Taalam Acey facts for kids

Taalam Acey (born September 16, 1970) is an American spoken-word artist. He began practicing this type of art in 1997 after attending a poetry reading at a friend's invitation. At that time, Acey was a full-time lecturer in senior-level accounting at Rutgers University and a principal partner in a small business consulting firm. In 1999, he left Rutgers to become a full-time performance poet.

Early years

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Acey's parents were field soldiers in Amiri Baraka's Community for a Unified Newark (CUAN), which notably helped Kenneth Gibson become the first Black mayor of Newark. Acey received his elementary education at Chad School in Newark, and his father organized a private school.

Career

Early in his poetry career, Acey was chosen to open for activist Dick Gregory during a live PBS broadcast from the University of Texas at Austin. Later, he was one of four poets selected by Essence magazine to perform at the 2001 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. He was also one of five poets featured in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center's 'Theater of the Spoken Word.' Acey has also lectured on performance poetry at the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Urban Education.'

His work has been featured in several publications, including Essence, Philadelphia Weekly (December 2005) and the New Jersey Star Ledger (July 2001). Marc Smith, the founder of slam poetry, used examples of Acey's poetry in Smith's book: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry. Acey was a member of the 1999 New York City slam team representing the Nuyorican Cafe. He was the 2000 Grand Slam Champion of London's Paddington International Poetry Festival. He was also the 2000–2001 New Jersey Slam master and the District of Columbia's Black Words Grand Slam Champion. His first spoken-word video, "When the Smoke Clearz", was shown in film festivals in Los Angeles, New York, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam. The video was one of only 22 films nominated for a 2002 Sundance Film Festival Online Award.

Published works

Literary

• Eyes Free: The Memoir, Word Supremacy Press, 2003
• What You Deserve, a novel, Word Supremacy Press, 2006
• Troubled Soul Refinery, poetry compilation, Word Supremacy Press, 2007
• Excellent Exposure, essays and poems, Word Supremacy Press, 2009

Recorded performances/CD

• Morally Bankrupt One: The Wickedest Man in Babylon (1999)
• Morally Bankrupt Two: Pain Remover (2000)
• Morally Bankrupt Final: Mood Demystify (2000)
• Code Blues (2001)
• Blues Resurgence (2002)
• Belief System (2003)
• Pieces of Change Disc 1 (2005)
• Pieces of Change Disc 2 (2005)
• Underground Heavy (2006)
• The Market 4 Change (2007)
• Self Construct (2007)
• California Suite (2008)
• The Market 4 Change, Volume 2 (2009)