JPC In the News

'PoetsDrum on Tour' happens Wednesday

Monday, November 8, 2004

By ANDREA RUSSELL
arussell@staffordcountysun.com

STAFFORD - Stafford resident Phillip Gregory became interested in poetry in the mid-1980s but became even more engrossed when he began conveying his feelings for his current wife by way of love letters and poems, which he still has today.

Now, Gregory, a former Marine, devotes much of his time creating a variety of venues where artists, professional and amateur, may showcase their talents through spoken word.

Gregory will host “PoetsDrum on Tour” on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at The Underground at University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. The event will begin with an open mike from 8 to 9 p.m. when attendees are invited to recite their poetry on stage.

“Just show up and sign up,” Gregory said.

At 9 p.m., well-known poets Lala, 13 of Nazareth, KaNikki J. and True Life will perform.

Admission is free for those who bring canned food items, which will be donated to The Battered Women and Children Shelter in Fredericksburg. Admission is $10 at the door for those who do not donate canned provisions.

This event is one of many opportunities Gregory has provided members of the spoken word community to present their words to the public.

Gregory has created Jazz Poetry Café, which among other facets, is a weekly Internet radio program. Also, he has established a Web site that features information on various poets and spoken word events, and can be found at www.jazzpoetrycafe.net.

Gregory describes Jazz Poetry Café as “taste buds sprayed with enlightenment of the spoken word.” Jazz Poetry Café airs on IM4radio.com on Saturdays from 8 to 9 p.m. The station, Gregory said, attracts approximately 14,000 listeners per hour.

“[Jazz poetry] gives us an alternative to what we are given as entertainment today,” Gregory said.

Gregory, through G&A Productions, also presents “Poets Drum,” which airs on the Cox cable channel in Fredericksburg on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and on the Comcast cable channel in Prince William County on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Gregory began Jazz Poetry Café in 2002 and has hosted open-mike series at different restaurants and lounges in Stafford and Fredericksburg. He has planned or helped to organize open-mike events and poetry slams locally as well as in Alexandria and Baltimore.

In his efforts to promote spoken word, Gregory has worked with companies such as MGM Studios, the FX network and HBO.

In May, Gregory paired with MGM Studios to host a poetry slam competition in Alexandria, in collaboration with the release of the movie “Soul Plane,” which starred Tom Arnold, Method Man and Snoop Dogg. In April, G&A Productions hosted an event for the FX network’s national poetry slam competition. The event coincided with the release of the FX network’s “Redemption,” starring Jamie Foxx. Gregory continues to support Russell Simmons’ “Def Poetry Jam,” which airs on HBO.

Gregory works diligently to spread the spoken word because he believes it is something that appeals to those of all types and ages.

“Some people enjoy spoken word when it’s accompanied by an up-to-date beat. It is also enjoyed by those who want something quiet and lyrical. It appeals to the hip-hop, literal and academia community.”

On the Jazz Poetry Café Web site, spoken word is described: “Spoken Word is a collage of thoughts that speak so many languages only illuminating one language. It is the truth, the alpha and the omega … It is the membrane of my thoughts and the blood in my veins. It is expression, love, politically correct, anger, jealousy, therapy … It is alive!”

For more information, visit www.jazzpoetrycafe.net or e-mail phillip.Gregory@jazzpoetrycafe.net.