Taylor Mali
AUTHOR

Taylor Mali

Tap the gear icon above to manage new release emails.
Taylor Mali is one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement. He is one of the few people in the world to have no job other than that of "poet." Articulate, accessible, passionate, and downright funny, Mali studied drama in Oxford with members of The Royal Shakespeare Company and puts those skills of presentation to work in all his performances. He was one of the original poets to appear on the HBO series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and was the "Armani-clad villain" of Paul Devlin's 1997 documentary film SlamNation. Born in New York City into a family some of whose members have lived there since the early 1600s, Taylor Mali is an unapologetic WASP, making him a rare entity in spoken word, which is often considered to be an art form influenced by the inner city and dominated either by poets of color or otherwise imbued with the spirit of hip-hop. Mali is vocal advocate of teachers and the nobility of teaching, having spent nine years in the classroom teaching everything from English and history to math and S.A.T. test preparation. He has performed and lectured for teachers all over the world and has a goal of creating 1,000 new teachers through "poetry, persuasion, and perseverance." He is the author of two books of poetry, The Last Time As We Are (Write Bloody Books 2009) and What Learning Leaves (Hanover 2002), and four CDs of spoken word. He received a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant in 2001 to develop "Teacher! Teacher!" a one-man show about poetry, teaching, and math which won the jury prize for best solo performance at the 2001 U. S. Comedy Arts Festival. Formerly president of Poetry Slam Incorporated, the non-profit organization that oversees all poetry slams in North America, Taylor Mali makes his living entirely as a spoken-word and voiceover artist these days, traveling around the country performing and teaching workshops as well as doing occasional commercial voiceover work. He has narrated several books on tape, including "The Great Fire" (for which he won the Golden Earphones Award for children's narration).
Read more Read less

Try Audible membership today. Start enjoying the benefits.

Try Audible for free with an audiobook of your choice.
Try Premium Plus free
Automatically renews at AUD $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Teachers I Loved Best

Most popular
View Details

Most Popular

Product list
  • Icarus Airlines cover art

    $12.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Teachers I Loved Best cover art

    $6.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Depression, Too, Is a Kind of Fire cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • When Does the Human Heart Rest? cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • For Health and Strength cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • My Mother's Gardening Journal cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Reading Allowed cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Playing Scrabble with Eddie cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Voice of America VO cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • I Could Be a Poet cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • On Girls Lending Pens cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • They Don't Make Loaves of Bread That Big cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • The Mascot of Monterrey cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Practice Pheasant cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Nightfall cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Running a Race & Doody cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • What Teachers Make cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Running a Race (No one Knows) cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Labeling Keys cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00
  • Seventh-Grade Viking Warrior cover art

    $1.99 or free with 30-day trial

    Try for $0.00