Slam Poet Zeek Green fell in love with poetry when he was 12 years old. Putting thoughts on paper is his specialty, “I’d explode if I had to hold everything in,” said the poet, “If you knew what was happening and all the wrong around people, wouldn’t you want to tell them. If you knew that they could help things change, wouldn’t you tell them?”

Green wrote raps and political essays in his teens and spent his time freestyling in the hallways of his high school.  Creative writing classes were his building blocks.

            After graduating from Stadium High School in Tacoma he joined a band called, All Kinz in the late 90’s as a vocalist.  The band literally preformed all genres of music from rock, rap, jazz, spoken word through all kinds of “funk fusion.” They toured college towns and played gigs around the city.  He currently lives in Tacoma with his wife, Stacey, and 3-year old daughter, Maizy Apple.

A proud native of the Pacific Nort hwest, Green describes it as a “sinking mans land”, neither too fast nor too slow. “There is no mold here and that gives you freedom to be as creative as you want to be,” he said.

Green sees poetry and music as political tools.  His “theories and thesis of life” are words that he hopes will create change in society. “We live in the same truth. Some people can watch and see things but aren’t able to state those feelings into words.” He said.

Turning words into power is what he loves most.

“People listen, appreciate, and then act upon what we are saying,” said Green.

            Green competed in the Seattle Poetry Slam Semi-Finals in 2004. Though he plans to get back into the competitive arena, right now he writes just to share. He says competitions are like speeches, they only reach souls who already know about it. “It’s like chiefs swapping recipes rather than feeding the hungry.” The strategic side of poetry is something Green has paid less attention to lately.

“Winning a poetry slam competition can open many doors for you, but you don’t just write something and slam, you write something to slam with,” he said. Green sees himself as more of “town crier.” “I don’t want to be a person that stands on a stage or podium, just on a soapbox so the people in the back can hear me,” he said.

During the day, Green is a longshoreman and part of the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union (ILWU) – one of the numerous labor unions located in Washington State and is committed to making Seattle a world-class port and model for the maritime industry.

            Green stated that there is a great need for unions and the organization of people in general to fight for dignity, benefits, safety, wages and against exploitation. These are issues revealed and expressed in his poetry. He’s written pieces directly about his experiences in the union and has preformed all over the Northwest coast for union members.

Recently, MUSICA and ILWU have joined to present “A Call to Conscience: A Celebration of Black History, Women and Labor”, a gala event and film premiere at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma on February 22. Prior to the event, a free, advanced screening of Justin Bryant and Darralynn Hutson's documentary, "The Black Composers” will be shown. Seattle DJ and local personality Tony B is the Master of Ceremonies.

Green will take the stage with his spoken word performance – a compilation of his old and new works.

“It’s important to be active in the community. If there wasn’t activism, we’d be a bunch of programmed cattle. We’d be slaves really,” said Green. “The tide is turning against us. We must rebound and stick together, solidarity is the only solution.”

Lately Green has touched on some issues concerning political activism, corruption in democracy, eating disorders, HIV, and social expectations of people. Though all are complex issues, Green suggests that people should live by a few simple words: Live, love, progress, evolve, and illuminate. “Let that light shine,” says Green.

Contact: carolinel@musicaentertainment.com