Radio Features for Monday, July 9: Porsha Olayiwola and Karin Webb

Poet Porsha Olayiwola, July 9 workshop leader and poetry feature at New & Improved.

Poet Porsha Olayiwola, July 9 workshop leader and poetry feature at New & Improved.

FEATURED POET: Black, dyke, poet, lover hip-hop feminist, womanist friend, Porsha Olayiwola is a performance artist who believes in pixie dust and second chances. A resident of Boston by way of Chicago, Porsha O. was runner-up at the 2012 Women of the World Poetry Slam and a member of the current Lizard Lounge National Poetry Slam Team. Her intention is to speak, love, and maintain a cypher that is undocumented, uncontrollable and just plain ole dope.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: Porsha will discuss how to bring our own bare and poetic spirits to the stage of performance poetry. Her workshop will explore how to combine who we are as artist with who we are as individual and holistic human beings operating and moving through the world. We will be discussing how to intertwine our innermost selves with the art we create to perform. Workshop will explore developing voice, tone, rhythm and the space we occupy on stage as we speak our truths. Artist should come with a poem memorized (page not required). Note: Workshop may be influenced by elements of hip-hop feminism!


New & Improved visiting artist for July 9: UnAmerika's Sweetheart Karin Webb.

New & Improved visiting artist for July 9: UnAmerika’s Sweetheart Karin Webb.

FEATURED PERFORMANCE ARTIST: UnAmerika’s Sweetheart Karin Webb has been an award-winning performance artist for the past 20 years utilizing character, dance, burlesque, comedy, drag, puppetry, acrobatics, and storytelling as her mediums of choice. She earned her BFA in Acting from Boston University, a certificate in Ensemble and Physical theater from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater, and has toured the country as a puppeteer with Das Puppenspeil Puppet Theater. Karin is co-founder of Dream Weird and Axe To Ice Productions, an original member of All The Kings Men performance troupe, frequent collaborator with Elephant Tango Ensemble Puppets, and has a blast each winter performing in The Slutcracker. Check her out at UnAmerikasSweetheart.com.


NEW AND IMPROVED MONDAYS is a weekly poetry and arts series on Mondays at Radio, a bar and performance space at 379 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville. Doors open for the show at 6:30 p.m. and the workshop begins at 7:00. Open mic begins at 8:00. The features take the stage at 9:00: tonight, Karen will split her set into two shows before and after Porsha’s full feature. Cover charge is $5 and the show is 21+.