Jovan Mays exemplifies the true spirit of community that is the basis of the poetry slam.

Since 2010 he has been a competing member for the Denver Slam Nuba National Team. In just his 2nd year he was crowned a National Poetry Slam Champion in Boston, Massachusetts. He has achieved notable success as a slam competitor not only locally but also throughout the country; but it is his commitment to community and education in both urban and rural communities that distinguish him as an organizer and artist. Host of the successful Sigma Tau Delta Open Mic Series that took place on The Chadron State Campus, during his time attending college there he also facilitated the highly popular "Write Track" workshop series and produced the variety show "Release" which introduced the art form of Performance Poetry to a whole new generation of young folks in rural Nebraska. All while playing Football, Wrestling and working toward his degree to become a History Teacher and Coach. He now resides in Denver, CO. where he continues to workshop and educate people of all ages about this great art. His poetry program Your Writing Counts has reached upwards of 300 schools in just two years. Mays also serves as the SlamMaster for Slam Nuba and their Open Mic/ Slam night, which is sponsored by the Denver Film Society. This event occurs on the 1st and last Monday of the month at the Crossroads Theatre in the Historic 5 Points District. His 3rd book entitled "The tale of 3 monarchs is anticipated to be released at the top off the new year.

Quotes
Jovan is a master craftsman of words. Syllable by syllable he strings together the voices of the human spirit in words as brilliant and perfectly chosen as would a jeweler creating a priceless strand of pearls. -M. Timothy Nolting, Cowboy Poet and Columnist

Last year, Jovan visited my high school English classroom and managed to charm and cajole the students into thinking creatively and writing enthusiastically. He is a natural teacher and his mastery of the spoken word equals his heart in helping others find their truths. -Deb Carpenter-Nolting, Gering High School in Gering, Nebraska

Few contemporary writers can capture the African American experience from bare bones to triumph, Jovan Mays does so with a Djembe in his heart. His voice fills a room like a call to prayer. His passion lifts the spirit when his biceps can carry us no further. He is the answer in the night we so desperately wait for and will lead us home if we are willing to listen. -Panama Soweto, National Poetry Slam Champion.

"There are few young poets that contain such honest passion, and this becomes immediately clear when listening to his lean, taught and earnest prose, it is an extension of his character as a human being and artist. His poems stop bar fights." - Ken Arkind, National Poetry Slam Champion.

Jovan Mays is a frontrunner in the movement that will define the next generation of performance poets. A gifted writer with undeniable stage presence and tenacity, Jovan is sure to capture audiences through sheer willpower and passion, not to mention thought provoking and incredible work! - Ayinde Russell, International World Poetry Slam Finalist

Jovan Mays is a dynamic and powerful performer. He never forgets that heart is at the heart of poetry, and that comes through loud and clear every time he graces a mic. He is a rising star in the world of Spoken Word. Jen Rinaldi, National Poetry Slam Champion.

Resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jogwEukHnYk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48i3bQ1QcMY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lobOfzjqA9A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ZqmOGzXtQ

Contact Information
720-352-6987 Mayspride99@hotmail.com 17036 E. Ithaca Cir. Aurora, CO 80013

Places Performed/ References

Salt Lake City Poetry Slam Contact: Jesse Parent Jesse.parent@gmail.com Amarillo Poetry Slam Contact: Jenna Hodges jenna.hodges.18@facebook.com New Mexico Poetry Slam Contact: Damien Flores damien.flores.731@facebook.com

Austin Poetry Slam Contact: Danny Strack danntstrack@gmail.com

Richmond Poetry Slam Contact: John S. Blake John@johnsblake.com

Toronto Poetry Slam Contact: David Silverberg http://facebook.com/DavidSilverberg

Omaha Poetry Slam Contact: Matt Mason mtmason@gmail.com

Red Dirt Poetry Slam Contact: Rob Sturma http://facebook.com/ratpackslim

Sol Collective (Sacramento, California) Contact: Andru Bell sol@solcollective.org:

Bosie Poetry Slam Contact: Cheryl Maddalena

Mic Check Poetry (Bryan, Texas) Contact: Bill Moran

Las Vegas Poetry Slam Contact: AJ Moyer albert.moyer@facebook.com

cheryl_maddalena@yahoo.com 8371996@facebook.com:

Slam Accolades
2009 Great Plains Poetry Pile-Up Finalist (5th place)

2010 Utah Arts Festival Individual Slam Champion 2010 Utah Arts Festival Team Champion (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2010 National Poetry Slam Semifinalist (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam Participant (Denver, SlamNUBA!)

2011 Southwest Shoot Out Team Champion (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2011 Utah Arts Festival Team Champion (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2011 Denver 40 oz. Slam Champion (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2011 National Poetry Slam Champion (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2011 Great Plains Poetry Pile-Up Participant

2012 Denver City Slam Champion 2012 Ontario International Poetry Slam Participant (Finals Stage Sacrificial Poet) 2012 Southwest Shoot Out Team Champion (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2012 Denver 40 oz. Finalist (3 rd place - Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2012 National Poetry Slam Semifinalist (Denver, SlamNUBA!)

2013 Denver City Slam Champion 2013 Southwest Shoot Out Team Finalist (3 rd place - Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2013 Utah Festival Team Champion (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2013 Denver 40 oz. Slam Champion (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2013 National Poetry Slam Semifinalist (Denver, SlamNUBA!) 2013 Great Plains Poetry Pile-Up Finalist (6th place)

Poetry Work In Colorado

Cherry Creek School District

Elementary Schools Antelope Ridge, Arrowhead, Belleview , Black Forest Hills, Buffalo Trail, Canyon Creek ,Challenge K-5,Cherry Hills Village , Cimarron, Cottonwood Creek, Coyote Hills, Dakota Valley ,Dry Creek , Eastridge Community ,Fox Hollow, Highline Community ,High Plains, Holly Hills, Homestead, Independence, Indian Ridge, Meadow Point , Peakview, Pine Ridge, Polton, Sagebrush, Summit, Sunrise, Timberline, Trails West, Village East , & Walnut Hills Middle Schools West, Campus, Falcon Creek, Fox Ridge, Horizon Community, Prairie, Sky Vista & Thunder Ridge High Schools Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland & Smoky Hill

Littleton Public Schools

Lewis Ames & Highland Elementary school, Euclid Middle School, Arapahoe, Heritage, & Littleton High Schools, Pathways & Options Academy Alternative Programs

Jefferson County Public Schools

Jefferson County Open School, Hackberry Hill Elementary School, Vanderhoof Elementary School, Thomson Elementary School

Boulder Valley School District

Casey Middle School, Centennial Middle School, Horizons K-8 Alternative Charter School, Boulder High School, Broomfield High School, Centaurus High School, Fairview High School, Monarch High School, New Vista High School, & Peak to Peak Charter School

Douglas County School District

Cimarron Middle School, Option school,& DC Student Support Center

Aurora Public Schools

Montview Elementary School, Mrachek Middle School, North Middle School Health Sciences and Technology Campus, Vista Peak Exploratory K-8, and Aurora Central High School

Denver Public Schools

Montclair School of Academics & Enrichment, Martin Luther King Jr. MS, Hamilton MS, Bruce Randolph High School, Denver Center For International Studies HS, East HS, High Tech Early College, Manual HS, Martin Luther King Jr. Early College HS, Montbello HS, South HS, Thomas Jefferson HS,ACE Community Challenge School, Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS),Justice High, Odyssey Charter, Wyatt-Edison Charter, McAuliffe International School MS, West Denver Prep GVR, & West Denver Prep - Montbello

Others
Westminster High School, Monaco ELE, Hanson ELE, Adams City HS, Lester Arnold HS, Englewood HS, Sheridan HS, Bromely East Charter School, Land Mark Academy, Durango High School

College
Ft. Lewis University, Colorado State University Pueblo, Colorado University, Colorado State University Ft. Collins, Denver University, Colorado University Denver, Metropolitan State University, Front Range Community College, & Pueblo Community College

Camps
Denver Metropolitan YMCA, Jewish community Center, Denver Writing Project Adult and Youth Institutes, Colorado Writing Project Youth institute, Boulder Valley Your Story Camp, African Caribbean Heritage Camps, The Boys and Girls Club of the Nebraska Pan Handle

Conferences/ Speaking with teachers

Student Achievement Resource Center in Cherry Creek, 3X Colorado Language arts Society

Special Groups
Arts from Ashes, Poetry Slam Incorporated, Chadron State College, Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan, The Rebels Project, Minor Disturbance, Louder Than A Bomb, DC Young Writers

Articles/ Write Ups

http://torontopoetryslam.com/news/2011-11-19/qa-novembers-feature-jovanmays-denver http://www.londonpoetryslam.ca/2011/11/november-18-2011/ http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20120423/COLUMNISTS04/704239946 https://www.dcsdk12.org/Article/index.htm?Content_ID=DCS906171 http://yourhub.denverpost.com/arvada/jeffco-young-writers-summer-campintroduces-students-poetry/2Kw80RgwKBB23Pe9m23q3J-ugc http://mackematics.blogspot.com/2013/03/awarding-winning-poet-visits-mrs.html http://csceagle.com/2010/03/18/program-aids-community-with-getting-on%E2%80%98the-write-track%E2%80%99/ http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/centennial/life/poetry-slam-winnerscrowned/article_9a9b815b-eb5b-572d-97c4-3cdcb5bcdb2c.html http://www.pinebluffspost.com/story/2013/03/14/news/slammed-by-aprofessional-poet/688.html http://freesolarts.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/javon-mays-interview-with-atraveling-poet/ http://www.cvfarmerandminer.com/content/bromley-east-students-introducedslam-poetry

Writing Sample

Nanas Cages She wasn't the Bengay and Matlock type. Nor was she an expert on house hold chore techniques or chocolate chip cookie recipes. She didnt have an OVERSIZED grumpy cat or an undersized chirpy dog. But there were parakeets within her heart that kept her company when loneliness set in. Her friends called her Mari-lee But we called her Nana She grew up in Pendergrast. Somewhere in North-central Georgia, So just DEEP enough in the South that one could actually see the surface. As a child she would love to observe the flight patterns of turkey vultures. She loved the way that their feathers frayed through the Southern sky. Because where she was from, they were the only things breaking the Color Line. Experts say that these buzzards share the same soaring shadows as bald eagles. So, sitting there feeling like a carcass, Simultaneously, she found freedom. So her mother put her and her sister on the 1 st feather that they could up North. Because they heard that up there Jim doesn't clip his Crow's wings. So her mother became the first Nubian in Queens to own her own palace. This was back when there was enough BIG APPLE to go around the table.

In 1995, on a family vacation, I visited this house for the first time. Upon anticipation of patio rocking chairs, bear claw bath tubs and cypress floors I was greeted with a hoarders paradise. Priceless papers were piled to the ceiling. The only place to sit was on the back patio. And there, surrounding all of us

Were stacks upon stacks of bird cages. Hundreds of them, NO BIRDS. Just wrought iron bridged by welding joints in Victorian fashion. All these devices of entrapment were constructed in such beauty I didnt know what to think. Last week, I was in a thrift store and I came across a vintage bird cage. I stood their staring and wondering why there was so much beauty here.

& that took me back to my Nana and how she must of felt losing her Son, Husband & The Civil Rights Movement at the same time. & I began to think What better way to defend someones freedom than to collect the things that bind us? By leaving just one less cage in the world & ensuring another scene of formless flight. So I started to wonder, How many people did this woman set free?

Was this why my father, With a 1 way Greyhound ticket in hand & sunglasses on the back of his neck preventing him from pausing in the past could head to the Mile High so he didn't have to feel that low again Was she the miracle that made my mother follow him to the mountains? Did she lift my grandfather out of Cancers misery? Does she hold the keys to my throat? Did she stitch my cousins into the Blue Angel Air Force Falcons that they became? Could you feel like you won the Civil Rights Movement in your own back yard? When your time comes, how many people will you have selfless-lee unshackled? How many doors did you leave open? How many bars did you bend or file through Did you make sure that the perches around you went unoccupied?

Did you tend to their feathers? Did you feed them enough wisdom before their take off?

When the caged bird sings Did its hymns rattle the locks or did you just swallow their tunes? When the doves cried Did you give any weight to their tears? & when the rooster crows Did you empower it to fly?

Nana, When we sat around your coffin, I think we knew that your soul was soaring above us. Your feathers, they must have been fraying the sky Everyone in attendance was just a cage That you collected.