L. Monique

Inspired as a young girl by her mother’s stellar readings of the work of Paul Lawrence Dunbar and the first poet she ever saw perform live (Pulitzer Prize Winning) Gwendolyn Brooks at the tender age of 7 yrs old, she’s a dynamic Spoken Word Artist. This ‘Sullivan Peace & Justice’ award recipient (NY 2006- for her contribution to Peace & Justice through the arts) eats, sleeps and breathes poetry. When she’s not performing, she’s often facilitating poetry workshops for diverse populations including everyone from elementary school students to maximum security prison inmates. Many of her creative efforts have been facilitated by (the former) Smokin’ Spoken Wordz Productions Poetry Collective she founded and utilized to bring audiences a host of events and talent eagerly expressed by other magnificent poets, percussionists, dancers and vocalist.

In the midst of her activities, this recent Phi Theta Kappa college graduate, mom and loving life partner is a modern day griot who continues to host and producer landmark community events. Opening for such noted performers as Singer Crystal Waters and NY’s Kings of Comedy Tour Comics this poetic diamond is a profound edutainer that willingly lends her voice to those whose are muted as an advocate of Human Rights. In doing so, she's made numerous contributions to disabled and LGBT communities.

Her most recent accomplishments include the birth of Solstice (© 2006) her newly release poetry CD, founding of The P Word, a poetry pot luck circle for womyn and most recently Producer & Host of Lip Service; Charlotte NC's only pure poetry open mic venue for, by and about womyn.

A true lover of the literary art form and the freedom to express it, prior to her CD, L. Monique authored (and self published) 3 poetry novellas, served as conceptual designer and contributor of ‘Muse’ a prison anthology and sweet end result of a 12 week prison Poetry WordShop and performance for the inmates of Woodbourne Correctional Facility in upstate New York. As if all that’s not enough, L. Monique anxiously anticipates her next interaction with Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives and captive audiences at cafes, in cyberspace and everywhere in between. So, look for sightings (public and private) wherever prolific verse may be found. Nowadays, that's most likely to be the south eastern U.S. area, as L. Monique recently relocated from New York to Charlotte North Carolina.