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Mike McGee November 18, 2005

Michael Matthew McGee, more commonly known as Mighty Mike McGee, (born January 12, 1976) is an American slam poet. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 980 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Mighty Mike McGee Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 980 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Mighty Mike McGee Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Slam poetry is a form of performance poetry that occurs within a competitive poetry event, called a slam, at which poets perform their own poems (or, in rare cases, those of others) that are judged on a numeric scale by randomly picked members of the audience. ...

Born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, McGee is the oldest of 8 children from several marriages. He has spent most of his life in and around San Jose, California where he started his career in spoken word, poetry slam and performance poetry in 1998. He is a contemporary of Jack McCarthy and Buddy Wakefield. Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee and is home to the 101st Airborne Division. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... For other uses, see San José. Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Spoken word is a form of music or artistic performance in which lyrics, poetry, or stories are spoken rather than sung. ... Nuyorican Poets Cafe, New York City A poetry slam is a competition at which poets read or recite original work (or, more rarely, that of others). ... Performance poetry is poetry that is specifically composed for or during performance before an audience. ... Jack McCarthy (born May 23, 1939 in Massachusetts) is an American writer and slam poet living in the state of Washington, who began writing in the 1960s, however, did not begin performing his works for audiences until the 1990s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The nickname "Mighty" inadvertently came from McGee himself. In 1997, McGee became interested in the internet, however, he was unable to acquire a simple email address without numbers in it, so mightymikemcgee was the only username acceptable to him. A fellow slam poet agreed to use it publicly until it caught on with friends and audiences. It has become a standard introduction for him by hosts and emcees prior to most performances.

Biography

McGee was born with the neural tube defect spina bifida and was never expected to walk or talk as an infant. However, his case of spina bifida is relatively mild, and McGee has been able to live a relatively normal life. The neural tube is the embryonal structure that gives rise to the brain and spinal cord. ...

In 1999, McGee helped form Bleeding Edge Spoken Word, under the directorship of his then-roommate. Over two and a half years, the two released 33 compilations of contemporary American spoken word. Although the label is now defunct, McGee started his own imprints – 3XMsound and 3XMpress, in 2001 – in order to produce and release his own CDs and chapbooks. Chapbook is a generic term to cover a particular genre of pocket-sized booklet, popular from the sixteenth through to the later part of the nineteenth century. ...

In 2001, after three years of competing at the San José Poetry Slam, McGee earned a spot on the slam team and went to his first National Poetry Slam held that August in Seattle, Washington. He then returned to the National Poetry Slam with the same team in 2003 (where he topped the Individual category) and 2004. City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... This article deals with the U.S. state. ...

In 2003, McGee co-founded the Vancouver, B.C.-based "talk-rock" trio Tons of Fun University with Shane Koyczan and C. R. Avery. Their debut was before a crowd of 15,000 at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, July 2004. The trio has since toured extensively throughout Canada, performing primarily in music festivals. For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... Tons of Fun University is a musical, spoken word trio based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which formed in 2003. ... Shane . ... The Vancouver Folk Music Festival takes place in the third weekend of July. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: July 2004 in sports Deaths in July • 31 David B. Haight • 29 Francis Crick • 29 Nafisa Joseph • 23 Joe Cahill • 23 Mehmood • 23 Illinois Jacquet • 23 Carlos Paredes • 22 Sacha Distel • 21 Jerry Goldsmith • 21... A music festival is a festival that presents a number of musical performances usually tied together through a theme or genre. ...

In 2005, McGee performed a revised version of his popular poem "Like" on a fifth season episode of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. For other uses, see HBO (disambiguation). ...

Along with various local and regional poetry slam titles, McGee is the first slam poet to win both the American National Poetry Slam Individual Grand Championship, in 2003, and the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship, in 2006.

Poetry slam titles

• Individual World Poetry Slam Champion, 2006
• International World Poetry Slamionship, 2006 (2nd)
• National Poetry Slam Individual Grand Champion, 2003
• San Jose Poetry Slam Grand Champion, 2003 and 2004
• San Francisco Poetry Slam Grand Champion, 2003

Discography

The Them They're Talking About (Tons of Fun University EP), 2005, Mother Press Media
Happy Is The New Sad (guest on track 6, Delta Activity's album), 2005
New High Score: Best of Urbana Compilation, 2005, The Wordsmith Press
Live In Denver, 2004, 3XMsound
For Mayor (Best of), 2003, 3XMsound
Miscellaneous, 2003, 3XMsound
Is Beautiful, 2001, 3XMsound (discontinued)
Mighty, 2000, Bleeding Edge Spoken Word/3XMsound (discontinued)

Filmography

• Ill List Volume 1, 2004, Word Groove, Inc.
• 2003 National Poetry Slam, 2004, Word Groove, Inc.
• Russell Simmons' Present Def Poetry Jam (Season 5, Episode 34)

References

• Gotpoetry.com article
• Cloudy Day Art: Saturday, March 18th, 2006 at 2:22 pm - Mighty Mike McGee video
• Feedburner: Mike McGee's Podcast
• San Jose Museum of Art - ArtCar Fest 2003, September 27, 2003 including performance by Mighty Mike McGee - "San Jose's own National Poetry Slam Champion".

External links

• MikeMcGee.net
• Mike McGee's Myspace Profile
• Mike McGee's Livejournal
• PoetrySlam.com
• Scene Missing Magazine Interviews Mike McGee