Phil Kaye is an award-winning poet, published author and co-director of project VOICE. He is bringing his words to the Oregon campus on April 28 in the EMU Ballroom.
Kaye was raised in California and introduced to spoken word poetry during a Diversity Conference in high school. Since then he has toured to dozens of countries and performed in hundreds of venues.
Aurora Kaye is a senior at the University of Oregon and sister to Phil. She has experienced many of his shows and is incredibly excited to have him at her school.
“Every performance is different, but college shows are great because people are so familiar with the form of spoken word poetry,” Aurora Kaye said. “It is great to see people inspired by his words and use them to empower themselves.”
Spoken word poetry can mean a number of things and has no limits on what it can cover. Kaye’s topics range from stories of childhood to a day in the life of the Geico gecko. His work has been featured on media outlets such as Al-Jazeera, NPR and Upworthy.
Kaye graduated from Brown University and was head coordinator for Space in Prisons for the Art and Creative Expression, where he taught spoken word workshops at maximum security prisons. After, he began the Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression project. The movement promotes self-empowerment through spoken world and is introduced to students of all ages. Kaye began the project in 2004 and encourages individuals to look at culture and societal influences for spoken word inspiration.
“His performances touch everyone that comes to watch, regardless of age, background or race,” Aurora Kaye said. “He’s a hilarious and personable guy, so his shows are always entertaining and you’re never wondering when it’ll be over.”
Phil Kaye will be performing on April 28 at the EMU Ballroom. Information on tickets and show details can be found on the University of Oregon Calendar.