Our exciting "1st Wednesday" series continues with Open Mic, SLAM competition and feature performances from guest poet
Melania-Luisa Marte! Melania-Luisa is a first generation American. She was born in the Bronx and raised in
the Lower East Side of New York City. Her multi-cultured upbringing inspires her to write about navigating the
world as a native Spanish speaker of Afro-Dominican descent. She is also a member of the 2017 and 2018
Dallas Poetry Slam Team currently ranking 5th in the nation. She has performed, featured, and competed in
cities across the country. Marte was a finalist at the 2017 Texas Grand Slam Poetry Competition and ranked
5th in the 2018 Women of The World Poetry Slam Competition and was just recently a finalist at the 2018
Individual World Poetry Slam Competition in San Diego, California. She is the founder of "Melanin Goddess" a
Dallas based feminist healing collective for WOC. Her debut collection of poetry, MELA, was released
November of 2018. You can get in touch with her at www.melanialuisa.com To take part in the open mic or
slam, please register between 6:30 and 7:00 pm. Slam poets should bring at least one original poem of up
to 3 minutes. Registration closes promptly at 7, and the program starts shortly thereafter. Co-hosted by local
poet and slam-master Eric ZORK Alan. All are welcome! Questions? Contact program librarian Kristen Thornton-De Stafeno
by phone (422-1489) or e-mail (kthornton-destafeno@whiteplainslibrary.org). Poetry Slam is a project of
the White Plains Library Foundation.