Word of Mouth Cincinnati (WoMC), a literary event consisting of both an Open Mic and a Feature Performance, runs the last Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. upstairs at MOTR Pub.
Word of Mouth Cincinnati, which began in January 2014, is co-hosted by fellow writers Jim Palmarini and Mark Flanigan. It was founded in memory of the late Aralee Strange who, after many years living, writing and producing work in the Cincinnati area, moved to Athens, Georgia where she co-founded Athens Word of Mouth.
Our featured performers on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 will be eight writers from the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) and the Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC). From SCPA: Aurore Byrd, Nshimirimana Liliane, Isa Walker, and Carla Wissman. From the AAC: Kat Burke, Bethany Lewis, Schuyler Smith, and Harris Wheeler.
Aurore Byrd is currently in her 8th year as a creative writing student at SCPA. Her work has been published in several small press books and she has read her writing at local events like Word of Mouth and Get Lit! In 2016, Aurore was a Scholastic Silver Key recipient for her poetry.
Kat Burke is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in Cincinnati. Their work exists as a soft scream, uprooted from an exploration of body language. They are interested in the ways performance can be a tool for community engagement.
Bethany Lewis is an interdisciplinary artist and writer expecting to graduate this spring from the Art Academy of Cincinnati with a BFA in painting. Their most recent Google searches are "Nick Jonas" and "Meditations in an Emergency".
Nshimirimana Liliane, who goes by Lili, is an eleventh grade creative major at SCPA. She is from Burundi and has been living in the United States for the past ten years. Lately, her work has been focused on social injustice and experimentation with new poetic forms.
Schuyler Smith is a sculptor, writer, and musician from Cincinnati. They currently attend the Art Academy of Cincinnati and (hopefully) will be graduating next spring. Their poems are often nebulous. They bring rainy days along with them when they travel. Sometimes, it’s foggy out when they read.
Isa Walker is a junior creative writing major at SCPA. She enjoys going on outdoor adventures such as hiking, climbing, cycling and camping. In her free time, she writes and sings songs, practices yoga and meditation, and writes lots of poetry.
Harris Wheeler is a poet, sculptor, wannabe drummer and mullet-haver. They are a soon-to-be graduate of the Art Academy of Cincinnati with a major in creative writing and a minor in sculpture. They would spend more time looking up if there wasn’t the trouble of running into things.
Celia Wissman is a creative writing senior at SCPA. She was born in and has lived in Cincinnati all her life. Celia enjoys writing songs and music, as well as playing guitar & keyboard. She will be attending Bowling Green State University in the fall, with a major in film production and minor in creative writing.
WoMC is an intentional arc of both past and future utterance, inspired by our most revered voice, with a nod to her Athens, GA compatriots. Word of Mouth asks poets to Show Up, Mouth Off and Pay Attention.
