Excited to Welcome Mike D. Joseph and Essmaa Litim as featured poets this month with Jennifer Martinez hosting and Trippylandia as our featured artist! As always, there is an Open Mic. Due to capacity, we are taking names for Open Mic ahead of time. PLEASE EMAIL INFO@CHELSEACITYSTUDIO.COM IF YOU WANT TO BE PUT ON THE LIST. 18+ to perform.

This event is positive, supportive, passionate and bold! Come with your best material and prepare to be open and vulnerable.

ABOUT OUR TALENT:

Mike D. Joseph, also known as Mike D., is a dynamic Haitian-American Spoken Word Artist, Actor, and Entrepreneur. With a compelling blend of storytelling and rhyme, Mike captivates audiences across Boston and beyond, sharing personal experiences of love, intimacy, and relationships. Mike recently made a guest appearance on Expedition Unknown, now streaming on HBO and Discovery Channel, and will return for Season 3 of the award-winning web series Love Undone. He is also featured on ShellzWithaZ’s upcoming song, 1000x, alongside Jador. Both the song and its visual are set to release later this year. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Mike and his wife own Locs By Us, a natural hair salon in Quincy specializing in loc and braiding services. Follow Mike on Instagram and TikTok at @mikedjoseph to stay connected with his upcoming projects and performances!

Essmaa Litim is a multi-disciplinary artist and activist from Boston, Massachusetts who uses her voice as her medium to distribute a wealth of information from both a social and political lens. She is the author of the memoir, Speechless, which centers her family’s journey immigrating to the United States in the 90s and shares the cultural adversity they faced in raising five children in a new world. In addition to her book, Essmaa uses her art of storytelling to bring spoken word to the
forefront of her experiences and those of her community, powering the stage with effortless wordplay. She has recently launched, Femme Flo, a poetic installment curated to cultivate a community of femme poets in Boston and beyond. In March of 2023, Essmaa was awarded the EXTRAordinary Woman award by the Mayor's Office of Women's Advancement for her commitment and dedication to her community, neighborhood, and workplace. As a first-generation American, Essmaa continues to work hard to help build the community that helped build her through believing it, speaking it, and being it.

Jennifer Martinez (she/her) is a Bronx-born, Boston-based poet and copywriter. Captain of the 2022 Urban Word NYC Slam Team, two-time New York City Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador, and member of the 2024 Boston Poetry Slam team (2024 NorthBeast Regional winners), she has performed in spaces such as Lincoln Center, the Apollo Theater, Barclays Center, her bedroom mirror, and more. Her poetry explores themes of queerness, family, womanhood, and liberation. Her work can be found in anthologies BX Writers Anthology Volume 2 and Patron Saints and Bitches.

Gisell, also known as Trippylandia, is a Latina artist whose journey with acrylic painting began in 2013 as a form of mental healing and creative escape. Since then, she’s brought her bold, surreal style to canvases and multiple artistic projects. Her work merges grunge and psychedelia into a distinct, captivating style, reflecting her culture, experiences, and limitless creativity—inviting you into her surreal, trippy world.