Dirty Gerund at Ralph's Rock Diner!

HANIF WILLIS-ABDURRAQIB is a poet, writer, and dessert enthusiast from Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of Sons Of Noah, a chapbook forthcoming from Tired Hearts Press, and is the editor of Again I Wait For This To Pull Apart, an anthology of poems relating to music forthcoming from Freezeray Press in 2015. His work has been published in Radius, Stirring, Muzzle, Vinyl, joINT, Borderline, and various other journals. He has been nominated for a pushcart prize, and his poem “Hestia” won the 2014 Capital University poetry prize. As an organizer, he is the founder of Pen and Palette Poetry, a five-year running open mic in Columbus that aims to introduce an exciting and inspiring space for both new writers and experienced writers. Also equipped as a teaching artist, he has conducted workshops and given readings across the country, from coffee shops, to colleges. Believing that great art works on both the page and the stage, he occassionaly dabbles in the art of poetry slam, placing 4th overall at the 2014 Individual World Poetry Slam. He is a poetry reader for Muzzle Magazine and an interviewer for Union Station Magazine. He thinks poems can change the world, but really wants to talk to you about music, sports, and sneakers. http://www.abdurraqib.com

BONUS RUCKUS: The “ERASE YA” Poem Challenge! Sometimes called “erasure” poems (but we got an accent, wikid!) Less is more sometimes (pro tip, don’t yell that to people at the beach). We thought we’d check this idea out poetically this Monday. The challenge. NICHOLAS EARL DAVIS will give competitors copies of classic poems, or passages from novels, or recipes? at the start of the show. Your job? Whittle it down, take out words, make that shit better without adding your dang words to it! Got it? Cool. Perform that poem at half time and win a frothy prize on us! When it comes to prizes, more is always better!

BONUS BONUS RUCKUS: We don’t usually have special musical guests at the Gerund anymore. But this Monday, our pal DANNY FANTOM had the hook up and we’re some accommodating folks so! Closing the show out with MEMBERS OF THE THOUGHTCRIMINALS, MIKAL KHILL AND SULFUR – North Carolina’s finest nerdcore rap phenoms are on tour, doing an earlier set elsewhere in the city (don’t look it up) cause they’re dropping by towards the end of the night, to take our show out proper! http://mikalkhill.com/
http://sulfur.bandcamp.com/