Poet, Spoken Word Artist, Open Mic Host, and Educator
Who I have been for more than 20 Years
I am reflecting on my years as a creative, as someone who has been performing before he turned ten years old. I have put many a miles into writing, performance art, giving creative writing new life inspired the songs I have listened to over the years which still encourage and inspire me. In the last five months I have returned to a level of creating, performing, and traveling that I reached in between 2002 and 2007. I am thankful the muse sticks with me; I remain focused as a creative with things to say, with places to go.
Recently, I hosted Open Mic Night ft. Christopher D. Sims at Novel Maine in Portland Maine. My first time to Portland Maine, I had an amazing time being a creative, a wordsmith, an open mic host, and a workshop presenter at Southern Maine University. Combines, these two events gave me hope in that committed business owners and creatives can continue to come together to produce magic communities and cities need.
Portland Maine is a fantastic place for the arts, for community, for murals, for making things happen so southern Maine folk can contribute to the diaspora of creative energies and movements happening in the United States and beyond. Portland Maine is beautiful to me because it easily and needfully makes these things happen without bragging about it or boasting about it. It just does.
I am traveling to Kansas City, MO to Artists-Thrive early next month. A Summit desiged for the encouragement of artists to thrive, it is the only summit or conference I know about where thriving as an artist is the focus. Too many times we here the words “starving artists” as if this is always the state of artists who haven’t gone viral or appear on American Idol. I believe they are starting a movement and challening the narrative that we artists are always starving.
Later this year I am traveling for the first time to Youngstown Ohio. I will be presenting at Lit Youngstown Fall Literary Festival. Ohio from my experiences is a very creativity friendly and oriented place. I haven’t been back there in a while but I have always loved the feel of the state through the music I have heard or through the people I have met. I am sure it will be a great time and I will meet some very cool people.
This life of mine as a poet, spoken word artist, open mic host, and educator is oftentimes beneficial, moving, empowering. I cannot turn back. I will continue to reflect though and look forward to what comes next. There is always a new audience to perform in front of, a new poem to write, a different way to perform a poem, and somwhere to host an open mic. Here is a picture of me performing at Whispers & Shouts in Peoria Illinois.
The path of a creative continue!
Also follow me on Instagram at @poetchristopherdsims.