Talking “Vegan Knowledge,” the Power of Poetry, and Screenwriting with Michael “ILLiptical” Sloman

At 17, Michael “ILLiptical” Sloman began performing Hip Hop and Spoken Word Poetry at Albany High School’s Inkblot poetry slams. Throughout his 20s and early-30s, he was a mainstay in the Capital Region Slam Community, performing with the first-ever Nitty Gritty Slam team at the National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with Elizag, D Colin, and Algorhythm.

Now at the age of 38, and living in Yonkers, NY, Michael focuses mostly on filmmaking under the moniker of Kulture Seed Films, writing and directing movies, as well as teaching high school students to tap into their own creativity.

Sloman says, “When inspired by wisdom, nature, or the happenstances of life, a poem shall be written, and it’s only a matter of time before the Poet spits again.”

ILLiptical performed his poem “Vegan Knowledge” at the Getting Down to the Brass Tacks spoken word event on March 29, 2018, at The Low Beat.

In our conversation, we talk about where that poem came from, the power of poetry, transitioning to screenwriting, and more.