Talking Observations, Underserved Neighborhoods, and Poetry Changing the World with Mojavi

Mojavi has been one of the most visible and active poets, hosts, and organizers in the area for decades. He began writing at a very young age and over the years has worked tirelessly to bring poetry and spoken word to venues all over the country.

Mojavi was one of the many local poets who got their start at the QE2 open mics and quickly was able to build his own community of artists and writers in the Capital Region.

In 2011, he was one of the original organizers of the Nitty Gritty Slam series and coached the very first team from Albany to go the National Poetry Slam in 2012.

In his conversation with Thom Frances, they talked about not giving up on your dreams, how addiction changed neighborhoods in the 80s and 90s, and if poetry can still change the world.

But first, we start off with Mojavi performing his piece “Around My Block” at Poetz Realm Slam in Bridgeport, CT on July 11, 2012.