Spoken & Heard: Ed Koch

By Niki Esko

Two Sundays ago was my last night in Austin. During my stay, my friend Mike had taken me to three poetry events around the area so that I could be around poets as well as read my own pieces. I don't think I should mention the names of the events because I don't want people to judge them right away.

The first event was at dandy-fine and filled with interesting low-energy people. We attempted the event @ The Red Scoot Inn but the cliques were ever-present and full of themselves. Another event was satisfactory @ Sticky Fingers which was equipped with an acoustic outdoor stage and cheap lighting; it was a night filled with really different kinds of poetic energy.

The other event which wasn't so hot was the... oh wait, I shouldn't mention the name. No, screw it, Ruta Maya Poetry Open Mic every Tuesday. The purported 'uncensored' open mic was completely censored. The words "You can't use that kind of language" actually crawled out of the co-host's mouth; he then proceeded to kick the poet off the stage. Ruta Maya is actually a great space for art, poetry, social awareness, organizing, and community (fair trade organic coffee anyone?) BUT the event planners need to seriously reconsider their co-host Marty-- oops! Did I say his name? Oh well.

Thank goodness for Sunday's open mic @ Kick Butt Coffee.

At first, I just wanted to read my poetry one last time before I headed back out to the Yay Area and didn't care if a host was wack or if the audience was rude. Early into the evening I met many young poets that I wanted to interview. Womyn represented strong, men supported each other; family was in the air. A particular poet that stood out is a dude named Ed Koch, a young Bo-ri-cua from New York residing in Austin.

Ed performed two clever poems with style & grace: BATSLAM and NERDLOVE. Can you imagine? Maybe, maybe not because Ed intricately wove the complex with the light. BATSLAM took direct quotes from the movie Dark Knight (which, I believe, he saw a billion times) and added fresh point-of-view. Here is one of my favorite stanzas from this poem:

If you only get to see Ed read a couple poems, make sure one of them is NERDLOVE. This poem makes me wanna go Wii in my pants because I am a nerd myself. Here are some lines:


Ed Koch was the featured poet @ Kick Butt Coffee this past Sunday. I heard he made poetic love to that mic! Be sure to check him out sometime and give him all your listening energy.


Ed shares a few words with us (if you're a writer or performer of any kind, I encourage you to read every word!):

Tell us a little about your background.

I’m 29, born and raised in the South Bronx. I’m Puerto-Rican. My criminal record is clean, hahahahaha. I was a child performer when I was a toddler and spent most of my childhood as a professional actor (1984-1992). I graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor’s degree and my Major was Urban Studies. At Vassar, I took enough courses to qualify for a Theater Minor (though they didn’t allow it) and I also ran a theater group. I moved to Austin in June of 2007 after working in public television for 7 years to live with my then girlfriend (things didn’t quite work out). I wanted to take a big risk in life, move to a new city and things seemed right. I love so much about Austin, it’s hard to see myself leaving this town.

What competitions have you been a part of/involved in?

I used to do talent shows as a kid. I did Showtime at the Apollo once, performing as a Prince look alike, doing lip sync for “Let’s Go Crazy”. I came in third place. I was on my high school’s speech and debate team, and made it to the State Championships twice in Duo Performance. I started slamming downtown at the Austin Poetry Slam and I was a finalist to make the Austin South Flavaz National Slam team this year.

Who is your all-time favorite poet? Musician?

I’ll throw Pablo Neruda and Miles Davis into the mix, simply because I’ve turned to them so many times this past year for inspiration. If I had a choice whose poetry I could listen to every night… it would have to be either Da’Shade Moonbeam or LaLove Robinson, who are both Austin slam legends. I’m forever incited and excited by their words. And there are too many musical genres to point to, but I’ve been listening to a lot of R&B lately… mostly Blackstreet and Aaliyah.

How did you get into writing and performing? How'd you meet the Spoken & Heard peoples?

When I was little, I used to perform with a group of girls and we would impersonate Menudo. My grandmother hand-sewed replicas of their costumes and my mother taught all of us their dance moves. We’d perform at local hospitals during the holidays and compete in talent shows. My mother tells a story where I was watching one of the local morning shows and told her that I wanted to get into professional acting.

Ten years ago, I was writing rhymes and working on an original play. Now I’m a featured poet at a local Austin open mic. Slam poetry has allowed me to get back to both performing and writing. I met Element615 through one of my good friends, Da’Shade Moonbeam. I’ve been a regular at Spoken & Heard ever since Element615 started the event.

What do you love to write about? Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in my life experiences- sometimes I can be very autobiographical with my work. I also find inspiration in the people in my life: family, friends… the people who are closest to me. Sometimes I’ll have phases where I’m writing about spirituality and military strategy. It’s weird, but I run with what comes to me.

Tell me a little about the humor behind the two poems you read on Sunday. How do your personal interests affect your writing subjects? Oh, and do you really consider yourself a dork?

I think I was born a nerd and raised a dork.

The humor behind the Dark Knight poem is very basic in its pathos- I’m obsessed with Batman. I’m probably gonna write at least one more poem about Batman, because there’s so many angles to take with a comic superhero.

I actually started to write “NerdLove” while waiting at the drive-thru of my local Whataburger. I was thinking about how cool it would be to date a woman who liked cartoons. Then I started freestyling about being Shazam in bed, and then it trailed off into me turning back to normal if she said my name.

Explain, with the best of your ability, how you feel when you're performing.

Sometimes I forget the audience is there. I’ll try to sink into the words I’m reciting and focus on their imagery or my gestures. Other times, I find myself engaged with every person in the crowd. I’ll feed off reaction and improvise. I think I’m at best when I’m loose, I feel like I’ve rehearsed the material enough times, and I’m focused on breathing.

Performing gives me a big rush. There are so many parts to performing- they all add up and give me a sense of feeling both connected and detached. The icing on the cake is the feeling I evoke in people.

Where can people find you & your words regularly? Do you have a CD or book? Are you in the process of putting any together?

Right now, the only place you’ll find my poetry is at Spoken & Heard or wherever I slam locally. I’m planning on putting all of my work in one place soon, but as far as CDs and books and concerned, my second year in Austin is going to be very exciting. The quickest way to find me now is on the web (myspace. com/twoblocks).

What advice would you give to those who want to write but are hesitant about sharing or performing?

Go to a local poetry event. Meet people. Find someone or something inspiring and write about it. The key is not taking yourself too seriously. Once you find the right place and the right time, do it for YOU. No one else.
The key is to be comfortable with yourself and to build community with other artists, poets, and people.


Check out the event (address noted on the flier), the websites (noted on the flier), and say "Hi" to Ed @ Spoken & Heard's next open mic!!

More photos will be added by the end of this week!