In this first episode of Next Up to The Mic, we welcome Brandon Williamson who was our featured reader at Nitty Gritty Slam #89 at The Low Beat on March 3, 2015.
Brandon Williamson was born and raised in Buffalo NY. A proud Fredonia graduate, Brandon has made it his life goal to reach out to students in inner-city neighborhoods similar to the one he grew up in, painting a path for them to follow to their future. In this process, Brandon spent time as a high school teacher before creating the Pure Ink Poetry Slam. As the only monthly running poetry slam in Buffalo, the Pure Ink Poetry Slam caters to the community of poets in the area, as well as authors, musicians, dancers, and comedians. Brandon works hard to build a community of art that everyone can be a part of. He has facilitated writing and performance workshops for organizations like Planned Parenthood, Teen Reality Theatre, Buffalo Public Schools, Summer School of the Arts, University at Buffalo, Buffalo State University, and more. He has performed, competed, and won poetry slams and been featured throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ontario, Michigan, California, and parts of Europe.
Bonus Video
Brandon Williamson and Ben Brindise performing Trigger Warning at the QEW International Poetry Slam in Canada. This poem won the best team piece of the night award at the end of the slam.
Music Credit
Our theme music was “Imagination” by Danijel Zambo. License code: 44TCGFPF1L1434BE
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