[LESS INFO] 12 VIEWS | ADDED 23:44:25 06/26/10
This is Clara Hsu's segment of John Rhodes' Mystic Babylon Open Mic Poetry Podcast TV show. Here is a rather windy bio of Avotcja who is the featured poet in this segment:
POET/PLAYWRIGHT/MULTI-PERCUSSIONIST/PHOTOGRAPHER/TEACHER
Avotcja has been published in English & Spanish in the USA, Mexico & Europe, and in more Anthologies than she remembers. She is an award winning Poet & multi-instrumentalist who has opened for Betty Carter in New York City & Peru's Susana Baca at San Francisco's Encuentro Popular, played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bobi & Luis Cespedes, John Handy, Sonido Afro Latina, Dimensions Dance Theater, Black Poets With Attitudes, Bombarengue, Nikki Giovanni, Los Angeles' Build An Ark, Dwight Trible, Diamano Coura West African Dance Co., Terry Garthwaite, Big Black, The Bay Area Blues Society & Caribeana Etc. Shared stages with Sonia Sanchez, Piri Thomas, Janice Mirikitani, Diane DiPrima, Michael Franti, Jayne Cortez, & with Jose Montoya's Royal Chicano Air Force & is a Bay Area icon with her group Avotcja & Modupue. Avotcja was the opening act for the legendary Poet Pat Parker the last three years of her life. She both composed & performed the film score for the Danish documentary MuNu. Her Poetry &/or music has been recorded by Piri Thomas, Famadou Don Moye (of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago), Bobby Matos Latin Jazz Ensemble, & performed by The Purple Moon Dance Project, and was the 1st Poetry performed by New York's Dance Mobile. She's appeared at The Lorraine Hansberry Theater in S. F., The Asian-American Jazz Festival in Chicago, as well as The Asian-American Jazz Festival in San Francisco. She's been featured 5 times at Afro-Solo, twice at San Francisco's Carnival, The Scottish Rite Temple & Yoshi's in Oakland, Jose Castellar's play %ldquoMan From San Juan%rdquo, Club Le Monmartre in Copenhagen Denmark, Stanford University, at San Francisco's Brava Theater For The Arts with Cine Accion, New York's Henry Street Settlement Theater and The Women On The Way Festival in San Francisco. Avotcja is popular Bay Area DJ & Radio Personality, and the founder/Director of %ldquoThe Clean Scene Theater Project (AKA) Proyecto Teatral De La Escena Sobria%rdquo. She continues to teach Creative Writing, Storytelling & Drama in Public Schools & thanks to the California Arts Council she was also an Artist in Residence at the Milestones Project & the Penal System. Avotcja is a proud & active member of DAMO (Disability Advocates Of Minorities Organization), PEN Oakland, California Poets In The Schools, NARAS & the National Writers Union Local #3.
