Motif’s 2024 RI Spoken Awards: And the winners are…

A poet, a comedian, and a storyteller walk into a bar… it sounds like the beginning of a joke, but on Tuesday, April 9, it was a beautiful reality manifested via Motif’s second annual RI Spoken Awards. Nominees and members of the spoken word community alike gathered at Myrtle in East Providence, which was the perfect backdrop to the glamorous outfits that the crowd donned — the bar features impeccable vintage furnishings, warm lighting, and a rug-covered stage with a bookshelf backdrop. The room was as warm and eclectic as the surroundings, with performers and winners consistently thanking the crowd for holding space for each other to laugh, listen, and become immersed in one another’s stories.

OVERALL FAVORITE SPOKEN PERFORMER:
Sara Monteiro

LANGSTON HUGHES COMMUNITY AWARD:
Ricardo Pitts-Wiley

SPOKEN WORD

FREE VERSE
Rudy “Rudacious” Cabrera 

SOCIAL JUSTICE
Erik Andrade 

YOUTH POETRY
Camille Cabral-Bennett

NARRATIVE MUSIC
Shakespeare to Hip-Hop - Marlon Carey and Reggie Gibson 

FAVORITE PRODUCER
Sara Monteiro

FAVORITE SPOKEN WORD EVENT
Providence Poetry Slam
 
FAVORITE LIVE PERFORMANCE:
YOUTH
Alana Parrott

FAVORITE LIVE PERFORMANCE: sPOKEN wORD
Ren

STORYTELLING

PERSONAL STORIES
Ginay Lopes 

HISTORICAL/CULTURAL
Sara Monteiro 

INTERACTIVE (CALL & RESPONSE)
Rudy Ru 

FAVORITE STORYTELLING EVENT
The Daily Note 

FAVORITE LIVE PERFORMANCE: STORYTELLING
Marlon Carey

COMEDY

FAVORITE COMEDIAN
Blaq Sav
 
NSFW
Lisa Costa
 
FAVORITE IMPROV
Improv Jones
 
FAVORITE NEW VOICE
Kirsten Logan  

FAVORITE LIVE PERFORMANCE: COMEDY
Blaq Sav 

Favorite Local Podcast
Little State Big Voices