Bio

Elevated. This is not only the poetry collective he co-founded, but the essence
of his spoken art.

Born in San Bernardino, CA, Ant Black began honing this craft as a student at California State University San Marcos. While he
graduated with a B.A. in Communication, an equal part of his learning stemmed from the poets of and before our time,
including those in the San Diego poetry scene.

His use of Spoken Word to inspire generations of all ages and ethnicities is not only for the expression of emotion and ideas of
life, but also to give reasons to appreciate poetry. Working with Young Audiences and fellow poet Kendrick Dial, he has taught
this form to students in the elementary, middle, and high school level, as well as having been taught at San Diego State
University and the University of California San Diego.

In addition to featuring at many poetry venues in Southern California, he has performed at the House of Blues in Anaheim,
competed in the College Unions National Poetry Slam at UC Berkeley, as well as winning the Voz Alta and Full Moon Poetry
Slams. Recently he has worked with the nationally acclaimed Sushi Performance & Visual Art company and the Patricia Rincon
Dance Collective fusing Spoken Word and performance art.

Riding the underground success of his latest album, The UnMaster Piece, his upcoming projects include a spotlight in the
upcoming Mark Freeman documentary and highly anticipated performance art collaboration with Company bkSOUL. Currently
is the co-host and organizer of the largest spoken word venue in San Diego county, appropriately named, Elevated.

He is the son of Minister and Mrs. Anthony Blacksher, older brother of Richard and Chelsie, grandson to Mrs. Edna Noble,
Bishop Clarence Harris, Stack and Minnie Blacksher, member of Temple Missionary Baptist Church, student in the Master's of
Applied Sociological Practice program at CSU San Marcos, track coach, and consistently "pressing toward the mark of High
Calling, in God, which is Jesus Christ" Philippians 3:14.

Film
(Untitled) spotlighted in upcoming documentary                                  Mark Freeman Films
Spoken Word and the College Revolutionary                                        Luann Peco, Cal State San
Marcos

Poetry/Performing Arts
Jay Bolotin's The Jackleg Testament at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
with the Patricia Rincon Dance Collective
2006 Kumba Fest at the Lyceum Theater in San Diego
2006 San Diego Heritage Day*
Museum of the Living Artist in Balboa Park*
UAAMAC Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast
opening for Dick Gregory
SUSHI’s New Wave Artists Winter Showcase 2006
with Kaleo O’Nalani Polynesion Dancers
Cal State San Marcos Black History Month Luncheon
San Diego State AIDS Awareness Day
A Mic & Dim Lights*
Hurricane Katrina Benefit at the Malcolm X Library
Detour Live at the House of Blues in Anaheim
Whispers in the Park Spoken Word Showcase
The Psalmist Hour*
Poetic Brew at Claire de Lunes’s*
Spot Sessions at R.Spot Books & Barber*
National College Student Union Poetry Slam
Encinitas Winter Poetry Slam Champion
* indicates featured poet

Teaching/Workshops
Modern Jazz & Dance (Spoken Word)                                        P.Rincon, UC San Diego
Publishing and Press, Guest Lecturer                                      R.Hunt, Cal State San Marcos
African-American Studies, Guest Lecturer                                S.Lewis, Mesa College
Poetry and Incarcerated Youth, Workshop                                Jim Moreno, East Mesa Detention Center
Creative Writing, Guest Lecturer                                                 M.High, San Diego State
High School Poetry and Performance, Workshop                   Brandon Cesmat, Cal State San Marcos
Urban Male Behavior Guest Lecturer                                         L.Blacksher, Temple Learning Center

Event Host
Poetic Works Poetry Battle (annual poetry competition)
Elevated at the Arts & Entertainment Center (bi-monthly poetry reading)
Soul Ascension at the Fyre Zone (monthly concert and open mic)

Media/Press
Illfonix                                                                                                               KSDS Jazz 88.3 San Diego
Fox Morning News with Kaleo O’Nalani Polynesian Dancers              XETV Fox San Diego
These Days with Tom Fudge                                                                      KPBS San Diego
XRadio.Biz as Big Search California artist                                               Internet Radio

Special Skills/Accomplishments
M.A in Sociology, Cal State San Marcos, expected 2007; B.A. in Communications, Cal State San
Marcos 2004; NAIA Track & Field All American (110 Meter Hurdles); San Marcos High School
Assistant Track & Field Coach; Recorded, Mastered, and Engineered Spoken Word CD The
UnMaster Piece by Ant Black, as well as poems/songs for Lady L, Kendrick Dial, and DeVaughn
Harris.