BIG POPPA E is a spoken word artist and three-time veteran of HBO’s “Def Poetry” who melds rhythmic verse, stand-up comedy, and dramatic monologue into explosive works that skewer pop culture, politics, and the tangle of pain and beauty in relationships. His musings have led to appearances on BET’s “The Way We Do It” sketch comedy series, National Public Radio, and CBS’s “60 Minutes” (although, truth be told, he was only on for about three seconds… but still… have you been on “60 Minutes?” Yeah, didn’t think so.)

BPE burst onto the slam scene as a member of the ‘99 San Francisco Poetry Slam Team, co-champions of the ‘99 National Poetry Slam in Chicago and the only undefeated team out of 48 that year. The piece he performed on the finals stage —“¡The Wussy Boy Manifesto!” — has since become a rallying cry for outcasts, dorks, dweebs, and feebs everywhere, leading “Ms. Magazine” to proclaim him “an icon for effeminate males” and “The Los Angeles Times to declare him “the leader of the new Wussy Boy movement.”

Big Poppa E has toured relentlessly on the spoken word highway since 2000, when he did 65 gigs across 27 states in just under four months. In the summer of 2003 alone, he logged over 21,000 miles on his ‘99 Ford Windstar mini-van, which has since been retired after 200,000 miles. He has headlined at 100+ universities and colleges and performed 200+ poetry slam features in 44 states (including Hawaii and Alaska).

Along the way, BPE’s tours have generated countless stories in newspapers and magazines in the US, Canada, England, and Australia, including such publications as: The New York Times; The Washington Post; The Ottowa Citizen; The London Daily Express; The Sydney Morning Herald; Bust Magazine; Poets and Writers; and The Utne Reader.