Founder: Mike Geffner

Inspired Word founder/producer Mike Geffner is a longtime New York City journalist who has published thousands of stories in countless major publications, including USA Today, Details Magazine, The Sporting News, Cigar Aficionado, Texas Monthly, and The Village Voice (where he was a marquee columnist for 12 years). He’s interviewed everyone from former President Nixon to Kareem Abdul Jabbar to Forest Whitaker to Derek Jeter, and his work has been acknowledged seven times by the annual anthology The Best American Sports Writing. He was named Best Sportswriter in New York City by New York Press in 1990 and awarded 1st Place for Profile Writing by The Society of Professional Journalists (NJ) in 2000. He’s also the founder of the popular online writing discussion forum Mike’s Writing Workshop, picked by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers, and the Facebook group Writers Helping Writers. You can follow him @ https://twitter.com/MikeGeffner.

Assistant Director: Marvin Mendlinger

Inspired Word Assistant Director Marvin Mendlinger is unquestionably a renaissance man, having done everything from working on Wall Street to being a ranch foreman to owning a hair salon. He was a senior research analyst, certified internal auditor, and stock broker for the prestigious Goldman Sachs, held a variety of positions at Drexel Burnham Lambert, and was a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors. He was also, at various points, a salesman for B. Altman, a fashion designer, and a part-time sound engineer at the Music Palace. He loves 70’s funk, pocket billiards, and football, and he has lived most of his life in Manhattan’s East Village.

Host: Nathan P.

Nathan P., host of The Inspired Word’s Open Mic Joint and a legendary figure on the New York City spoken word poetry scene, is a picture of style, grace and cool. He is known for his eye-catching suits, cufflinks, pocket-squares and fedoras, and with a voice that resonates a luscious bass the sound of his words are as captivating as the words themselves. His engaging talent and stage presence enabled him to become a Nuyorican Grand Slam Finalist in his very first year on the circuit in 2000 and he ultimately became a host at the Nuyorican Poets Café for seven years. He has also been in two off-Broadway productions (“Be Beautiful” and “An Evolution in Reinvention”), produced two books of poetry (“Madness” and “The Colors of My Mind”), and appeared on numerous CD’s (most notably his solo project “Chalklines on Black Asphalt”).

Host: Gemineye

Christopher Andrew Kuretich AKA Gemineye, who hosts The Inspired Word’s showcase night, is one of the most prolific and inspiring spoken word poets in the world. His poetry has reached audiences around the globe, including the US, Canada, Turks & Caicos, England, South Africa, and Switzerland. He appeared on three seasons of the popular television series, “HBO presents Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry” and was one of its most memorable stars. Gemineye’s performances are filled with powerful poetic pieces, bringing energy and imagination to every audience and stimulating thought and dialogue from his educational and motivating content. You can follow him @ https://twitter.com/gemineye611.

Host/Special Projects Curator: Aimee Herman

Inspired Word host and special projects curator Aimee Herman is a queer performative poet who has been featured at various New York venues such as the Happy Ending Lounge, Dixon Place, Wow Café Theatre, Public Assembly, and Sidewalk Café. She has performed at reading/performance series such as: In the Flesh erotic salon, Hyper Gender, Sideshow: Queer Literary Carnival, and Red Umbrella Diaries. Her poetry can be found in Clean Sheets, Cliterature Journal, Pregnant Moon Review, InStereo Press, and/or journal, and Polari Journal. She can also be read in Focus on the Fabulous: Colorado GLBT Voices, hell strung and crooked (Uphook Press), Best Women’s Erotica 2010 (Cleis Press), Best Lesbian Love Stories 2010 (Alyson Books), Nice Girls, Naughty Sex (Seal), and the upcoming Women in Lust (Cleis). She currently works as an erotica editor for Oysters & Chocolate. She can be found writing poems on her body in Brooklyn. Find her website @ http://aimeeherman.wordpress.com/. She hosts and curates The Inspired Word’s Titillating Tongues erotica events and the Queer Apple GLBT events.

Hostess/Creative Assistant: Christina Mendez

Inspired Word hostess/creative assistant Christina Mendez is a self-taught artist born and residing in the Bronx, New York. She began teaching herself to paint as a small child after visiting a friend who was doing the same. She studied – and became captivated by – the Surrealist Art Movement and adopted a method of unplanned painting, letting the pieces come naturally. She also began creating hand-made journals out of recycled paper, with unique hand-painted designs in acrylic paint as covers. In early 2011, she was accepted to the School of Visual Arts’ Study abroad program in Barcelona, Spain, where she focused on portraiture working from photographs. She enjoys sharing her great passion for art and art being accessible to all and in following your dreams without limitations. She’s had art showings at the JujoMukti Tea Lounge, Sapphire Lounge, The Alchemist Lounge, and Word Up Bookstore in New York City. She continues to be a devoted and ever evolving visual artist. Her Facebook art page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/ArtByChristina.

Photographer: Jay Franco

Inspired Word staff photographer Jay Franco creates some of the most memorable images you’ll ever see. A music producer/engineer-turned-photographer from Washington Heights, Franco has a special knack for producing stark and alluring black-and-white photographs that seem straight out of the pages of the old Life magazine. He began his photography career by taking aim at the gritty streets of the city with a simple point-and-shoot camera. He has since been honored to have his work on exhibition – NYC Over & Under – at Manhattan’s Rio Gallery in the summer of 2011. For more info on Jay’s photography, check out http://www.venti20vision.com/.