Spoken-word poet and arts activist Bob Holman was born in Harlan, Kentucky, and grew up in Ohio. He earned a BA at Columbia University and also studied at the St. Mark’s Poetry Project with Ted Berrigan, Alice Notley, and Bernadette Mayer.
A central figure in the New York City spoken-word poetry community, Holman founded the Bowery Poetry Club in 2002, served as slammaster at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe from 1988 to 1996, and coordinated the St. Mark’s Poetry Project from 1977 to 1984. With linguists Daniel Kaufman and Juliette Blevins, he founded the Endangered Language Alliance in New York City. Holman has also served as artistic director of the nonprofit Bowery Arts + Science. Founder of the spoken-word label Mouth Almighty/Mercury, Holman produced the PBS series The United States of Poetry and several audio recordings of his own work, including The Awesome Whatever (2007). He has taught at Columbia University and New York University.
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