Carlos Contreras Albuquerque
The late, great bard Brendan Behan was quick-witted when it came to his passions. He quipped that rather than being a writer with a drinking problem, he was a 'drinker with a writing problem.' If you're a writer, or have spent any time around writers, that sentiment probably strikes a familiar chord. You're not alone. Local slam hero Carlos Contreras is starting a series of spoken word events called I'll Drink to That. The inaugural show takes place at (4730 Pan American NE) today from 4 to 6 p.m. And boasts an impressive lineup, including Contreras and newly named Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy.
Dr Carlos Contreras Birmingham Alabama
Like poetry but not beer? Everyone loves a designated driver. Hakim Bellamy, Carlos Contreras, DJ Diles and Idris Goodwin: heavy hitters from the arts and music scene with many fingers in many pies at all times. Their newest confection, Urban Verbs, is a video, audio and physical performance piece that is dialogued entirely in poetic verse. Bellamy and Contreras play characters and interact, weaving over and under live electronic DJing from Diles—and under the sharp direction of Goodwin. The actor/creators call Urban Verbs an alternative to the brainless, heartless hip-hop of violence and exclusion. The Friday show also has live art creation, an auction and a DJ.