(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- The Box Café JC teams up with OpenRoad Poetry to present the OpenRoad Poetry Spoken Word Celebration on Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 1:00pm. Capacity is limited, tickets are $20.00 and include a showcase from Tri-State Area-based artists Crystal Letters, Kathy Kremins, Sean Battle, JRose, Paul Con Queso, and Dujuana Sharese. This event is open to the public and is family-friendly.
The afternoon will be filled with poetic, lyrical, acoustic, and mixed-genre performances. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Ticket proceeds benefit artists and Jersey City Dog Rescue organization: Rescue Treats. This event is in appreciation for spoken word and poetry, and you can contact Linda Kerly for advanced reservations at linda@boxcafejc.com.
Brunch (one plate and one drink) is included with your ticket from the Box Café at $20 per person. The Box Cafe is BYOB. Check The Box out here. Any additional food or beverage items are the patron's responsibility. Food Allergies? Please email us at openroadpoetry@gmail.com. They can arrange a separate plate
Box Café is located at 115 Palisade Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey.
10 Person Open Mic. Ticket must be purchased to ensure Open Mic slot. Sign-up is First Come, First to perform. You will receive an email confirmation. They will be adhering to a strict 3-5 minute timeline to respect every performer. This is a family-friendly event let’s keep things celebratory!
About The Artists:
Crystal Davis is a multidisciplinary and mixed-media performance artist, poet, painter, freelance writer, editor, and social media marketer. She was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, and is the author and creator at Crystal Letters (CL), and the Co-Founder and Co-Producer of OpenRoad Poetry (ORP), an artistic partnership between CL and RescuePoetix TM. Her art and writing projects, CL and ORP, have collaborated with arts non-profit organizations and artists across the Tri-State area, nationally, and internationally. Her work is inspired by nature, color, and the utilization of practical craft through art in the visual and written form.
Kathy Kremins (she/her) is a poet/teacher and a queer elder. She practices daily joy. Kremins is a queer Newark, NJ, native of Irish-Catholic immigrant parents. She is a retired public school teacher. She has two chapbooks of poems, Seamus & His Smalls (Two Key Customs, June 2023) and Undressing the World (Finishing Line Press, 2022). Her first full-length book of poetry, The Curve of Things, was published by CavanKerry Press in May 2024.
Sean Battle is the CEO and Founder of EvoluCulture Ventures, a poetry-centered programming and performance firm. He has self-published three full-length collections and holds an MFA in poetry and BA in English from Rutgers University. Residing in Newark by-way-of Camden, NJ, Battle teaches English at Essex County
JRose is a powerhouse Spoken Word Artist hailing from Queens, NY, who started spitting poetry at just 16 and hasn’t put down the mic since! Now the visionary behind The Rose Garden Events and Executive Producer of The JRose Experience Talkshow, she’s a force in the world of spoken word and live performance. In 2023, JRose slayed her way to the top, becoming the BRIC Brooklyn Grand Slam Finals champion, and she keeps the fire burning as the host of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe Monday Night Slam at the Bowery Poetry Club. From WAN Poetry to Busboys and Poets, Voices in Poetry to Poetry Me Please, JRose has graced stages across the nation with her soul-stirring performances.
Paul con Queso is a poet born and raised in the Brick City of Newark. He is a proud member of both the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the Lower East Side of NYC, and the Newark poetry collective 'Evoluculture'. He writes poetry that aims to shed light on social justice causes, survivorship, mental health and decolonization.
Dujuana Sharese is an explosive spoken word artist, workshop facilitator, content creator, podcaster, voiceover actor, master of ceremonies, and performer who has the ability to tantalize with her comedic truth and vibrant energy.
OpenRoad Poetry is an artistic partnership between Jersey City-based women-owned businesses, Crystal Letters LLC. and Rescue Poetix TM. OpenRoad Poetry celebrates the arts and the creation of art. They are known for hosting Live and Virtual Poetry & Open Mic events benefiting local venues & non-profit organizations, provides non-profits and for profits with artistic and technical/educational services. They believe in giving artists a platform to network & share their work. A poetic road of limitless possibilities.
Susan Justiniano | RescuePoetix, first Puerto Rican woman Poet Laureate of Jersey City, NJ, is a self-taught bilingual poet. Her passion for words started at age 9 with a dictionary, notebook, and the latest paperback she could get her hands on. In 2006 RescuePoetix™ emerged as a professional artist entrepreneur. As a published and performing poet, she has recorded poems to music, in English and Spanish, is deeply immersed in the Arts across communities throughout NJ, NY, CT, PA and MD and is developing a body of work that focuses on the rich linguistic diversity of poetry. RescuePoetix™ poetry is motivational, uplifting, and empowering; designed to connect on a level far deeper than what the eye can perceive. Spinning verses in Spanish and English, her words weave stories of strength, growth, experience, and love in its many evolving forms.
Linda Kerly (Co-Owner of The Box Café JC) is a native of Hudson County and graduate of Saint Peter’s College with a degree in business management. She holds a NJ Real Estate license and has been working with Weichert for the past 13 years. Living in the Heights community for 25 years and opened Box Cafe with her husband one year ago in the middle of the pandemic. Box Cafe has served as a community hub for locals, musicians and artists to gather perform and enjoy good home cooked meals.
The inspiration for Box Café was born out of a husband and wife’s love for creative baking and cooking from the heart, most of which has taken place in Jersey City - their home for almost 25 years! Their passion to live, work and play in their beloved neighborhood led them to funnel their energy into Box Cafe. They are on a mission to offer homemade baked goods and whole quality dishes that cater to the diverse people of Jersey City, all in a cozy setting that reflects their own home design.
