BUTCHVoices 2019 Spoken Word
Sunday Stories: A BUTCH Sermon

Sunday, August 18th, 2019
3:00pm- 4:30pm
Oakstop – 1721 Broadway
Accessibility info for Oakstop.

Sunday Stories: A BUTCH Sermon. A spoken word event featuring masculine of center wordsmiths, poets, and authors sharing their stories. Free to conference attendees. Hosted by Daimyo Lee.

Damnyo Lee
Damnyo Lee is an Los Angeles native. Born and raised. She’s been performing poetry and spoken word since 2001, within that time, she’s performed at many universities, festivals, schools, radio shows, podcasts, slams, and poetry events all over the country. Damnyo is also a decorated U.S. Navy Sailor, serving since 2011. Her experience doesn’t only include just performing, she has hosted several Los Angeles open mic venues, produced and curated numerous shows, retreats, and festivals; including: Elements, El le Mental Sol, BLU, and the Damn Slam. Damnyo was Slam Master/Coach for the LA Slam Team in 2006 and Slam Master/Team Member of the Damn Slam in 2010 – 2012. The Damn Slam has been featured in the Los Angeles Times. Currently, Damnyo is host and producer of the film podcast “The Wrap Party.”
Lucky 7
SevanKelee Boult (bka Lucky 7) is a well known Bay Area poet and performance artist. This UC Berkeley graduate has a minor in Theatre Arts. SevanKelee is continuously redefining her poetry and performance. Hailing from East Palo Alto, CA and writing since childhood, her most recent artistic venture involves the ukulele and spoken word. She effortlessly blends music and poetry to engage the audience with her soft, raspy voice and mesmerizing stage presence. Gracing such stages as The Palace of Fine Arts, Yerba Buena, De Young Museum , Brava Theater and The Marsh Theater(s) in San Francisco, CA. Her poem Cucumber has been seen on HBO Real Sex since 2000. She has represented several Bay Area slam teams over the past 15 years. In 2014, she became the only person in the Bay to win the honored title Grand Slam Champion of 4 different Bay Area Slam teams (SF, Berkeley,Oakland and Palo Alto). SevanKelee’s poem Listening to Pain has been published in the 2017 Spring issue of Foglifter Journal. A 2017 QCC emerging artist, SevanKelee’s performances are full of excitement.
Day Walker
Day Walker was born in 1965 in Oakland, California. For over 20 years they have been an active participant and Mentor in the Butch Femme Community promoting the dynamics of diversity and the spirit of inclusion within the Culture. Daywalker is Agender and now resides in the mountains of Northern California with their wife. They have been described as a Modern day Philosopher, Peace maker, Photo taker, Author, Artist of the Fluorescence, and a Gender anomalous. And of course, the Hippy.
Jo “Paradigm” Roberts
A native of the Universe, Joann “Paradigm” Roberts was born and raised in the Chicago area. A Poet/MC and Musician/Producer; Paradigm is a 3x time Slam Champion as well as a Hip Hop Educator and Teaching Artist for at-promise youth. She promotes healing, self-reflection, growth, and awareness through the arts and is known for her laid back, mellow stage presence that is complimented by powerful words. Paradigm travels all over the United States and overseas, sharing her art and facilitating Poetry/Hip Hop workshops. She has feature performances at various events such as slams, open mics, festivals and retreats. In addition to speaking at many colleges and universities, Paradigm has also opened for Dr. Cornel West and performed on stage with Reggae artist Pato Banton. In mission to have a positive impact on the world using art as both a wellness and therapeutic practice, Paradigm continues to release a number of Hip Hop/Spoken Word albums and Poetry books since first taking her art on the road in 2012.
Kitty Tsui
Kitty Tsui is a multihyphenate lesbian elder living in Oakland with her partner and their two rescue dogs. Author of the ground-breaking book, The Words of a Woman Who Breathes Fire and the award-winning, Breathless: Erotica, she is at work on her next two books, Nice Chinese Girls Don’t (forthcoming) and Battle Cry: Poems of Love & Resistance. Born in Singapore, Sydney‘s family immigrated to San Francisco’s CHINATOWN to pursue their American dream. Born the 4th daughter in a family whose cultural values valued a son to carry on the family name. Disappointed in having another daughter, the family named Sydneyà “Woon”. The Chinese word for “exchange”. At the age of 4, Sydney was already protesting the gender role being imposed on her, crying loudly when forced to wear dresses and bows in her hair. She loudly insisted on wearing boy’s attire and keeping her hair cut short. Sydney grew up in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and having her 1st lesbian relationship at 16 in high school. She also had several long-term lesbian relationships through her college years and all throughout her life. She continued to live her life as authentically as possible and now as an API-queer “Butch” Elder. She’s an activist behind the scene, involved with the queer API communities in the Bay Area (OASIS, REGC, APIQWTC, SAMBAL…). Sydney serves as a role model breaking API stereotypes, proudly embracing her identity as a API Queer Community “Auntie”. Sydney and her wife of many years Crystal Jang, are proud parents to their daughter , Cameron.