Elm City's Finest

Yexandra 'Yex' Diaz is a multi-disciplinary artist and professional whose oeuvre is her sobering expression of what it is to exist in a world of resistance, resilience, and revolution during a new era of renaissance rooted in healing. Chicago born and New Haven raised, the polarizing reality of oppression juxtaposed alongside privilege inspires Yex, an Oral Narrator to employ the art of spoken word as a vehicle for messages that raise awareness around social and environmental injustices. Yex's voice is an instrument utilized to highlight, heal, and honor by marrying thought with speech to convey the pain and plight turned purpose of those negatively impacted by oppressive systems. Yex's style uplifts afro-indigenous storytelling while evoking radical spiritualism to rewrite the dangerous single narratives which plague stigmatized peoples. As an overall Community Advocate, Yex serves many roles ranging from a Birth Doula and Educator to a Facilitator developing and delivering trainings rooted in addressing racial inequities. all of which are displayed through her body of work.

Award winning American Artist Tarishi "M.I.D.N.I.G.H.T.” Shuler altered the status quo of the spoken word art scene by presenting an ingenious style of delivery using clever metaphors and a dance between two dimensional storylines.

Resonating with audiences nationwide, by 2011, Tarishi had begun dominating stages with his dramatic performances taking home numerous awards year after year and raising the bar for his counterparts. Often abrupt, always gracefully delivered yet playfully unfiltered, his poetry hangs in an intrinsic balance of raw truth and art imitating life.

Among his many accolades, Tarishi has opened for notable individuals such as Saul Williams, Grammy nominated Neo-Soul Artist Dwele, Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets, Def Jam Comedian Talent and former US President Bill Clinton. In 2020, he shared a stage with Omari Hardwick at Da' Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles, California. Def Poetry Jam Reunion in Martha Vineyard.

Tarishi is the Artistic Director for The Word, a nonprofit organization located in New Haven, CT. A native of Connecticut, you can find Tarishi modeling, acting, bodybuilding, teaching or directing while also discovering new audiences in stages close to home, and as far as Tokyo, Japan.

Sharmont "Influence" Little is a renowned international poet, activist, and actor whose artistry channels the enduring wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., encapsulated in the powerful quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Through spoken word poetry, he amplifies his message, tirelessly advocating for inner-city youth and performing his transformative works on both national and global stages.

Currently, Sharmont holds the prestigious titles of Inaugural Poet Laureate and Artist of the Year for New Haven, Connecticut. An accomplished Grand Slam Champion, he is a six-time member and current coach of the Connecticut poetry slam team, Verbal Slap. His dedication extends to mentoring the Connecticut youth slam team, The Word, and coaching the 2021 Yale University poetry slam team. In 2007, he used his poetic voice as a powerful tool for advocacy, supporting Yale New Haven Hospital workers through the 1199 union, speaking before Congress, and championing the Free Labor Choice Act in Washington, DC.

As the founder of Influence A Life LLC, Sharmont has created platforms for poets to refine their craft and share their talents by curating poetry open mics, slams, and showcases. Beyond poetry, Sharmont bridges his dual passions as a poet and nurse by developing a performance-based curriculum that teaches coping strategies, social skills, and conflict resolution. His work addresses mental health and social challenges, empowering individuals across the country to overcome adversity.

Sharmont lives by his heartfelt motto: “Influence a Life every day; it’s just a way of living.”

Tahj is a performing artist and content creator based in Waterbury, CT. Describing themself as a storyteller, Tahj is determined to use whatever medium possible to parse through their own experiences around blackness and queerness, bringing attention to their stories and the stories of others. Whether through spoken word, essay, music, or video, Tahj goes where the art takes them, whether that be the pen or the camera! You can catch them on Tik Tok and Youtube @TMGvids!

RENOWNED POET (WRITING SINCE THE AGE OF 12) AND PRESENTLY PUTTING TOGETHER A POETRY BOOK OF ALL DECADES SINCE SHE BEGAN TO WRITE. ALSO, SHE HAS HOSTED MANY LOCAL SPOKEN WORD VENUES THAT PROVIDED A STAGE FOR LOCAL POETS WHO ARE NOW NATIONALLY KNOWN SLAM POETS CHAMPIONS. HAS PERFORMED IN NEW YORK, L.A., ATLANTA, CT, MASSACHUSETTS JUST TO NAME A FEW. SHE IS A CHILD ADVOCATE AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER. TUP WAS ONCE PRESIDENT OF NEW HAVEN’S FIRST BLACK ALL FEMALE MOTORCYCLE CLUB: ‘THE ELM CITY ANGELZ’ AN SHE IS RECENTLY RETIRED FROM CONNECTICUT, DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AS A CORRECTIONAL COUNSELOR; SHOWCASING HER TALENT WITHIN THE PRISON WALLS AND ENCOURAGING THOSE INCARCERATED TO SHARE THEIR TALENTS.

Hailing from Wallingford, Connecticut, Grace Yoon is a junior at Choate Rosemary Hall. An artist, Grace is familiar with many mediums and holds a strong interest in the written, oral, and musical arts. Currently, she is exploring these realms through slam poetry and the bassoon, a dedication that has led her to study at Juilliard Pre-College and perform with Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America throughout the globe. She has recently claimed the title of 2024 Connecticut Youth Slam Poet Champion. Her work has earned national recognition from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and at the Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Festival. 

Her poems stand in the liminal space where public and private pain overlap and where tidy moral resolutions cannot survive. In performance, she invites her audience to co-author the work through their snaps, silences, and shifts in breath that shape the meaning as much as the text itself. She returns to difficult themes that plague our culture and demands the audience grapple with their complexity long after her mic goes quiet.

May 29 | Thursday 7:00pm
Featuring: Manny Sierra and William Leonard

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June 26 | Thursday 7:00pm
Featuring: Up On the Down Beat​​​

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More artists to be announced and may be subject to change