rob Sturma, Rachel McKibbons, Michael McClure, magician Rob Zabrecki, singer-songwriter Emily Wells, and San Fransisco Poet-Laureate Jack Hirschman. A documentary film by the same name - Drums Inside Your Chest - debuted to critical acclaim at the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival. More information about this annual event can be found at Drums Inside Your Chest website at www.drumsinsideyourchest.com.
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