Some of northeast Ohio’s best and brightest poets and spoken word artists will soon be taking the stage at The Rialto Theatre’s new space, The Living Room, at 7:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month. Each event will include a featured poet/spoken word artist as well as an open mic for those wanting to share their own poetry.

Angry Cow Poetry in The Rialto Living Room will kick off with its very first event on June 1st with featured poet, Danielle Nicole Nikki Dixon.

Tina Boyes is the executive director of Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, the community development corporation working to revitalize the area around The Rialto Theatre, which is becoming known as ‘Akron’s Music Row.’ She called Kenmore Boulevard a place “where creative people of all genres can find a stage.”

“Spoken word and poetry go hand in hand with live music, and we’re excited to welcome such talented artists and their fans to Kenmore Boulevard,” Boyes said.

In addition to bringing visitors to Kenmore, Angry Cow Poetry founder Keith Allison hopes to engage local businesses. “We believe in elevating voices and highlighting those who support local artists,” Allison said. “For an investment of only $100 a patron or business can be our sponsor of the month, promoting their work in the community while supporting local artists and events.”

Here’s a look at the first two events:

June 1, 2022 | 7:00 p.m.

June feature, Danielle Nicole Nikki Dixon, initially turned to writing as therapy and now uses her poetry to document culture and, as the last of her family branch, to pay homage to her lineage. She is the author of Sagittariusly Blunt, has won the Music 2 Poetry Slam and The Activist Vince Robinson’s Slam, and took third place at the Cincinnati Poetry Slam in 2019. Danielle was a 2020 Baldwin House resident with Twelve Literary Arts and was recently Akron Soul Train’s artist resident.

July 6, 2022 | 7:00 p.m.

July will host two features, Steve Brightman and Theresa Göttl Brightman.

Steve lives in Akron with his wife and their parrot. During the vast wilderness that is the Covid era, he published a full length collection of poems titled, “The Circus of His Bones.” His first full length collection, “The Wild Gospel of Careening And Other Sermons From The Rumble Strip” was released in the before days of 2015. His most recent chapbooks are “Leaving the Flatlands to the Amateurs,” “History, Too, Is A Simple Machine,” and “13 Ways of Looking At Lou Reed.”

Theresa Göttl Brightman’s poems have appeared in many online and print publications, two chapbooks, and one full-length collection. She has received awards from the University of Akron, the City of Ventura, among others, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Rhysling Award, and Best of the Net awards. She lives in Akron, with her husband and the green bird who owns them both.

For more information about Angry Cow Poetry visit angrycowpoetry.com. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Keith Allison at angrycowpoetry@gmail.com.