{"id":226763,"date":"2026-04-10T20:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T20:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/226763\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T20:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T20:20:09","slug":"on-the-b-side-poetry-slam-returns-to-historic-overtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/226763\/","title":{"rendered":"On the B Side poetry slam returns to Historic Overtown"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Historic Overtown, poetry won\u2019t be scattered across the city. It will take a more direct form: a microphone, a room, and the willingness to speak.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, April 12, \u201cOn the B Side\u201d returns to Red Rooster with its signature poetry slam, drawing writers from across the region for an evening of live performance. The evening is part of National Poetry Month, but this specific event has been building for more than two decades.<\/p>\n

Founded in 2001 by cultural curator Ingrid \u201cIngrid B\u201d Bazin, \u201cOn the B Side\u201d has become one of South Florida\u2019s longest-running spoken-word platforms, a place where poets return not just to perform, but to connect.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is my passion,\u201d Bazin said. \u201cI thoroughly enjoy doing the events, so it serves me as well as serving the poets and the community. And I just, I don\u2019t stop. I\u2019ve never stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Founded Founded in 2001 by cultural curator Ingrid \u201cIngrid B\u201d Bazin, \u201cOn the B Side\u201d has become one of South Florida\u2019s longest-running spoken-word platforms, according to Bazin. (Photo courtesy of Ingrid Bazin\/On the B Side) <\/p>\n

For Arnetta \u201cTaboo\u201d Bullard, a Miami-born spoken word artist who has been part of the scene for more than 20 years, that consistency is exactly what keeps her coming back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a family setting,\u201d she said. \u201cEverybody is accepted there. It\u2019s a comfortable space. We laugh a lot. It\u2019s just a good time to break away from everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

But once she steps on stage, the tone shifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like going to the altar,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re able to just let everything out. I can bear parts of my soul that I wouldn\u2019t talk about in a regular setting.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of release is central to how \u201cOn the B Side\u201d functions. Unlike more formal readings, the slam format creates a space where emotion, performance and audience response unfold in real time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s freeing,\u201d Taboo said. \u201cYou\u2019re able to go up there and just bare your soul. It\u2019s therapeutic. Poetry literally saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

She began writing at 12, after a close friend was murdered, a moment that shaped not only her voice, but her understanding of what poetry could do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWriting was how I got through it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt became my way of expressing myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Poet Poet Pianir performs at \u201cOn the B Side,\u201d where artists across generations share the stage under a simple principle: respect the mic.\u201dOn the B Side\u201d returns to Red Rooster on Sunday, April 12 with its signature poetry slam. (Photo courtesy of Ingrid Bazin\/On the B Side) <\/p>\n

Today, her work often explores grief, healing and resilience, themes that resonate deeply with audiences, sometimes in ways she doesn\u2019t fully anticipate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a poem that\u2019s probably the hardest one for me to perform,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about how I would feel if I lost one of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each time she performs it, she still cries.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut people come up to me after and say, \u2018That\u2019s exactly how I feel.\u2019 They thank me for putting it into words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those moments, she said, are what matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you go through things and you feel like you\u2019re alone,\u201d she said. \u201cBut when you hear your words out loud, you realize you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n

For her, that connection can be more than emotional; it can be urgent.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you know that you\u2019re not the only one going through something, maybe you won\u2019t give up,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe you keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

That exchange between vulnerability and recognition is what Bazin has spent more than two decades cultivating.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really is a family affair,\u201d Bazin said. \u201cI\u2019m the auntie on the poetry scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

At \u201cOn the B Side,\u201d that family spans generations, backgrounds and experiences, but shares a common understanding of the space.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a rule,\u201d Taboo said. \u201cRespect the mic.\u201d<\/p>\n

That means no interruptions, no judgment, just listening.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cOn \u201cOn the B Side\u201d returns to Red Rooster on Sunday, April 12 with its signature poetry slam, part of National Poetry Month and a platform built over more than two decades. (Photo courtesy of Ingrid Bazin\/On the B Side) <\/p>\n

Even when the work is uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople might not agree with what you\u2019re saying,\u201d she said. \u201cBut they\u2019re still going to hear you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Held in Historic Overtown, a neighborhood long tied to Miami\u2019s cultural and musical history, the event carries an added sense of continuity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a landmark,\u201d Bazin said. \u201cWhen we\u2019re there, we\u2019re kind of standing on sacred ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again this year, that ground will once again fill with voices, some seasoned, others new, each stepping forward with something to say.<\/p>\n

For Taboo, the goal is simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want people to leave knowing they\u2019re not alone,\u201d she said. \u201cThat whatever they\u2019re going through, it doesn\u2019t last forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

She paused, then added: \u201cYou can go through something and still come out on the other side. You don\u2019t have to look like what you\u2019ve been through.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you go:<\/p>\n

WHAT: \u201cThe B Side Slam,\u201d a live spoken-word competition featuring South Florida poets, presented by On The B Side.<\/p>\n

WHEN: 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, April 12<\/p>\n

WHERE: Red Rooster Overtown, 920 NW 2nd Ave., Miami<\/p>\n

COST: $20<\/p>\n

INFORMATION: getonthebside.com<\/p>\n

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don\u2019t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Amy Reyes edits the education team plus arts, entertainment, food and race & culture.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Historic Overtown, poetry won\u2019t be scattered across the city. It will take a more direct form: a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":226764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-226763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}