SISTER OUTSIDER POETRY
Sister Outsider Poetry
Dominique Christina and Denice Frohman are Sister Outsider Poetry. This duo
represents the current top two female slam poets in the world. Their tour marks the first
time two Women of the World Poetry Slam Champions have paired up. Inspired by the
life and work of Audre Lorde, they write and perform their "otherness" and "inbetweenness" into the center. Sister Outsider Poetry's work connects deeply personal
stories to a diverse range of social and political issues. They are committed to being
themselves, deliberately and unapologetically. Sister Outsider Poetry is about saying:
We Exist.
For booking email: [email protected]
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WHAT WE DO:
Sister Outsider Poetry is comprised of two poets, performing artists, educators, and
activists who perform and facilitate workshops across the country. They perform
work that connects deeply personal stories to a diverse range of social and political
issues. Through spoken word they speak to the importance of people, particularly
those who are often marginalized (LGBT, women and people of color) moving their
voices to the center and being heard. They express themselves authentically and
encourage others to do the same. They perform with their hearts and hands open.
They speak in remembrance of those who could not. They are committed to their
voices and their bodies. They are unafraid.
PERFORMANCE: Sister Outsider Poetry's performance reflects the diversity of their
lived experiences. They explore Latina identity, immigration, and undocumented youth
in "Borders." They wrestle with the legacy racism and segregation in the deep South
through the murder of Emmett Till and how that connects to today. They challenge
homophobia and privilege in the poem "Dear Straight People," what survivors of sexual
abuse must do to reclaim their bodies in "Confessions," and the inequalities of the U.S
education system in "No Child Left Behind."
WORKSHOPS encourage students to step into the fullness of their voices and identities
through creative writing and spoken word. Led by the two top female spoken word
poets in the country, students will dig into themselves through writing prompts, various
texts, and discussion, that challenge and encouraged them to write themselves into the
center.
WATCH PERFORMANCES: www.sisteroutsiderpoetry.com/poems
ACADEMIC & CAMPUS CONNECTIONS: Sister Outsider Poetry advances
conversations in Political Science, American Studies, LGBT Studies, Women's Studies,
African American/ Africana Studies, Latin/Chicano Studies, Multi-cultural/Diversity
programs, Social Justice programs, Education, Creative Writing, Performing Arts,
English, History, Women's History Month, Black History Month, LGBT/Pride Month,
Latino History Month.
Performances and workshops can be tailored to best fit the needs and goals of
your event. A full-performance is approximately 45-minutes. Workshops can run
from 1-2 hours. For booking email: [email protected]
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OUR VISION:
We speak truth.
We show up as ourselves.
We live in "otherness."
We write our "otherness."
We celebrate our "otherness."
We do not apologize for who we are.
We are resistors to anything that says we are flawed or unworthy.
We are resistors to anything that says YOU are flawed or unworthy.
We use art to heal.
We use art to respond.
We use art to challenge.
We occupy our woman-ness the way WE want to.
We occupy our queerness the way WE want to.
We occupy our blackness and latina-ness the way WE want to.
We use poetry to say "I am."
We use music to say "I am."
We teach.
We grow.
We love with our hands and our hearts open.
We speak in honor of those who cannot/who could not.
We write deliberately.
We perform honestly.
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And we are unafraid.
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WHO WE ARE:
Dominique Christina is a writer, performer, educator,
and activist. She holds three national titles in the three
years she has been competing in slam, including the
2012 Women of the World Slam Champion and 2011
National Poetry Slam Champion. She is presently the
only person to have held two national titles at one time.
Her work is influenced by her family's legacy in the
Civil Rights Movement; her grandfather was a Hall of Famer in the Negro Leagues,
while her aunt who was one of the Little Rock Nine. She has always known she was a
colored girl. Her writing is a celebration of that. A former 1996 Olympic Volleyball star,
Dominique has 10 years of experience as a licensed teacher, holds double Masters
degrees in Education and English. She will be appearing in the upcoming season of
Verses and Flow on TV One, and will be a featured speaker for Ted Talks in the fall. Her
first book, Writing In Fire is set for publication in Fall 2013 along with her first full length
volume of poetry, Open Mouth Got Teeth.
Denice Frohman is an award-winning poet, lyricist, and
educator, whose multi-cultural upbringing inspires her to
explore the intersections of race, gender, sexuality. She
is the 2013 Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion,
and a 2012 Leeway Transformation Award recipient. Her
poem "Dear Straight People" went viral after being
featured on Upworthy, and has over 300,000 views on
Youtube.
As a queer, mixed, Latina woman who pushes gender norms, her work celebrates
difference and focuses on loving the parts of ourselves that do not fit neatly into
dominant social categories. She has been a featured speaker at TedxPhilly, and was
named Top 20 Emerging LGBT Leader by the Philadelphia Gay Newspaper. She has
performed and taught across the country and internationally in arts venues, rallies,
K-12 schools, colleges, conferences, and detention centers, and is currently the
Program Director at The Philly Youth Poetry Movement. She holds a Master's in
Education. Before poetry, she played professional basketball in Puerto Rico. Her debut
CD, Feels Like Home, will be released in Fall 2013.
PRESS LINKS: www.sisteroutsiderpoetry.com/press
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PAST PERFORMANCES & WORKSHOPS across the U.S and
internationally include:
Universities/Colleges:
• National Assoc. of Campus Activities National Conference
• Texas A&M University
• UPENN
• University of Maryland
• University of North Carolina
• Indiana University (IUPUI)
• Armstrong Atlantic University
• University of Missouri
• Sarah Lawrence College
• UCONN
• Dominican University
• Roger Williams University
• Grand Valley State University
• Bates College
• University of Denver
• CUNY - Staten Island
• Virginia Polytechnic University
• University of Texas San Antonio
• West Chester University
• Ithaca College
• Rowan University
• Hamline University
• University of Illinois Springfield
• Temple University
• Hope College
• Northwest Mizzou State
• University of Akron
• University of West Florida
• Lehigh University
• Texas State University
• and a number of K-12 schools
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Conferences/ Special Events / Venues:
• National Association of Latino Arts & Culture
• Emerging Women’s Conference
• Opening Act for Cornel West
• Greater Philadelphia Women's Consortium Conference
• Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) Conference
• Black World Conference
• LGBT Center of NYC
• Chewstick Foundation (Bermuda)
• Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, Denver
• Young Audiences National Conference
• City Hall of Philadelphia
• Mercury Cafe
• Move The Crowd (Social Entrepreneurship)
• Nuyorican Poets Cafe
• Slam Nuba
• S.O.B's
• Brand Development for Lotus Wei
• Ladies of Hip-Hop Festival
• National Student Affairs in Higher Education
• Busboys and Poets
• Bowery Poetry Club
• Reproductive Justice Conference
• Austin Poetry Slam
• Bartol Foundation
• Association of Performing Arts Presenters
• Barnes Museum
• and more...
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CONTACT US:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sisteroutsiderpoetry.com
CONNECT: Facebook: www.facebook.com/sisteroutsiderpoetry
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Twitter: www.twitter.com/sisteroutpoets
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