Playing with the Lyrical

The Cheeky Monkey Coffeehouse in Stroudsburg, PA presented an early evening Spoken Word Performance on Sunday May 23rd featuring The Lyrical Playground. Their performance was preceded by an Open Mic Event and the very first recorded Poetry Slam outside of a festival setting to take place in the Monroe County, PA region. This initiation promises to become a regular event at The Cheeky Monkey on a night yet to be determined.

The evening began with a Spoken Word performance by members of Urban Mountain Voices (UMV) who have become well known throughout the area for providing substantive poetry indicative of the style they adhere to. This was followed by an Open Reading in which members of the audience were invited to “Spit” their soul’s words onto an eager audience. Then, after a brief intermission, The Lyrical Playground performed as everyone became astounded by the power of their words which grabbed, slapped, and instilled their urgent meaningfulness into each ear and eternal substance that heard them.

The Lyrical Playground recently received a grant from Usher philanthropic foundation to tour the region and it was fortunate to have Tricia McGarvin-Fernandez (founder of Urban Mountain Voices) to have discover this and to invite them to the area. The evening concluded with a question and answer period followed workshop led by The Lyrical Playground. You’ll find more photographs in The Forwardian Arts Society Cheeky Monkey 2010 Gallery at www.myspace.com/forwardian_arts.

The Lyrical Playground is a group of poets from Philadelphia, PA who formed a non profit organization in 2008 designed to teach young teens the art form of poetry. Urban Mountain Voices (UMV) is based in The Monroe County, PA area (aka the Poconos). The group provides young people an opportunity to express themselves in an open and honest manner through the medium. The group meets every Friday beginning at 4:30pm on the East Stroudsburg University (ESU) of PA Campus and welcomes young people between the ages of 13-20 regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or academic standing.

The Cheeky Monkey Coffeehouse offers a variety of coffee, drinks, and culinary treats along with events such as the one described in this article. Future events include The Forwardian Arts Society will hold a Literary Lovers’ Gathering Thursday May 27th beginning at 6pm featuring an opportunity to share some experiences, critique each other‘s work, and gain encouragement from both peers and those who simply enjoy reading and listening to new words, Lens Jams on Wednesday Evenings beginning at 6pm featuring smooth jazz and rock on acoustic guitars, “Just Say It” presently on Thursdays beginning at 7pm featuring an Open Mic Nite hosted by Joe Landolfa offering an opportunity for Poets, Musicians, and Comedians to share their talents, and The Cheeky Monkey Coffeehouse in Stroudsburg, PA will present Apezilla on Saturdays beginning at 6pm featuring pop and classic rock. Please Contact The Cheeky Monkey Coffeehouse at 570-420-8222 for more information.

Websites of those mentioned in this article include The Lyrical Playground at www.thelyricalplayground.com, Urban Mountain Voices at www.urbanmountainvoices.org, and The Forwardian Arts Society at www.theforwardianartssociety.com.