Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
Encyclopedia
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (born 26 November 1978) is an American poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 and writer. Recently, she was awarded a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry.

Life

A native of Philadelphia, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz graduated from Central High School of Philadelphia in 1996 and received a B.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

 in 2000. Her brother, Kevin Aptowicz, is a professor of Physics at West Chester University.

Poetry

Aptowicz was introduced to the New York City Poetry Slam community by NYU classmate, Beau Sia
Beau Sia
-Biography:Sia was born in Ohio. He is of Chinese-Filipino descent. Raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sia discovered spoken word poetry on MTV as a teenager...

. In November 1998, at age 19, she founded the NYC-Urbana Poetry Slam series. NYC-Urbana was the formal continuation of a poetry slam series started by Bob Holman
Bob Holman
Bob Holman is a poet and poetry activist in the United States.- Career :After graduating from Columbia University in 1970, Bob Holman founded, with Sara Miles and Susie Timmons, the NYC Poetry Calendar, a free monthly publication with all the readings and poets "on the same page"...

 and as of 2008, has earned three National Poetry Slam
National Poetry Slam
The National Poetry Slam is a performance poetry competition where teams from across the United States, Canada, and France participate in a large-scale poetry slam. The event occurs in early August every year and takes place in a different US city....

 Championships: 1997 (as Team Mouth Almighty), 2000 and 2002. Aptowicz was a member of the 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2010 NYC-Urbana Poetry Slam teams. Well-known poets who have been on NYC-Urbana Poetry Slam teams including Taylor Mali
Taylor Mali
Taylor Mali is an American slam poet, humorist, teacher, and voiceover artist.-Life:A 10th-generation native of New York City, Taylor Mali graduated from the Collegiate School, a private school for boys, in 1983. He received a B.A. in English from Bowdoin College in 1987 and an M.A. in...

, Beau Sia
Beau Sia
-Biography:Sia was born in Ohio. He is of Chinese-Filipino descent. Raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sia discovered spoken word poetry on MTV as a teenager...

, Anis Mojgani
Anis Mojgani
Anis Mojgani is a spoken word poet, visual artist and musician based in Portland, Oregon.Mojgani has been characterized as a "geek genius" with "fiercely hopeful word arias"...

 and Sarah Kay
Sarah Kay
Sarah Kay is a professor of French at New York University.Kay was a student in the UK at the University of Oxford. She started her teaching career at the University of Liverpool then moved to the University of Cambridge. She was head of department at Cambridge from 1996 until 2001 and Director of...

, among others. Aptowicz was also the 2010 Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWps) representative for NYC-Urbana. As of 2010, NYC-Urbana Poetry Slam is still held weekly at the Bowery Poetry Club
Bowery Poetry Club
The Bowery Poetry Club is a New York City poetry performance space founded by Bob Holman in 2002. Located at 308 Bowery, between Bleecker and Houston Streets in Manhattan's East Village, the BPC provides a home base for established and upcoming artists...

. Aptowicz currently runs the series with Taylor Mali
Taylor Mali
Taylor Mali is an American slam poet, humorist, teacher, and voiceover artist.-Life:A 10th-generation native of New York City, Taylor Mali graduated from the Collegiate School, a private school for boys, in 1983. He received a B.A. in English from Bowdoin College in 1987 and an M.A. in...

, Shappy Seasholtz and Jeanann Verlee.

Aptowicz's most recent book is Everything is Everything, which Write Bloody Publishing
Write Bloody Publishing
-Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

 released in January 2010. In 2011, Write Bloody Publishing
Write Bloody Publishing
-Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

 also re-released Aptowicz's four previous books -- Dear Future Boyfriend (2000), Hot Teen Slut (2001), Working Class Represent (2003) and Oh, Terrible Youth (2007) -- which had originally been published by the Ann Arbor basement press, The Wordsmith Press.

Aptowicz appeared in the concert film Taylor Mali
Taylor Mali
Taylor Mali is an American slam poet, humorist, teacher, and voiceover artist.-Life:A 10th-generation native of New York City, Taylor Mali graduated from the Collegiate School, a private school for boys, in 1983. He received a B.A. in English from Bowdoin College in 1987 and an M.A. in...

 & Friends Live at the Bowery Poetry Club
Bowery Poetry Club
The Bowery Poetry Club is a New York City poetry performance space founded by Bob Holman in 2002. Located at 308 Bowery, between Bleecker and Houston Streets in Manhattan's East Village, the BPC provides a home base for established and upcoming artists...

and in the documentary Slam Planet (2006). In 2003, she served the overseas mentor for Mouth Off!, a youth poetry show commissioned by the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...

. She frequently tours with poets Buddy Wakefield
Buddy Wakefield
Buddy Wakefield is an American performance poet/slam poet, whose latest works have been released by Righteous Babe Records and Write Bloody Publishing .- Biography :...

, Derrick Brown and Anis Mojgani
Anis Mojgani
Anis Mojgani is a spoken word poet, visual artist and musician based in Portland, Oregon.Mojgani has been characterized as a "geek genius" with "fiercely hopeful word arias"...

 on their "poetry revivial tours," joining them on their 2008 Junkyard Ghost Revival tour, 2009 Elephant Engine High Dive Revival tour and 2010 Night Kite Revival tour.

In November 2010, it was announced that Aptowicz had been awarded a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry. She is one of only handful of "slam poets" who have won NEA grants. As of 2011, the other poets are Hal Sirowitz
Hal Sirowitz
Hal Sirowitz is an American poet.Sirowitz first began to attract attention at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe where he was a frequent competitor in their Friday Night Poetry Slam...

 (who was on the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Nuyorican Poets Café
The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...

 Poetry Slam team in 1993, and won an NEA Fellowship in Poetry in 1994); Jeffrey McDaniel
Jeffrey McDaniel
Jeffrey McDaniel is an American poet. He has published four books of poetry, most recently 'The Endarkenment' . He is the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts...

 (who was on numerous DC and California slam teams in the mid to late 1990s, and won a NEA Fellowship in Poetry in 2003); and Adrienne Su (who was on the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Nuyorican Poets Café
The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...

 Poetry Slam team in 1991, and won a NEA Fellowship in Poetry in 2007).

Non-fiction

Aptowicz has published non-fiction essays and articles in such publications as Bust magazine, About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....

's Poetry Channel and the spoken word anthology Word Warriors.

In 2008, Soft Skull Press published Aptowicz's Words In Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam. U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins
Billy Collins
Billy Collins is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York and is the Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park Institute, Florida...

 wrote that the book "leaves no doubt that the slam poetry scene has achieved legitimacy and taken its rightful place on the map of contemporary literature" and the Washington Post named it one of five Notable Books on Exploring Poetry in 2008. Aptowicz spent 4 years writing the book, which "explores the birth, growing pains and continuing development of the Poetry Slam." The book features interviews with Saul Williams
Saul Williams
Saul Stacey Williams is an American poet, writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop and for his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam.-Biography:...

, Maggie Estep
Maggie Estep
Maggie Estep is an American poet and writer. She has published six books and released two spoken word albums: Love is a Dog From Hell and No More Mr. Nice Girl.Estep was born in 1963 in Summit, New Jersey...

, Bob Holman
Bob Holman
Bob Holman is a poet and poetry activist in the United States.- Career :After graduating from Columbia University in 1970, Bob Holman founded, with Sara Miles and Susie Timmons, the NYC Poetry Calendar, a free monthly publication with all the readings and poets "on the same page"...

 and Slamnation
SlamNation
SlamNation is a documentary film by director Paul Devlin. The film follows the National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon.It follows the 1996 Nuyorican Poetry Slam team as they competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam held in Portland, OR...

 director Paul Devlin
Paul Devlin (filmmaker)
Paul Josiah Devlin is a sports editor and documentary filmmaker.A five-time Emmy winner for his work on NBC's Olympics and CBS's Tour de France, Paul Devlin's films include Power Trip, which screened in 60 countries, theatrically across the United States and on PBS's Independent Lens, was nominated...

, among others.

Aptowicz also penned the non-fiction screenplay, Mütter, a screenplay based on the life of Mütter Museum
Mütter Museum
The Mütter Museum is a medical museum located in the Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It contains a collection of medical oddities, anatomical and pathological specimens, wax models, and antique medical equipment. The museum is part of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The...

 founder Thomas Dent Mütter. The screenplay would go on to win the 2003 "Set In Philadelphia" Screenwriting Award at the Philadelphia Film Festival and a Sloan Foundation Fellowship at the 2004 Hampton International Film Festival. In 2005, she was invited to attend the 2005 Sloan Film Summit in support of the screenplay, and was commissioned to write an article about her experiences at the Summit by New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

's Museum of the Moving Image. As of 2008, the screenplay remains unproduced, although a short based on the feature-length script was created as a part of the Philadelphia Film Festival prize package.

In 2010, Aptowicz was named the 2010-2011 University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 ArtsEdge Writer-in-Residence. She will be using the residency to work on "a non-fiction book about the life and times of Thomas Dent Mutter." The Mütter Museum
Mütter Museum
The Mütter Museum is a medical museum located in the Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It contains a collection of medical oddities, anatomical and pathological specimens, wax models, and antique medical equipment. The museum is part of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The...

 has granted Aptowicz full access to their museum, library and archives for the duration of the residency so that she may conduct her research for the book, and the Mütter Museum's Francis C. Wood Institute for the History of Medicine has additionally awarded Aptowicz with a Wood Institute Travel Grant to help further fund and support her work on this project.

Books

  • Everything is Everything (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2010; ISBN 0984251510)
  • Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam (Soft Skull Press
    Soft Skull Press
    Soft Skull Press is an independent publisher founded by Sander Hicks in 1992, and run by Richard Eoin Nash from 2001 to 2009. In 2007, Nash sold Soft Skull to Counterpoint LLC, where it continues to function as a division of the press...

    , 2008; ISBN 1887012176)
  • Oh Terrible Youth (2007) (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2011; ISBN 1935904663)
  • Working Class Represent (2004) (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2011; ISBN 1935904728)
  • Hot Teen Slut (2001) (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2011; ISBN 193590468X)
  • Dear Future Boyfriend (2000) (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2011; ISBN 1935904701)

Anthologies

Collections in which Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz's work is included
  • Elephant Engine High Dive Revival (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2009; ISBN 0982148895)
  • The Good Things About America (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2009; ISBN 098214881)
  • Junkyard Ghost Revival (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2008; ISBN 0981521363)
  • Herding Kites: A Celebration of Australian Writing (Affirm Press, 2008; ISBN 0980374642)
  • The Last American Valentine (Write Bloody Publishing
    Write Bloody Publishing
    -Authors:Authors published include: *Derrick C. Brown *Andrea Gibson*Anis Mojgani*Buddy Wakefield*Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz*Karen Finneyfrock*Lea Deschenes*Mindy Nettifee*Paul G. Maziar*Robbie Q. Telfer*Taylor Mali...

    , 2007; ISBN 0978998979)
  • Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution (Seal Press, 2007; ISBN 1580052215)
  • His Rib: Stories, Poems & Essays by Her (Penmanship Books, 2007; ISBN 0978969529)
  • Bowery Women (YBK Publishers, 2006; ISBN 0976435985)
  • Poems from the Big Muddy: National Poetry Slam 2004 Anthology (Co-Editor) (The Wordsmith Press, 2005; ISBN 1893972224)
  • Poetry Slam (Manic D Press
    Manic D Press
    Manic D Press is an American literary press based in San Francisco, California publishing fiction , poetry, cultural studies, art, narrative-oriented comix, and alternative travel trade paperbacks...

    , 2000; ISBN 0916397661)
  • Will Work for Peace (Zero Panik Press, 1999; ISBN 1922268825)

CD Anthologies

Collections in which Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz's work is included
  • Excellence in the Field of Awesomeness (The Wordsmith Press, 2009)
  • Attack of the Urbanabots (The Wordsmith Press, 2007)
  • New High Score (The Wordsmith Press, 2004)
  • Best of Urbana 2003 (The Wordsmith Press, 2003)
  • Prayer Wheel Junkies: Best of the Kalamazoo Poetry Slam 2002 (KPS, 2002)
  • Urbana: Bowery Poetry Club (The Wordsmith Press, 2002)
  • Spoken Word Underground (The Wordsmith Press, 2001)
  • NYC Slams (Anthology) (PoetCD, 2000)

Awards

  • NEA Fellowship: National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship for Poetry
  • Winner: Writer-in-Residence University of Pennsylvania
    University of Pennsylvania
    The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

     (2010–2011)
  • Winner: Poet in Residence: Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana (2009).
  • Winner: Nadine B. Andreas Public Scholar in Speech Communication, Minnesota State University, Mankato (2008).
  • Winner: Hampton International Film Festival's Sloan Fellowship for Screenwriting (2004).
  • Semi-Finalist: Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting for Mütter (2004).
  • Winner: Grand Prize, Philadelphia Film Festival for Mütter (2003).
  • Winner: Myers Foundation Grant (2001 and 2003).
  • Two-Time Winner: National Poetry Slam: Slammaster's Slam (2000, 2001).
  • Three-time Winner: NYU/Barnes and Noble Monologue Contest (1999–2000)

External links


See also

  • Performance poetry
    Performance poetry
    Performance poetry is poetry that is specifically composed for or during a performance before an audience. During the 1980s, the term came into popular usage to describe poetry written or composed for performance rather than print distribution.-History:...

  • Poetry slam
  • Spoken word
    Spoken word
    Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....

  • Bowery Poetry Club
    Bowery Poetry Club
    The Bowery Poetry Club is a New York City poetry performance space founded by Bob Holman in 2002. Located at 308 Bowery, between Bleecker and Houston Streets in Manhattan's East Village, the BPC provides a home base for established and upcoming artists...

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