The Inspired Word, created by Mike Geffner, is easily one of the premier destinations for spoken word poetry in New York City.  When it comes to spoken word poetry, an event is an end result.  When you arrive at the location and watch each author perform their piece, you are seeing the transparent result of an immense amount of hard work by the team that produced the event. It is transparent because you see the quality of the event and the performers at the event, but not the inspiration for the event itself.

Diamonds are formed as a result of extreme pressure in the earth.  Yet, when we see a diamond, we tend to appreciate only the item that stands before us, not the work that it took to produce it.  In this article, I am going to give you a glimpse into the work that it takes to produce a diamond.  I am going to give you a peek into the the man, the team and the movement that is known as “The Inspired Word” – Manhattan’s crown jewel of spoken word.

Mike Geffner is a writer through and through.  He started writing at the age of 5 and has continued to enjoy it ever since.  His journey to become a writer was not easy though.  He originally thought he had to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a lawyer.  Then tragedy struck.  His mother passed away and he was left with tons of emotions that he felt he had to release in order to cope with that devastating loss.  So he leaned on his writing ability in order to allow himself to release the emotions that were tearing at the very fabric of his soul. It would be the passing of his mother that would inspire him to become a writer.

30 years of dedication and 10,000 articles would indicate that Mike made the right decision and never looked back.  In 2001, Mike founded a writer’s workshop that now has over 9000 members.  The workshop has been a huge hit, winning the Best Writer’s Group award by Writer’s Digest in 2007.  However, a wise man once said that “everything that begins must also have an end.“  So in 2009, Mike began to feel that he needed to try something new, something that involved writing but did not require him to be a writer.  He explored some of his options and decided to take a position as Social Media Director for a Manhattan law firm.  Little did he know that this change would lead him to where he is now.

Mike first got introduced to spoken word poetry back in March of 2009.  In his usage of social networking sites, he found that local poets were performing at spoken word hot spots like the Nuyorican Poets Café and Bowery Poetry Club and decided to see what it was all about.  He appreciated what he saw and immediately realized if these talented poets could get some additional resources and a greater community effort behind them, this thing called spoken word could really become something special in New York City.

The development of The Inspired Word is a result of Mike’s efforts to go out and immerse himself into the poetry community.  It didn’t take him long to see that there was not much of a community when it came to poetry.  He was surprised to see how mixed and divided that both poets and fans were in terms of the appreciation for the styles and talents of the poets themselves.

It was then that he set a goal to unify the local poetry community by giving them a place to come together and enjoy the diversity of styles and talent that is available in the NYC metro area.  But he didn’t want to just stop there. While unifying the local poetry community, he also wanted to help the struggling writers and poets by giving them an event that will help them to increase their exposure and give them additional opportunities to get financially rewarded for the work they are producing.  In addition, he also wanted to give people from all walks of life a great way to spend a portion of their Thursday evening.  One thing that truly sets The Inspired Word apart from other events is that is has a great audience.

When asked about his personal appreciation for poetry, Mike says, “it is the passion and inspiration of each poet that I enjoy the most.” He prefers to see the mixing of different styles in one event and feels that originality is what speaks loudest to him.  He feels that all poets are essentially trying to do the same thing – move people with their words.

With this type of foundation to build upon, it is no wonder that The Inspired Word is a top notch, must-see event when it comes to spoken word in New York City.  Mike believes that anyone writing about The Inspired Word that didn’t include anything about the staff would be leaving out the biggest single ingredient.  So I have saved the best for last, and would now like to present the members of the group.

Marvin Mendlinger – Assistant Director

Erik “Advocate of Wordz” Maldonado – MC/Host/Series Consultant

Timothy Prolific Jones – Series Consultant/House Poet

Eliel Lucero – DJ/House Poet

Marron Cox – Hostess Extraordinaire

Adrian Wyatt – Open Mic Mistress/Assistant Director of Publicity

Peter Woloszyn – Staff Photographer

Cathryn Lynne – Staff Photographer

Jerry “Jerry T” Tarantola – Videographer

Don Lafferty – Director of Marketing

Mike Geffner – Founder/Producer/Director

Through the hard work and dedication of Mike and his team, The Inspired Word continues to evolve and open the eyes of those who may only appreciate specific styles of poetry. The Inspired Word is a melting pot that will inspire others to look beyond the current state of the poetry community and see that people of all ethnicities can come together under one roof and celebrate the diversity of styles and talents possessed by our poets.

For additional information about Mike Geffner or The Inspired Word, you can use the address and contact information below:

The Inspired Word is held at two locations, both in Manhattan.

• One and One Bar & Restaurant (downstairs Nexus Lounge)
  76 East 1st Street (corner of 1st Avenue)
  Manhattan, NYC
  http://www.oneandoneny.com/
  Phone: (212) 598-9126
• (Le) Poisson Rouge (downstairs gallery)
  158 Bleecker Street (between Sullivan and Thompson)
  Manhattan, NYC
  http://lepoissonrouge.com/
  Phone: (212) 505-3474

Mike Geffner’s contact information:

• Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/michael.geffner
• Twitter – http://twitter.com/inspiredwordnyc
• YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/nycinspiredword
• Mike’s Writing Workshop – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mikeswritingworkshop/
• The Inspired Word Blog – http://inspiredwordnyc.blogspot.com/

Tags | Mike Geffner, Spoken Word New York, Spoken Word Poetry, The Inspired Word