STAFF
TINO
Fortino Vazquez Edmonds aka Tino VH Jr. is a gay Mexican American spoken word teaching artist from Oakland, CA, who uses Popular Education and Freedom frameworks in his classroom. Currently, he is serving as the Artist in Residence at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco, CA, for their Spoken Arts Department. An avid reader, Vazquez believes in transformative and healing education, it has led him with incarcerated youth of the Bay Area and Sonoma county. A spoken word poet for over a decade, Vazquez has spent equal amounts of time teaching poetry to younger poets in hopes of them finding their own voices as he has competed on multiple adult poetry slam teams. Vazquez has represented cities such as Santa Cruz and Berkeley in Regional and National levels. Most recently, 3rd Place with the Berkeley Slam team at the Bigfoot Regional Slam of 2023. His poetry explores masculinity/feminism, addiction, indigeneity, queerness, and his Mexican-American heritage.
Fortino Vazquez Edmonds aka Tino VH Jr. is a gay Mexican American spoken word teaching artist from Oakland, CA, who uses Popular Education and Freedom frameworks in his classroom. Currently, he is serving as the Artist in Residence at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco, CA, for their Spoken Arts Department. An avid reader, Vazquez believes in transformative and healing education, it has led him with incarcerated youth of the Bay Area and Sonoma county. A spoken word poet for over a decade, Vazquez has spent equal amounts of time teaching poetry to younger poets in hopes of them finding their own voices as he has competed on multiple adult poetry slam teams. Vazquez has represented cities such as Santa Cruz and Berkeley in Regional and National levels. Most recently, 3rd Place with the Berkeley Slam team at the Bigfoot Regional Slam of 2023. His poetry explores masculinity/feminism, addiction, indigeneity, queerness, and his Mexican-American heritage.
JAZ SUFI
Jaz Sufi (she/hers) is a queer Iranian-American poet and arts educator. Her work has been published in Best New Poets, Best of the Net, AGNI, Black Warrior Review, Muzzle, and elsewhere. Her first chapbook, Catalog of Shadows, is out with Game Over Books. She is a National Poetry Slam finalist and has received fellowships from Kundiman, the Watering Hole, and New York University, where she received her MFA. She is the current Poet Laureate of San Ramon on occupied Ohlone land, where she lives with her dog, Apollo.
Jaz Sufi (she/hers) is a queer Iranian-American poet and arts educator. Her work has been published in Best New Poets, Best of the Net, AGNI, Black Warrior Review, Muzzle, and elsewhere. Her first chapbook, Catalog of Shadows, is out with Game Over Books. She is a National Poetry Slam finalist and has received fellowships from Kundiman, the Watering Hole, and New York University, where she received her MFA. She is the current Poet Laureate of San Ramon on occupied Ohlone land, where she lives with her dog, Apollo.
PROPHET
Kevin "Prophet" Wright is a poet, MC, teaching artist, community organizer/activitist and Richmond, CA native that has shared stages with Angela Davis, Grammy Award winning poet J. Ivy, Yasiin Bey (then known as Mos Def), J. Electronica, Boots Riley of The Coup and freestyle rap legend MC Supernatural. He has performed his poetry from the Bowery Poetry Club and Nuyorican Poetry Slam in New York to Lafayette Park outside of the White House and various places in between. He was a member of the 2016 Oakland Poetry Slam team and was an organizer of the 2008 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival that was filmed by HBO and released in 2009. Between late 2006 and early 2008 he was also one of the founding Youth Advisory Council members that helped plan for what would eventually become the R.Y.S.E. Center in Richmond, CA. Additionally, he was of the longest tenured teaching artists for Bay Area Creative and is a Committee Member of and Director of Security for Rich Oak Events, the organizing body of Berkeley Poetry Slam, the Oakland Poetry Slam, and an open mic started by fellow Richmond natives that is based in Oakland called Rich Oak Alchemy.
Kevin "Prophet" Wright is a poet, MC, teaching artist, community organizer/activitist and Richmond, CA native that has shared stages with Angela Davis, Grammy Award winning poet J. Ivy, Yasiin Bey (then known as Mos Def), J. Electronica, Boots Riley of The Coup and freestyle rap legend MC Supernatural. He has performed his poetry from the Bowery Poetry Club and Nuyorican Poetry Slam in New York to Lafayette Park outside of the White House and various places in between. He was a member of the 2016 Oakland Poetry Slam team and was an organizer of the 2008 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival that was filmed by HBO and released in 2009. Between late 2006 and early 2008 he was also one of the founding Youth Advisory Council members that helped plan for what would eventually become the R.Y.S.E. Center in Richmond, CA. Additionally, he was of the longest tenured teaching artists for Bay Area Creative and is a Committee Member of and Director of Security for Rich Oak Events, the organizing body of Berkeley Poetry Slam, the Oakland Poetry Slam, and an open mic started by fellow Richmond natives that is based in Oakland called Rich Oak Alchemy.
NICOLE
Nicole Tracii (she/her) is a poet, lover of being on stage, cat mom, and generally confused human. She uses writing to reconnect to disconnected identities and channel her badass, take no shit attitude into work and writing. Nicole Tracii has been featured on Poets and Muses Podcast, The Poetry Steam Versus Battle, and at various Lyrical Opposition events. In addition to avidly attending workshops she also hosts her own Work in Progress workshops. She received an honorable mention in Southern Collective Experience's 2021 Asian American Chapbook Contest. Nicole Tracii was a finalist in the 2022 Women of the World Virtual Poetry Slam.
Nicole Tracii (she/her) is a poet, lover of being on stage, cat mom, and generally confused human. She uses writing to reconnect to disconnected identities and channel her badass, take no shit attitude into work and writing. Nicole Tracii has been featured on Poets and Muses Podcast, The Poetry Steam Versus Battle, and at various Lyrical Opposition events. In addition to avidly attending workshops she also hosts her own Work in Progress workshops. She received an honorable mention in Southern Collective Experience's 2021 Asian American Chapbook Contest. Nicole Tracii was a finalist in the 2022 Women of the World Virtual Poetry Slam.
Bios TBA for Reggie Vazquez-Edmonds, Collin Edmonds, Christian Medina, and Esperanza
PAST BERKELEY SLAM STAFF
Aaron Gardner, Charles 'Ekabhumi' Ellik, Cassie Lewis, Christian Drake, DJ Agana, DJ Tekneek, Dre, Ekabhumi, Geoff Trenchard, Isaac Rodriguez, Jamie DeWolf, Jelal Huyler, Joyce Lee, Karen Ladson, The Lemon Limelights (our first house band), Lilitu Shahar (formerly Dani Eurynome), Matt Blesse, “Mumbles” Baraka Noel, Nazelah Jamison, Nonameko Rigmaiden, Thadra Sheridan, Tim “Toaster” Henderson, Three Blind Mice (our second house band), Sam Sax, Shawn William, Syzygy, plus many other guest emcees, DJs, musicians, and generous volunteers.
Aaron Gardner, Charles 'Ekabhumi' Ellik, Cassie Lewis, Christian Drake, DJ Agana, DJ Tekneek, Dre, Ekabhumi, Geoff Trenchard, Isaac Rodriguez, Jamie DeWolf, Jelal Huyler, Joyce Lee, Karen Ladson, The Lemon Limelights (our first house band), Lilitu Shahar (formerly Dani Eurynome), Matt Blesse, “Mumbles” Baraka Noel, Nazelah Jamison, Nonameko Rigmaiden, Thadra Sheridan, Tim “Toaster” Henderson, Three Blind Mice (our second house band), Sam Sax, Shawn William, Syzygy, plus many other guest emcees, DJs, musicians, and generous volunteers.