Slam Poets join roster of Margaret Cho & Maya Angelou in 75th Celebration of Texas Union in Austin

Oct. 20, 2008 - PRLog -- This week marks the Texas Union Student Events Center's presentation of five days of five major events for University of Texas students to celebrate 75 years of historic events, activities and programs that complement the academic mission and focus on student development.  

Diva Diction, a night of slam poetry joins the ranks of featured events for the five day celebration in Austin.  Over the last several years, Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo has made her mark in both the Boston music scene and the National Poetry scene through her invariably soulful voice and poignant poetry, and continues to steadily grow a loyal fan following as a spoken word poet and as a musician and band front-woman. Although her sound is not so easy to peg, a fusion of world music, soulful jazz and spoken word can all be cited as references in her unique form.

Iyeoka's typical tour ensemble includes members of her band The Rock by Funk Tribe which showcases an extensive world-neo-soul Jazz sound to compliment her poetry.  However with this installment of  Diva Diction, the University of Texas unites Iyeoka together with Amalia Ortiz and Kelly Tsai, a threesome of powerful female poets sharing their words and passion in the Texas Union Ballroom.
Born to immigrant parents from Nigeria, Mexico, and Korea, their combined stories through spoken word plays the role of a perfect storm of energy and inspiration demonstrating the power of words and showcasing slam poetry at it's highest level.

No stranger to conjuring a perfect storm with a stage, an audience and a microphone, Iyeoka and Amalia first showcased their work together competing at the 2000 National Poetry Slam Competition in Providence Rhode Island making the final stage in what is easily considered the Super Bowl of Slam Poetry.  Iyeoka was a finalist in the individual competition representing Boston and Amalia in the team competition representing San Antonio.

In order to attend this event, you must first pick up free passes from the Events & Info Desk in the Texas Union (UNB 4.300). Pass distribution will begin on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 8:00AM.

To obtain passes, you must present a valid UT student, staff or faculty ID. You may get up to two passes per ID., however you may only use ONE I.D. per person. Passes do not guarantee admission to the event.

Texas Union Event Detail
Event:   Diva Diction: An Evening of Slam Poetry
Category:   Student Events Center
Date:   Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Time:   7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location:   Ballroom (UNB 3.202)
Capacity:   1000
Cost:   Free with UT I.D.
Directions:   24th and Guadalupe, across from the University Co-op
Sponsor:   African American Culture Committee
Asian American Culture Committee
Mexican American Culture Committee
Event Webpage:   https://www.utexas.edu/txunion/calendar/event/638/