BETTER MAY THAN NEVER! A BELATED NATIONAL POETRY MONTH CELEBRATION!

Join Michael A. Gaut, The Painted Poet, for a night of spoken word, live music, and beautiful art!

Featuring Mayhem Poetry, Alandra Michele, and YOU! (OPEN MIC PORTION TO FOLLOW FEATURED ARTISTS)

Live music provided by Bryon Cage and guest!

$10 at the door. Doors open at 7pm.
Poetry begins at 8pm

Maysam “Mayhem” Seraji (they/them pronouns) is a local up-and-coming poet making their way into the Syracuse slam scene. Never having taken a formal poetry writing class, they consider themself to be “self taught,” and has been writing for as long as they can remember being able to hold pen to paper. Friends have playfully dubbed them “Mayhem,” due to their chaotic energy and brimming passion. Mayhem is nonbinary, transgender, and Iranian-American, and hopes to carry the legacy of Persian poetry into the present, to imagine a new future. @mayhempoetry on facebook, insta, twitter & soundcloud.

Poet Alandra Michele was born and raised in Syracuse, NY, and wrote her first poem at nine years old. Since then, poetry has become her lifestyle, she says, “a crucial element in cultivating [her] growth. Living in a world desperately in need of voices for change, Alandra pursued her passion for poetry when she attended Earlham College in Indiana. Poetry has given her a voice of power, and Alandra is certain that poetry has allowed her to influence change and leave a lasting impact on others, motivating them to challenge their own thinking, perceptions and word choices. One of Alandra’s goals is to start a program that connects at-risk youth with artistic people, events and opportunities. “Art has the ability to draw people out of dark situations, bringing them closer to their true selves, and to others,” Alandra says.

Bryon Cage is a Syracuse based drummer with an international resume. Laying down beats for more bands than you can shake a (drum) stick at, Byron can be seen on stage with Syracuse favorites like the Jess Novak Band and MG3, when he’s not touring with the likes of blues legend Joe Louis Walker. Byron and the MG3 Jazz Organ Trio scored a Grand Prize finish awarded in the 2018 edition of the Bucharest International Jazz Competition in Bucharest, Romania.

Michael A. Gaut is managing artist at The Painting Poet Art & Activity Center, located in Syracuse, NY. Through interactive art workshops, presentations, and performances, the mission of The Painting Poet is to inspire students and persons of all ages to discover and use their creative voices.