IDRIS GOODWIN

What's up in in the twenty dozen: Jan

2012-01-03T05:39:00.000-08:00

So here's whats poppin at the top of the twenty dozen - first off check out the new website
IDRISGOODWIN.COM

Today (Tuesday Jan the 3rd) I begin my month long stretch as Teacher in Residence at WORDPLAY, the weekly poetry event of Young Chicago Authors. I'll teach a workshop at 6pm, and perform in the open mic at 7pm

Tomorrow (Wednesday Jan the 4th) I start teaching my 11 week Hip Hop as Theater course at Northwestern University.

Jan 9 - Spreading the gospel of break beat poetry to Metro High School in Cedar Rapids, IA

Jan 13-15 Kevin Coval and I will be performing/lecturing in Baton Rogue (details forthcoming) and New Orleans

Jan 16 - Dropping by the great Coya Paz's class at DePaul Theater School to discuss my latest work

Jan. 25 - Gonna be on this episode of a little show called Sesame Street http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/theshow/episodes/rhyming-block

Jan 26-28 - Joining fellow soloists Sean Lewis and Megan Gogerty in The Teacher Show at The Revolutions International Theater Festival in Albuquerque, NM

Jan 31 - "The People Speak, Live!" on January 31, 2012, featuring MATT DAMON with Chicago poets ANGELA JACKSON, KEVIN COVAL, IDRIS GOODWIN, and Louder Than a Bomb All-Stars MALCOLM LONDON and SHE'KIRA MCKNIGHT; Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble members ALANA ARENAS and ROBERT BREULER; Chicago Tribune journalist RICK KOGAN; civic leader RAMI NASHASHIBI of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network; THE LUNA BLUES MACHINE with sisters BELINDA and MARITZA CERVANTES; performer LANI T. MONTREAL of Pintig CIRCA Cultural Group; actor BRIAN QUIJADA; and, more special guests to be announced. With DJ ITCH 13 on the 1s and 2s.

We're off to a good start - Feb and March should look to be just as exciting - hope your year is on and poppin too!

New Site - New News

2011-11-13T17:24:00.000-08:00

First things first: Brand New Website
WWW.IDRISGOODWIN.COM

Second thing second
my new play HOW WE GOT ON
will premiere at HUMANA FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS

Upcoming Shows- Updated

2011-10-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

Weds Oct 26
10-11 Workshop
2-3 Performance - Free
Owens Community College - Findlay, OH

Thurs Oct 27
11:30-2
workshop & performance - Free
Owens Community College - Toledo, OH

Sat. Oct 29 @ 3:30
In store performance - Free
Record Collector - Iowa City, IA

Thu & Fri -Nov.3 & 4
New Trier Literary Festival
New Trier High school, IL

Tues Nov.8 @ 12:45pm
Quad Cities Youth Conference
Scott Community College
Bettendorf, IA

Sunday Nov 20 @ 4pm
These Are The Breaks Book reading
w/ Stevie Edwards
Buffalo Street Books
Ithaca, NY

Tuesday Nov 29 @ 7pm
w/ Katie F-s
House of Loom
Free
or $10 AND you get a book!

Weds Nov 30 @ 7pm
University of Arkansas
RZ's Coffeehouse - Arkansas Union

The Latest - Upcoming Events and What-nots

2011-07-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

* How We Got On - my new play was just featured at the Eugene Oneill's NPC 2011 peep this fresh article about it (and me)

* UPCOMING SHOWS (for now)

Weds Sept 7 - 7pm

These Are The Breaks Reading w/ Jeremy Radin, Steve Abee

Gatsby Books

5535 E. Spring St Long Beach California

Sat Sept 10 - 6pm

How We Got On staged reading

California International Theater Festival

LATC - click link for details

Sat. Sept 17 - 9:30 am

Keynote Address

No More Starving Artists Conference

Cedar Rapids, IA

Sun. Sept 18 - 7pm

Reading from These Are The Breaks @ Working Group Theater's
Was The Word
Englert Theatre

Iowa City, IA

Weds Sept 21
These Are The Breaks & Break Beat Bars
Red Dirt Poetry w/ Kevin Coval - Details TBA

Oklahoma City, OK

Thursday - Sunday Sept 22-25

Readings and Workshops w/ Kevin Coval

Louder Than A Bomb Tulsa

Tulsa, OK

Weds Sept 28 - 5-6pm
These Are The Breaks and Break Beat Bars
In Studio Performance
Little Village Live

KRUI 89.7 Iowa City

Saturday - Sunday, Oct 1-Oct 2

These are the Breaks and Break Beat Bars
readings and workshops

Cross roads Lit. conference

Macon, GA

Weds -Thurs, Oct 26 & 27
These are the Breaks and Break Beat Bars readings and workshops
Owens Community College

Findlay & Toledo, OH

Sat, Oct 29
In Store Performance
Record Collector
Iowa City, IA

Thurs - Fri Nov.3&4
These are the Breaks and Break Beat Bars readings and workshops
New Trier High Lit Fest

Nov. 30 The University of Arkansas

TBD
Boston,MA
Ithaca, NY
New York City,NY
and More!! Stay Tuned

my new play is called HOW WE GOT ON

2011-04-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

And its pretty darn good....

HOW WE GOT ON is a hip hop coming of age story set in 1988.

A DJ/Narrator loops and blends us through the beats, rhymes and lives
of three 15 year olds in middle america, captivated by this new
show called YO MTV Raps.

*HWGO was featured in New Leaf Theater's Treehouse Reading Series
*HWGO is an official selection in the National Plays Conference at The Eugene Oneill Theater Center

And we're just getting warmed up ---

Stay Tuned

These Are The Breaks Tour - Winter Readings & Performances

2011-01-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

These Are The Breaks Promotional Tour Jan-Apr

Jan. 21

Winter Breaks @ United Action for Youth
410 Iowa Ave. Iowa City, IA - Time TBA

Jan. 28
Open Books
w/ Derrick Brown, Jeremy Radin, Mindy Netifee & a special guest musical act
2226 E.4th Street
Long Beach, CA 90814

Jan. 29

Beyond Baroque
w/ Derrick Brown, Mindy Netifee & Amalia Ortiz
681 Venice Bl. Venice, CA - 7:30pm

Feb. 12

Revelations Bookstore

112 N Main St - Fairfield, IA - Time 2pm

Feb. 17
Metropolitan Community College
Elkhorn Valley Campus
Omaha, NE 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Special Evening Reading
Thursday, Feb. 17
7pm - 10pm
Private Residence
(rsvp for details)

Friday Feb. 25
Reading w/ Roger Bonair Agard
Louder Than A Bomb Special Event
7pm @ Columbia College Chicago
618 S. Michigan Ave
Free

Thursday Mar.3
Equilibrium: Spoken Word at the Loft w/ Lisa Brimmer, Ed Bok Lee & Guante
Co-Sponsored by the Givens Foundation for African American Literature
7pm @ Open Book 1011 Washington Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN
Free

Friday Mar.4
First Wave: Just Bust! featured reader
9pm @ The University of Wisconsin Madison
Wisconsin Room, Red Gym
Free

Thursday March 17
Reading with Kevin Coval & Nate Marshall
8:30 @ Vanderbilt University Student Life Center, Board Trust Room
Free

Friday March 25
The Return of Break Beat Poems
Hip Hop set opening for Blueprint, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
9pm @ Gabes 330 E Washington St.
Iowa City, IA
$10
19+

Wednesday March 30
Reading at the Afro American Cultural Center
6pm @ 303 Melrose Ave
Iowa City, IA
Free

Saturday April 2nd
Mission Creek Festival
Reading with Amber Tamblyn and Mindy Nettifee
8pm @ The Mill
Iowa City, IA
Free

Wednesday and Thursday April 13 & 14
Focus on the Arts @ Highland Park High School
Highland Park,IL

Holiday Jingles

2010-12-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

ding! - Wrote a review of The Anthology of Rap for The Boston Globe - check it out

dong! - Featured in The Daily Iowan - check it out

ding! - "1986" from These Are The Breaks was Nominated for a Pushcart Prize - check it out

SHOUT OUT: a festival of rhythm and rhyme - a sure to electrify weekend of events!!

2010-10-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE DETAILS

MY LITERARY DEBUT

2010-10-08T03:46:00.000-07:00

ORDER YOUR ADVANCE COPY NOW

BREAK BEAT POEMS REMIXED VOL.1 (Click the Image to Upload)

2010-09-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

NPR Shows Love

2010-07-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

"Idris Goodwin's rap album, Break Beat Poems, works on several levels. He makes scholastic thinkers groove by alluding to Kafka and Charles Dickens over bluesy electronic beats. He explores heavy topics like racial profiling and war, but also reminisces about his adolescent days in basketball camp. His verses are engaging but with just enough hook to serve a purpose."

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

"Goodwin’s like a long lost member of De La Soul. Funny without being silly, instructive without being didactic..." popmatters.com

2010-07-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

New review and Nebraska

2010-05-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Big up to Hoopla Magazine for their thoughtful review of Break Beat Poems (on the right)

Also -
The good people of Aetherplough have invited me to Omaha on Friday May 14th for a performance. If you live out there hope to see you. If you used to live there - tell your
friends. If you have never been there, well....we have nothing to discuss then do we.

Friday May 14 8pm $7
OM CENTER
1216 Howard St.
Old Market • Omaha, Nebraska 68102
Phone OM 402.345.5078
http://www.omahahealingarts.com/

Review for BREAK BEAT POEMS

2010-04-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Idris Goodwin "BREAK BEAT POEMS"
from Little Village Magazine
by Kent Williams

Back in the day -- 1979 -- Hawkeye basketball star Ronnie Lester was a hip hop ambassador. Ronnie took his boombox everywhere , playing "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang nonstop. It was, to Iowa ears, something strange and alien, and yet irresistible. Idris Goodwin's track "Isiah Thomas Camp" took me back to that seminal B-Ball/Hip Hop connection. It's my favorite sort of rhyme -- one that tells a story.

Idris reminisces about going to a basketball camp run by Isiah Thomas of the legendary '88/'89 Detroit Pistons. He recaps the events of the playoffs -- "Boys in Red & Blue/World Class Wrecking Crew/elbows reaching in/eye-gouging bone breakers/made to the finals game 7 with the Lakers" -- and ties it into his own, more modest, basketball skills. "I let the rock go now I'm a rhyme sayer," as he tells the story of the dashed hopes and eventual triumph of the Pistons in a few deft verses.

Idris' rhymes put him in the backpack "conscious" rap camp, but I'm impressed by how he threads the needle between wordplay for it's own sake and overly earnest 'positive' rhymes. "Make No Mistake" uses repetition of "Give" and "Take" as a narrative trick -- "Give a damn,
Give thanks, Give a round of applause, give up the glory, give praise, give the bleeding some gauze." It's clever, but like Professor Frink, he makes you laugh, and he makes you think.

Goodwin's beats (produced by Anomaly, Lee Chest and Shotgun Start) deserve attention separate from his flows, drawing influences from electronica as well as hip hop & R&B beatmakers. "Slice" rocks raw sawtooth waves and 8-bit synth stabs, while "Burn
Somethin'" makes something sweet from what sounds like the horns and strings soundtrack from a Lifetime Movie. The most sample-oriented track, "Madness," bites a crazy-ass bit of Klezmer clarinet, turning it paradoxically into a laid-back, head-nodding beat, backing
offhandedly polysyllabic shenanigans: "Insomniac Brainiac/Rambling Kerouac [...] Sometimes it feels like/Lunatic liberties/battling bigotries/scream at the big TV/distracted lollygagging, fell off the paddywagon..."

Idris Goodwin also has the one thing you can't fake in hip hop -- a voice that makes you want to catch his flow. With his righteous beats and elliptically clever rhyming, it makes this CD something special -- 3 points, nothing but net.

THE WILY LOMAN TOUR MARCHES INTO NATIONAL (break beat) POETRY MONTH

2010-03-31T20:19:00.002-07:00

UPCOMING SHOWS/WORKSHOPS

Friday April 2 8pm

Bedlam Theatre - Minneapolis, MN

Thursday April 15 7:30pm

Public Space One - Iowa City, IA

Thursday April 22

Grinnell College - Grinnell, IA

Thursday April 29 7pm

Gramaphone Records -Chicago,IL

EAA'S "ARTS IN THE GARDEN" SERIES

presents "Wordplay"

A one day workshop in which I unlock the ancient secrets of the deadly break beat poetic arts....shhhhh....I've said too much already

Saturday. April 24

Brucemore Grounds, IA

9:30-12pm $25

Recent Praise for the new album BREAK BEAT POEMS

"Righteous beats + elliptically clever rhyming make Break Beat Poems something special"

-Little Village Magazine

"Modern beats and tongue twisting word flow"

-Timeout Chicago

"One of best hip hop albums of 2010....for real."

-Kevin Coval

"Goodwin's delivery is swift and steady, like a train on the tracks"

-The A.V. Club

2010-03-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

FREE IN STORE @ RECORD COLLECTOR

2010-03-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of in store performances I'll be giving in select indie record stores in the midwest

you remember indie record stores, right?

plastic dividers, stacks of flyers, compact discs, vinyl ....know it all staff....ahhhh

anyways, I'll be performing some tracks from the new album now available for tangible purchase
at Record Collector

In Store Show
Sat. March 27
5pm
116 South Linn Street
Iowa City, IA 52240-1802
FREE
(cds are $10 though)

:)

SPRING DONE SHOWED UP!!!

2010-03-15T07:38:00.001-07:00

Back to the Land of Lincoln

2010-02-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

celebrating the March 2 Release of BREAK BEAT POEMS, I will be back through good ole' Illinois.....hope to see you somewhere!

Thu. March 4
University of Illinois Champaign Urbana
8pm Allen Hall

Fri. March 5
Return of the Urban Sandbox
Empathy Lodge - Chicago Il
7:15 Doors
8pm Show

Mon. March 8
Official Break Beat Poems CD Release Party
w/ Kevin Coval, Serengeti and DJ T Bot
Space in Evanston, IL

Fri. March 12
w/ Diagram of truth, Guante + Big Cats & Seemore Perspective
House Cafe Dekalb, IL

Milwaukee - Madison Shows Feb.18-20

2010-02-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

Thu Feb. 18
The Still Waters Spoken Word Show
7:30pm
Brooklyn's Cafe
Milwaukee, WI

Friday Feb. 19
Voltage! Teen Spoken Word Series
featured performer
6 - 8:30
Centennial Hall of Milwaukee Public Library
Milwaukee, WI

Saturday Feb. 20
Urban Spoken Word
featured performer
7-9pm
Genna's
Madison, WI

The Wily Loman Tour

2010-02-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

The New album BREAK BEAT POEMS will be out very soon on SGE records. To celebrate it and my return to the midwest I will be packing my suitcase and performing all over the region between now and may in spaces big and small.

Already I've been to Toledo & Findlay, Ohio (big up OWENS!!!)

this month holds Milwaukee and Madison
next month Champaign Urbana, Dekalb, Evanston.... oh and some place called Chicago

April its national poetry month - look out Minneapolis!

If you're in a city like Cincinnati or Omaha or Davenport or Yipsilanti and you want to hear some of my latest forays into Break Beat Poetics there is still time!

I'm still filling the calender shoot me a line goodwright@gmail.com

Alright then....onward!

Happy Holidays!

2009-11-22T07:17:00.001-08:00

An article on my recent transitions

2009-11-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

An article I wrote for the Minnesota Playlist on how I've been able to keep my creative motor running outside of the hustle and bustle of Chicago

check it out

Radio!

2009-11-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

So I have met some good peoples out here in North America's Bread Basket - The Working Group Theatre - They host a radio show on KRUI called Artists in Action. Every week they showcase members of Iowa city's diverse mix of creatives - I was on the show blabbing away in early Oct. check out my ramblings HERE. (but I warn you - its pretty ramblely - though occasionally amusing) I will be back on Artists in Action once a month to present something new. Check me on Nov. 11th reading.....something. Until next time....

Des Plaines! Des Plaines!

2009-10-10T09:10:00.001-07:00

On Thu. Oct. 29 I will be performing @ Oakton Comm. College in Illinois
Come check it out if you're in the area - its FREE!!!

Iowa Bound!!

2009-07-02T06:11:00.001-07:00

WHAT'S ON THEIR MINDS: A Found Performance

2009-06-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

This month I have had the pleasure to work with 13 young New Mexican artists in residence @ Albuquerque's Working Classroom on a wild theatrical piece. If you live in the 505 try to check it out - its only $5

Saturday, June 27 from 7:00-8:00 p.m at the Outpost Performance Space, 110 Yale SE.
Tickets only $5.00/person.

Come see the next generation of WC actors as they share WHAT'S ON THEIR MINDS.

Call 505-242-9267 for tickets and reservations.

New Album - No Title

2009-05-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

So I been working on a new album with STUGEE RECORDS - Still no title, but its moving along quickly - we plan on dropping in early fall.

Gigs, Gigs, Gigs

2009-04-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Poetry Jam - Thursday April 16th 7pm @ The Santa Fe Lensic
a multi generational celebration of New Mexico's poets

Break Beat Poetica - Fri. 24th & Sat. 25 7pm @ The Q Staff Theater
two nights of my best stuff as a solo performer featuring special guests

The Wilmette Theatre presents TEACHER TALES - Sunday, May 3rd @ 6:00pm
Dr. Robert Boone and friends provide a look at the motivational moments that define teaching for some of Chicago's finest educators.

An Evening w/ Michael Datcher - Sat. May 9 7:30pm @ The Outpost Space
sharing the stage the LA Times journalist and memorist

POETRY JAM @ SANTA FE'S THE LENSIC

2009-03-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

AMERICAN ETHNIC

2009-02-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

I am headed back to chicago this winter/spring to be a part of
AMERICAN ETHNIC - a spoken word ensemble piece with Kelly Tsai and Usman Ally

CLICK HERE for more dates and more info

It's a new dawn, it's a new day...

2009-01-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

Well, we're moving on....

couple pieces of good news to start the year. two of my poems will be published in
Rattle Magazine and Blood Lotus online literary journal respectively. I will keep you posted
on the when and whatnot.

Thursday Jan.22 I am a featured performer for the OPEN MIC ACADEMY @ University of Chicago alongside poetry badass Roger Bonair Agard

Friday and Saturday Jan. 23 & 24 @ 7pm - I will be performing "BULLET BITES MAN: the working draft" in Chicago's Rhinoceros Theater festival where I got my start alongside the Hermit Arts Collective back in 2001.

Bullet Bites Man is a cross disciplinary solo performance that explores and explodes mass media's role in the creation of black male stereotypes in the United States. Rooted in spoken word and hip hop poetic, this 60 minute theatrical mash up of language, sound and video expands upon Allen Ginsberg’s notion that “Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.”

on Sunday Jan. 25 - will be a featured performer during the Winter Block Party for Chicago Hip Hop Arts

ALSO
later in the spring with Remy Bummpo Theater Comapny I will be joining spoken word peformers Usman Ally and Kelli Tsai in an ensemble production called American Ethnic

Stay tuned

good luck to you all!

Holidays

2008-11-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

Well its gettin chilly out here but the sun is still out in full force like bo legged lou.
after some great travels this fall to Minneapolis, University of illinois, Washington Jefferson College in PA, the wedding of one of my closest buddies in OH, I am keeping it local for the holiday season. Getting my egg nog on and developing a recipe for green chile fried chicken.

This month and next I will be spreading the good word of poetry to Middle and High-schools around Santa fe. Coaching and working with the poetry club @ Capital High School.

I'll be doing a reading at 516arts in Albuquerque on Sat. Nov 15th @ 7pm, hosting a teen poetry slam at Hands Across Cutlures in Espanola on Fri. Nov 21st and also spitting hot fire at a literary performance event called Word Virus taking place at the Santa Fe Complex on Sun. Nov 23rd

but generally, i'm chillin, writing, cooking, planning a wedding and hoping for the best

peace

OCTOBER

2008-10-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Bullet Bites Man continues on....

High Mayhem Presents, Saturday, October 18 at 9pm
France's El Mapi (Electro Pop) and Idris Goodwin (Chicago, Santa Fe)
$5-10 suggested donation
This is an all ages show.
College of Santa Fe, O'Shaunessy Space

Oct. 19-24
University of Illinois: Champaign
Guest Artist In Residence
LINK for more info

BULLET BITES MAN

2008-08-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

Currently I am developing BULLET BITES MAN, a solo performance merging spoken word, hip hop and theatrical aesthetics to satirize and critique the origin, and use of the varied stereotypes of black men within the Western lexicon. As a response to the recent question of Barak Obama’s legitimate “blackness” I am exploring the relationship between mass media and "the other."

One of my goals is to expand the currently limited confines of the spoken word or hip hop performer, even the playwright. I have always searched for unison among all the mediums I work in, from writing to digital videography to sound art. This show is the beginning of a personal journey towards the inspired culmination of these influences.

I will performing excerpts of BULLET BITES MAN:

Sept. 12th & 13th
Non English Speaking Spoken Here: The Late Nite Series
9pm@
Pilsbury House Theatre
Minneapolis, MN

Sunday Sept. 21st
9pm @
High Mayhem Emerging Arts Festival
Warehouse 21
Santa Fe, NM

Fridays Sept. 26/Oct. 3
CCA Santa Fe Hip Hop Lecture & Presentation
6:30 - 8:30pm
Center for Contemporary Arts
Santa Fe, Nm