Praise for Climbing poetree
reviews from distinguished allies
"Each time I have the pleasure of attending a performance by Climbing PoeTree, I feel
enriched, renewed, and inspired. Alixa and Naima insist that poetry can change the world--and
it is true that the urgency, power and beauty of their words impel us to keep striving for the
radical futures toward which they gesture."
~ Angela Y. Davis, political activist, scholar, Distinguished Professor Emerita, UCSC
"Climbing PoeTree is a soulful expression. Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman are deep
thinkers and gifted poets. I am moved profoundly by the power of their words!"
~ Cornel West, philosopher, academic, activist, author
"These stunning poems prove that there is something sacred, unyielding and deeply human in
walking the path of rebellion. Climbing PoeTree offers us a language, a soundtrack, a
heartbeat-rhythm for how to speak with courage."
~ Carlos Andrés Gómez, poet, actor, author
"With vision and rhythm, Naima and Alixa's poems stretch from souls-deep toward the radiant
pulsing horizon. Look and listen—Climbing PoeTree might take you exactly where you need to
go."
~ Jeff Chang, hip hop journalist and critic, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop
"This work is the glass shattering, a womb awakening, a brown scream. The exalted sound of
a poet's heart. Warrior women, called writers. griots. our holders of truth and words and history.
A book opening is also a birth. This is one child you will want to honor, rename and share with
your tribe. This is the glory of water, a weight, a push of language we won't fear. This work is a
long time coming."
~ jessica Care moore, poet, publisher, Moore Black Press
"Hurricane Season pounds with intensity and fierceness and love. Naima and Alixa are truly
forces of nature, delivering a performance that will move you to tears and to action."
~ Tia Lessin & Carl Deal, Producers of “Fahrenheit 911”
Directors of Academy Award nominated “Trouble The Water”
“Alixa and Naima create a wave of such intelligent soul-moving proportions that we will surely
see its effects in catalyzing a radical shift in how our generation cares for the earth and all
cultures of our human family.”
~ Michael Flynn, founder, Common Vision
Who is climBING poetree?
Alixa Garcia & Naima Penniman
Climbing PoeTree is the combined force of two boundary-breaking soul sisters who have
sharpened their art as a tool for popular education, community organizing, and personal
transformation. Alixa and Naima interweave spoken word, hip hop, and award-winning
multimedia theater to expose injustice, channel hope into vision, and make a better future
visible, immediate, and irresistible. With flawless cadence and impeccable lyricism, Alixa and
Naima weave together their voices to tell powerful stories of love and liberation, state and
personal violence, social, environmental, racial, and sexual justice, woman's empowerment,
and human transcendence.
In 15 self-organized tours over the past 10 years, Climbing PoeTree has blazed stages in
more than 70 cities across the U.S., and abroad from the UK to South Africa, Mexico to Cuba.
At concert halls and conferences, classrooms and festivals, prisons and universities, Alixa and
Naima's words inspire thousands of people to activate the transformation they wish to
cultivate within themselves and their communities. Their soul-stirring performances have been
featured alongside visionary leaders and artists such as Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Amiri
Baraka, Cornel West, Angela Davis, Sonia Sanchez, Alice Walker, Vandana Shiva, Danny
Glover, Joanna Macy, The Last Poets, and Dead Prez.
Amid their busy touring schedules, Alixa and Naima are committed organizers and educators.
They lead workshops in state institutions from Rikers Island Prison to Clark County Juvenile
Detention Center, and prestigious academies such as Cornell and Columbia Universities. One
Common Unity recognized Climbing PoeTree with an award in 2010 for creating peace and
lasting sustainable change in their communities through education, arts and media; and in
2012 Climbing PoeTree was featured on TEDx SIT for their work connecting communities,
building bridges, and using their creativity at the service of their vision for a better world.
One of Climbing PoeTree's ongoing projects is called S.T.I.T.C.H.E.D.—a collaborative truthgathering endeavor wherein Alixa and Naima invite their audiences and workshop participants
to write their Stories, Testimonies, Intentions, Truths, Confessions, Healing, Expressions, and
Dreams on squares of fabric that they sew together into colorful prayer flags. Begun in 2005,
S.T.I.T.C.H.E.D. is now over 5,000 submissions and hundreds of feet long. It has been
featured at the Smithsonian Museum in DC, The African American Museum in Philadelphia,
Museo Del Barrio in New York, and countless public spaces nationwide. Alixa and Naima use
S.T.I.T.C.H.E.D to catalyze collective-healing, anti-oppression, and media justice workshops in
communities across the country.
Climbing PoeTree’s latest production Hurricane Season: The Hidden Messages in Water
interweaves spoken word poetry, shadow art, dance, film and animation to examine the
unnatural disasters facing humanity on a daily basis through the kaleidoscope of Hurricane
Katrina and its aftermath. Through a massive orchestration that mobilized inter-generational,
multi-racial, and cross-class communities countrywide, Alixa and Naima organized an ecojustice tour that obliterated the boundaries between performance and activism.
On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Alixa and Naima set out with an all-women crew
in a bus converted to run on recycled vegetable oil, on a mission to use the power of art to
draw vital connections between shared struggles and common solutions in a time desperate
for transformation and ripe with possibility. By the end of 2009, they had traveled over 11,000
miles, delivering Hurricane Season to thousands of people in more than 50 communities
nationwide, and featured close to 200 grassroots organizations to garner support for their
initiatives and give audience members access into local movements. Hurricane Season was
selected for a month-long run at the world renowned National Black Theater in Harlem with a
sold-out finale, and won “Best Director” by the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival.
Since 2010, Climbing PoeTree has been working closely with a dynamic team of innovative
educators to translate Hurricane Season into a year-long multimedia social justice curriculum.
The Hurricane Season Curriculum is presently being piloted at Susquehanna University and
Global Citizenship Experience, a pioneering high school in Chicago, and will soon be an
invaluable teaching tool in learning environments nationwide. Through the curriculum, Alixa
and Naima are committed to harnessing the power of art to build critical consciousness and
build new leadership essential for fundamental social change.
Testimonies
from audience members
“Thank you so much for sharing your revolutionary voices with The Assaulted Women’s and
Children’s Advocate Counselor Program in Toronto! It’s beyond thrilling to know there are
visionaries like you spreading words of truth and peace with such loving conviction and
strength. Your gifts of storytelling moved me in ways I cannot explain!”
~ Cheryl Fox, Toronto, ON
“Today at Berkeley High School I was blessed with art of the highest caliber of which I can
humbly determine as both a teacher and a professional theater artist of close to fourteen
years. Alixa and Naima’s work and sharing of their stories were courageous acts of deep
catharsis and universal revelation.”
~ Rolando Morales, Berkeley, CA
“I am so deeply moved, inspired, healed and transformed by the love you make visible. Your
work embodies the genius that Alice Walker describes as artists and as witnesses for the
future...Trust that you are shifting universal consciousness.”
~ L’Erin Asanteewa, Atlanta, GA
“Your performance moved me, touched me, and inspired me to create change, to start action
that I have been contemplating for years.”
~ Chris Wiesner, Toronto, ON
"This was truly the most inspiring presentation I have ever been to. I felt as if I truly had been
given the strength and motivation that I needed to not only stand for issues that I care about,
but to live life freely and fully; to never let people or fears inhibit my actions; to recognize
beauty in life itself; to embrace each day with wonder, curiosity, and most of all, empathy.
Thank you for changing my life!”
~ Bonnie Ricord, Burlington, VT
“I had the pleasure of hearing you at the Black Repertory Theater and may I say that I have
never been so moved in all of my life… The message you are sending is positive, fulfilling,
heart-wrenching and motivational.”
~ I'Loner L. Weaver, Providence, RI
“I don't remember meeting more sincerely dedicated individuals than yourselves. Your spirit
shines through your art form and glows like a beacon on a cloudless night.”
~ Ty Gray-El, Washington D.C.
“Two wise and beautiful souls spouting the truth in such a way that makes one cry and laugh
and rage and hope all in a matter of hours… You two create, something so raw, and so
inspiring. I hope your message will be heard by all.”
~ Michelle Pizzuli, Cleveland, OH
WHERE WE'VE BEEN
Climbing PoeTree CV
FEATURED PERFORMERS AT
Local & International Festivals (including but not limited to):
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
Life is Living Festival, Oakland, CA
Symbiosis Gathering, Oakdale, CA
New Seeds Festival, Tampa, FL
Hip Hop Beyond Gender Festival, Berkeley, CA
Re:Frame International Film Festival, Peterborough, CA
Casa de Arte en Movimiento, Chiapas, Mexico
Work*Rock*Sword Festival of Women's Music, New York, NY
Clear Creek Festival, Rockcastle County, KY
Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, Oceana County, MI
Mujeres De Maiz 15th Annual Festival, Los Angeles, CA
UCC National Youth Event, West Lafayette, IN
Half The Sky Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY
3 Rivers Art Festival, Groton, MA
10th Annual Terry P. Maine Poetry Festival, Augusta, ME
Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, Oceana County, MI
Esalen International Arts Festival, Big Sur, CA
Blaktino Performance Festival, Bronx, NY
18th Annual Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY
Injuco Convention, Goa, India
Third Eye Open 11th Annual Hip Hop Festival, New Bedford, MA
Esalen International Arts Festival, Big Sur, CA
Afro‐Latin Soul, Montreal, QC
Mayworks Festival, Toronto, ON
Aloha Music Fest, Honolulu, HI
Green Fest, San Francisco, CA
Kona Pride Festival, Kona, HI
Sheep Dog Festival, Maui, HI
Guelph Festival of Art and Human Rights, Guelph, ON
Blaktino Performance Festival, Bronx, NY
Prisoners Justice Film Festival, Toronto, ON
Lilikoi Fair, Honolulu, Big Island & Kauai, HI
LadyFest Toronto, Toronto, CA
One Love South Africa, New York, NY
Sound Session Music Festival, Providence, RI
National Pride for Women who Love Women, Atlanta, GA
Ladyfest South, San Antonio, TX
Ground Breakers, Durban & Johannesburg, South Africa
International African Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY
Women Center Stage, New York, NY
Cultural Exchange International Art and Music Festival, Portland, ME
One World Fair, Cummington, MA
Female Flavor: Women in Hip Hop, Bronx, NY
National Blacks Arts Festival, Atlanta, GA
Colleges & Universities (Including but not limited to):
2013
2012
2011
2010
Yale University, New Haven, CT
University of Texas, Austin, TX
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
Florida International University, Miami, FL
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
California State University, San Bernadino, CA
Providence College, Providence, RI
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, IL
State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
University of North Carolina, Asheville, NC
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI
Mass College of Art, Boston, MA
Smith College, Northampton, MA
Emmanuel College, Boston, MA
Providence College, Providence, RI
Augusta College, Augusta, ME
Macalaster College, Saint Paul, MN
UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Marymount College New York, NY
SUNY Purchase College, Purchase, NY
Depaul University, Chicago, IL
Loyola University, Chicago, IL
University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
SUNY Plattsburg, Plattsburg, NY
Mass Art College, Boston, MA
Smith College, Northampton, MA
College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME
Boston College, Boston, MA
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
Pace University, Pleasantville, NY
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Oberlin College, Bowling Green, OH
Scripps College, Claremont, CA
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
University of Wisconsin, Duluth, WI
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA
Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA
Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI
Smith College, Northampton, MA
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
Brown University, Providence, RI
Providence College, Providence, RI
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Columbia University, New York, NY
Loyola University, Chicago, IL
Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
Keene State College, Keene, NH
Boston College, Boston, MA
College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME
Unity College, Unity, ME
University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
New York University, New York, NY
Cornell University, New York, NY
Western Washington, Bellingham, WA
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Humboldt State College, Arcata, CA
Mills College, Oakland, CA
Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Amherst College, Amherst, MA
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Boston College, Boston, MA
SUNY Ulster College, Stone Ridge, NY
Concordia College, Moorhead, MI
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
University Of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Mills College, Oakland, CA
Milikin University, Decatur, IL
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
University of Houston Downtown, Houston, TX
Florida International University, Miami, FL
George Brown College, Toronto, CA
Mills College, Oakland, CA
Hobart William and Smith College, Geneva, NY
Wesleyan College, Middleton, CT
New Paltz College, New Paltz, NY
Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, NY
Bard College, Hudson, NY
Boston College, Boston, MA
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI
Brown University, Providence, RI
University or Maryland, Baltimore, MD
University of Pennsylvania, State College, PA
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Depaul University, Chicago, IL
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, IL
Performance Venues (including but not limited to):
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, New York, NY
La Peña, Berkeley, CA
88 Days of Fortune, Toronto, ON
EDELO, Chiapas, Mexico
La Casa Libre, Tuscon, AZ
The Tangent Gallery, Detroit, MI
Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative, Kalamazoo, MI
Frontier, Austin, TX
Smithsonian, African American Museum, Washington DC
National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmussen Theater, DC
Washington Hall, Seattle, WA
Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole, WY
Portland Stage, Portland, ME
La Peña, Oakland, CA
Madrone Studios, San Francisco, CA
Brooklyn Academy Of Music, Brooklyn, NY
Center On Halsted, Chicago, IL
BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Bronx, NY
Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA
Museo Del Barrio, Harlem, NY
Historic Capitol Theater, Olympia, WA
The African American Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Brooklyn Art Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA
La Peña, Oakland, CA
Temple, San Francisco, CA
US Social Forum, Detroit, MI
92 Y Tribeca, New York, NY
Passage Theater, Trenton, NJ
The National Black Theatre, Harlem, NY (Month‐long run)
Newark Symphony Hall, Newark, NJ
Riverside Theater, New York, NY
The Hawaii Theater, Oahu, HI
Passage Theatre, Trenton, NJ
Women’s Building, San Francisco, CA
Montreal Afro Latin Soul, Montreal, ON
Les Contes a Rendre, Montreal, ON
The Nuyorican Poets' Café, New York, NY
The Martin Luther King Unification Center, Washington DC
anitAFRIKA! Dub Theater, Toronto, ON
The Black Repertory Theatre, Providence, RI
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, Seattle, WA
Big Sur Spirit Garden, Big Sur, CA
National Black Theater, Harlem, NY
12 Mile West Theater, Bloomfield, NJ
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn NY
Veye‐Yo, Miami, FL
Da Poetry Lounge, Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Building, San Francisco CA
Ong King Arts Center, Honolulu, HI
The House of Storms, Oakland CA
2006
2005
Cell Space, San Francisco, CA
Bronx Academy of Art and Dance, Bronx, NY
The Knitting Factory, New York, NY
The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco
Spoken Soul Sessions, New Orleans, LA
Casa de Hermanos Raiz, Santiago de Cuba
Mega Music, Johannesburg, South Africa
The Black Repertory, Providence College, RI
La Peña Cultural Center, Oakland, CA
FEATURED PANELIST/PRESENTERS AT
Conferences (including but not limited to):
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
The 24th Annual National Bioneers Conference: Turning Vision Into Action,
San Rafael, CA
6th Annual Hip Hop for Change Conference, Piece By Peace, Oakland, CA
Social Justice, Real Justice Conference, Eugene, OR
Martin Luther King and Human Rights Conference, Iowa City, IA
The 4th Annual Environmental Law and Justice Symposium, Empowering
Environmental Justice Communities Locally and Globally, Orlando, FL
United States Student Association, Grassroots Legislative Conference and
National Student Lobby Day, Washington DC
The Allied Media Conference, Detroit, MI
TEDx “Building Bridges Connecting Our communities”, Brattleboro, VT
Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Miami, FL
Hip Hop Arts Education, Palo Alto, CA
OuterSpace: Power in the Margins, Bellingham, WA
Latin@s in Hip Hop, Oceana County, MI
Battered Women’s Justice: CLSSP 2012 Institute, New Orleans, LA
I Was, I Am, I Will Be: Resistance and Liberation, Saint Paul, MN
International & Comparative Dimensions of Environmental Justice, Miami, FL
The NYC Climate Justice Youth Summit, New York, NY,
PeaceWorks, Olympia, WA
Preventing Violence Promoting Justice, New York, NY
UCSB Students Of Color Conference, Santa Barbara, CA
The Tenth National Black Writers' Conference, Brooklyn, NY,
United Methodist Assembly 2010, St. Louis, MO
US Social Forum, Detroit, MI,
The Allied Media Conference, Detroit, MI
Zami '10: Haiti, Hope, and Homeland, New York, NY
US Social Forum, Detroit, MI
Three Degrees: The Law of Climate Change and Human Rights Conference,
Seattle, WA
Bioneers: Connecting for Change, New Bedford, MA
Pulse of the Green, San Francisco, CA
The 23rd Annual Empowering Women of Color Conference, Berkeley, CA
Bioneers: Connecting for Change, New Bedford, MA
Decolonizing Creativity, Berkeley, CA
Speaking Fierce, Berkeley, CA
United States Social Forum, Atlanta, GA
Hip Hop Congress,” Moorhead, MN
Making Money Make Change, Whitakers, NC
2006
2005
Creating Institutional Change, Madison, WI
Bioneers By the Bay, Marion, MA
Beyond Walls, Building Bridges, Yellow Spring, OH
Hip Hop Congress, Moorhead, MN
Prison Justice Film Festival, Toronto, CA
Race, Privilege, & Cultural Competence: Creating Inclusive Communities in A
Post‐Katrina World, Iowa City, IO
Creating Institutional Change, Madison, WI
Allied Media Conference, Bowling Green, OH
The National Lawyers Guild, “Law For the People Convention, Austin, TX
Just Say Know, SSDP International Conference, Washington D.C.
North American Student Cooperative Organization Conference, Ann Arbor, MI
Social Justice Center, Albany NY
Dreams Deferred: The Criminalization of America, Northampton, MA
The Miseducation of Hip Hop, Chicago, IL,
Wielding Hammers: Women's Art and Liberation, Ann Arbor, MI
North American Student Cooperative Organization Conference, Ann Arbor, MI
National Spoken Word Symposium, Iowa City, IA
National Black Writers Conference, Brooklyn, NY
SHORT TERM RESIDENCIES & WORKSHOP SERIES AT
Colleges & Universities, (including but not limited to):
2013
2012
2011
2010
2008
2006
2005
2004
2003
University of Texas, Austin, TX
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Center For The Arts, Jackson Hole, WY
University of Wisconsin, Duluth, WI
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI
Humboldt University, Arcata, CA
Smith College, Northampton, MA
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
Columbia College, Chicago, IL
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
George Brown College, Toronto, ON
Brown University, Providence, RI
Northern Iowa University, Cedar Falls, IO
Hampshire College, Northampton, MA
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Middle & High Schools, (including but not limited to):
2013
Global Citizenship Experience, Chicago, IL
2012
2011
2010
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
Acorn High School, Brooklyn, NY
Saint John Technical High, ST Augustine, FL
Global Citizenship Experience, Chicago, IL
Loring Nicollet Alternative High School, Minneapolis, MN
Jackson Hole High, Jackson Hole, WY
Summit High, Jackson Hole, WY
Detroit Future Youth Network, Detroit, MI
Woolman Semester, Nevada City, CA
Tennyson High School, Hayward, CA
Castlemont High School, Oakland, CA
Berkeley High School, Berkeley, CA
Berkeley High School, Berkeley, CA
Nease High School, Ponte Vedra, FL
Joshua Johnston Charter School of Arts and Design, Chicago, IL
John Technical High School, St Augustine, FL
Loring Nicollet Alternative High School, Minneapolis, MN
Global Citizenship Exchange High, Chicago, IL
Pacific Palisades High School, Los Angeles, CA
Wildwood High School, Los Angeles, CA
Urban Assembly School for Green Careers, New York, NY
The Facing History School, New York, NY
Washington Irving High, New York, NY
Phillips Andover Academy, Andover, MA
Hoopa Valley High, Hoopa, CA
La Follette High, Madison, WI
Ella Baker High, New York, NY
YSWI Memorial High School, Madison, WI
Watts High School, Los Angeles, CA
Ella Baker High, New York, NY
Crenshaw High, Los Angeles, CA
Jordan Senior High, Los Angeles, CA
Harriet Tubman Free School, Albany, NY
La Follette High, Madison, WI
MATCH School, Boston, MA
Albany Free School, Albany, NY
Ella Baker High, New York, NY
Stevenson High, Bronx, NY
Smith High, Bronx, NY
Lehman High, Bronx, NY
University Park Campus, Worcester, MA
Lehman High, Bronx, NY
Smith High, Bronx, NY
Stevenson High, Bronx, NY
Ella Baker High, New York, NY
Renaissance High, Watsonville, CA
University High School, Champaign, IL
Correctional & State Institutions
2013
2010
2009
2007
San Francisco County Jail, San Francisco, CA
Jamal's Place, Chicago, IL
Rikers Island Prison Complex, New York, NY
Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, Springfield, OH
Rikers Island Prison Complex, New York, NY
Women’s Correctional Association, New York, NY
Job Corpse, Washington D.C.
Oak Hill Youth Facility, Laurel, MD
Rikers Island Prison Complex, New York, NY
2004 New Haven Correctional Center, New Haven, CT
La Casita (substance abuse treatment residential program), Bronx, NY
Rikers Island Prison Complex, New York, NY
2002-2003 Valhalla Jail, Valhalla, NY
2005
Youth Programs (including but not limited to);
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2007
2006
2005
2004
Young Chicago Authors, Chicago, IL
Sista-2-Sista's 6th Annual Youth Summit, Brooklyn, NY
Exploration School, New Haven, CT
Asian Pacific Islander & African Youth Summit, Des Moines, IA
Dwyer Cultural Center, New York, NY
Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn, NY
NYC Climate Justice Youth Summit, New York, NY
Flip The Table Coalition, Brooklyn, NY
Girls Hit The Streets, Brooklyn, NY
FIERCE, New York, NY
Flip The Table, Youth Food Council, Brooklyn, NY
Streetwise and Safe, New York, NY
FIERCE, New York, NY
YWCA Young Women's Group, Duluth, WI
NYC Climate Justice Youth Summit, New York, NY
Urban Arts Partnership, Brooklyn, NY
Green City Force, Brooklyn, NY
Youth Climate Justice Summit, New York, NY
Live Arts Media Project, Detroit, MI
Make the Road By Walking, Brooklyn, NY
History of the Word, Vineyard Theatre, New York, NY
Youth Speaks, Honolulu, HI
Be the Change: Youth Environmental Leadership Training, Detroit, MI
Green Teen Community Gardening Program, Beacon, NY
What it Means to be Latina/o Symposium, Milwaukee, WI
SKETCH Art Studio for Street Youth, Toronto, ON
The Osborne Association, Brooklyn, NY
Time and Space Media Arts Camp, Hudson, NY
Mission Urban Arts, San Francisco, CA
USI Digital Youth Network, Chicago, IL
Detroit Summer, Detroit, MI
Alternatives for Girls, Detroit, MI
Project Row, Houston, TX
Urban Word, New York, NY
Bronx Institute, Bronx, NY
Time and Space Media Arts Camp, Hudson, NY
The Osborne Association, New York, NY
YMCA, Roxbury, MA
East Harlem Tutorial Program, NY, NY
Incarcerated Mothers Program, NY, NY
Beacon Summer Camp, Beacon, NY
2003
Bronx Institute, Bronx, NY
Casa Atabex Aché, Bronx, NY
Audre Lorde Project, Brooklyn, NY
Youth Opportunity Center, Philadelphia, PA
PUBLISHED
In print
Climbing PoeTree, book of poems published by Whit Press, 2013, Subversiones, Mexico 2013;
Variopinto, Mexico, 2012, Pixelating: Black in New Dimensions, Museum of Contemporary African
Diasporic Arts, 2012; The Poetry of Yoga, One Common Unity, 2011; Whole Thinking Journal, The
Center for Whole Communities, 2010; The Matrix, Humboldt State University’s Women’s Resource
Center, 2009; Left Turn Magazine, Left Turn Collective, 2008; Colorlines Magazine, Applied Research
Center, 2008; African Magazine, Edinam Oton Printing, 2007; Clamour Magazine, 2007; Sabor Latin@
Living Literature, Boston College, 2007; Nexus Magazine, UMASS Amherst, 2006; Affinity by Naima,
self‐published poetry book, 2005; Ala by Alixa, self‐published poetry book, 2005; One World Freedom
Journal, Firestarter Press, 2005; Altar Magazine Issue 2, Spring 2003; UpRising by Naima, self‐
published, 2003; re'nas'cent by Alixa, self‐published, 2003; Dark Phrases Volumes 11 and 13, and The
Sarah Lawrence Review, Sarah Lawrence College, 2003
Audio Recordings and Radio Features:
Subversiones, Mexico 2013; The Visionary Activist, Caroline Casey's Radio Show, KPFA, 2013;
Variopinto, Mexico, 2012; TV and Radio Davey D KPFA, 2012; Brooklyn Arts Council's Black Brooklyn
Renaissance Digital Archive, 2010; KPFA’s The Morning Show and Hard Knock Radio, 2008;
Ammunition (Alixa and Naima’s debut album) 2006, The We That Sets Us Free (compilation produced
by Justice Now, Oakland) 2006; Rhymes and Royalties (compilation produced by Mo Amper Sounds)
2005; Stethoscope (Alixa and Naima’s EP) 2004; Manic Expressive (spoken word poetry compilation
produced by JP AS220) 2004
Video Recordings and Television Appearances:
Microphone Fiends, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, 2013; Subversiones, Mexico 2013; Variopinto,
Mexico, 2012; Street Inc Media, 2012; Signified Series, NYC, 2012; Democracy Now "Music Breaks,"
National, 2006‐present; Ancestors Watching, music video Executively Produced by Warrington Hudlin,
Black Filmmakers Foundation, 2006; LoveLife: GroundBreakers, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2005;
MTV's The Next, Music Television, 2004
CONTACT
Climbing PoeTree
booking inquiries: [email protected]
general inquiries: [email protected]
web: www.climbingpoetree.com
www.hurricaneseasontour.com
social media: Climbing PoeTree
phone: 347.729.6762