PYPM Takes Top Honors at Brave New Voices 2011

The Philly Youth Poetry Movement’s (PYPM) slam team competed against 50 youth poetry teams from across the country and beyond in the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival to win the championship. Brave New Voices is the largest spoken word event in the world and was featured on HBO in 2010 and 2008. This year the festival took place in San Francisco, California from July 20-23.

On July 23, the Brave New Voices Grand Slam Finals took place in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,000 people in the San Francisco Opera House. The Philly Youth Poetry Movement joined teams from Denver, Detroit and New York City to compete in finals for the title. PYPM, who trailed throughout the final slam, pulled out the victory by 0.3 points. Read More

PYPM Featured on CNN

CNN reporter, Sarah Hoye, recently shadowed the PYPM 2010-2011 Slam Season and Saturday Workshops for a feature story on their website about the Movement. Listen to the stories from the youth themselves, about how poetry and the organization is helping change their lives, their outlook and how they feel about themselves as people. Click here for the full article. Click here for the follow up article "Philly kids want city to be known for more than flash mobs."

PYPM Helping Hands Week at Trolley Car Diner & Cafe! - July 4-10

We're personally inviting you, and as many of your friends and family as you can invite, to dine at Trolley Car Diner & Café anytime during the entire week of July 4-10, 2011 (Monday - Friday 7AM -9 PM; Saturday and Sunday 3PM-9PM). Trolley Car Diner & Café will generously donate 15% of the cost of your meal to PYPM. All you need to do is eat and drink at our favorite Diner or Café and present the special coupon when paying the cashier (click to open & print coupon). Read More

PYPM Receives Grant To Establish Community Space For Young Writers

The Philly Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM) is a proud recipient of a $40,000 grant that will go toward establishing a permanent gathering space to run literary arts education programs for youth from around the Philadelphia area. The grant comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge and will fund a space that will offer free poetry and cultural workshops, homework tutoring, and life-skills mentoring.

The Philly Youth Poetry Movement is one of 36 projects out of over 1,700 applicants to receive such an award. The Knight Foundation's Knight Arts Challenge is a $9 million initiative supporting innovative projects that inspire and enrich Philadelphia's communities. The grant will help ensure that PYPM is a sustainable fixture in the community by funding a space that will expand its programs. Read More

PYPM Performs Original Choreopoem for the 2011 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts

Directed by Greg Corbin, PYPM Executive Director, and Cait Miner, PYPM Director of Educational Affairs, "Breathe-Body-Move: Reflections of an Urban Wasteland" is an original choreopoem featuring a compilation of poetry written by PYPM poets Jamarr Hall, Victor Jackson, Seff Al-Afriqi, Hiwot Adilow, Jamillah Harris and Kai Davis, with Shakari Drame providing acoustic guitar. PYPM premiered this stage show at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts for the 2011 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in April. Those interested in booking a performance of "Breathe-Body-Move" can request additional information by completing the PYPM Booking Form.

2011 Slam Season Champions Alana & Jamarr discuss the slam, PYPM and their opportunity to represent Philly