aromapoetry special: June 26, 2005 at the Charterhouse Bar, 38 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6JH
(near Barbican Tube, London)

featuring:

Chicago Poets: Krista, Avery & Ugochi

KRISTA FRANKLIN
Krista Franklin is a poet, visual artist and educator who hails from Dayton, OH, and currently works and resides in Chicago, IL. Her poems and art have appeared in/on several literary journals and websites, including Nexus Literary and Art Journal, Warpland, Obsidian III, nocturnes 2: (re)view of the literary arts, www.semantikon.com, www.milkmag.org, www.ambulant.org and www.errataandcontradiction.org. She has also been published in the anthologies The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order and Bum Rush The Page, and is a Cave Canem alum.

UGOCHI NWAOGWUGWU
This Chicago native is an international singing sensation who has been performing her original style of song and word poetics since she began her musical journey over eight years ago. She is known in her hometown best for her refined storytelling and song-writing ability as well as the technique and song style she has been known to dub 'vocal harmonics'.

Ugochi's music has allowed her to travel to many countries in Europe, including performing her extremely individualized form of sound power in Paris, Amsterdam and London. She has been featured on WTTW's Wild Chicago and Artbeat Chicago, WXRT, as well as performed with acclaimed artists such as Common, Eric Benet, Michael McDermott, Edwin McCain, Maxi Priest,
Umphrey's McGee, and most recently John Legend. She was selected as a finalist in the HBO/Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam 2001 Competition. She also performed in Dance Africa Chicago 2001 where she received rave reviews by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times. In 2003, she was selected as a semi-finalist on Star Search, and also wrote a song, performed by R&B star Kelis, for the critically acclaimed Red Hot and Riot Compilation in honor of the late Fela Ransome Kuti and global AIDS awareness. Currently she is working on an album project appropriately titled African Buttafly, that will be made available to the public in early 2005. Her hope is that she will see more of the world through her music, eventually taking in the sights and sounds of the world.

AVERY R. YOUNG
Avery R. Young has been a staple in the spoken word community since 1996. He has been featured on HBO, BET, MTV and VH1, and has won several slams across the USA. He classifies his style of writing and performance as "urban hymns you find at a sunday mornin juke joint." His blend of spoken word / jazz/ gospel n chant distinguishes him from any other poet on the scene today. His work for schools and community organizations has made him not only an artist but an advocate for social dilemmas such as H.I.V. /domestic violence / education reform and reading comprehension. He edited 'absractvision' and is a columnist fo 'Say What' magazine.