A night full of laughs, tears, and a literal double rainbow, Motif’s 3rd annual RI Spoken Word Awards ceremony was one for the books. With live performances from Julius Morris, Rudy Ru, Simply Sara, Nelle Nel, Ren L[i]u, Othannah Tomasina, Marlon Carey, Sandra Levy, Sonya Priest, Blaq Sav, Doug Key, and Mikayla Lee, the night was full of artistic prowess and vision. Storytellers delivered inspiration. Spoken word performers tapped into emotions of every kind, with Sandra Levy and Mikayla Lee notably bringing the audience to tears. The comedians ended things on upbeat, raunchy laughs. Hosted at the vintage, intimately curated spot Myrtle, everyone was happy mingling with old friends and chomping on some tasty bites by Rebel’s Rations and The Lobster Lover. After each winner accepted their award, they were whisked off stage for pictures, video taping, and asked one question: If you had to describe your work in one sentence, what would it be? Below are the winners, their onstage statements, and the answer to my query. Over 1000 unique voters chimed in online this year – here’s who you voted up!
SPOKEN WORD: FREE VERSE – ARIEL TAVARES
Ariel Tavares might be described as PVD’s creative Jack of all trades. A poet, writer, photographer, host, model, creative director, graphic designer, and visual artist, Tavares took the stage to accept her award with gusto. “Thank you so much for voting, I am honored to be a part of this space,” she says. “It’s hard to be a poet, you see poetry everywhere and magic in places you don’t expect it to be. Thanks again for everyone who allows space for art – this kind of invitation is the sweetest thing in the world.” When asked for her response to the allotted question, Tavares blurts out, “Scrambled eggs… Wait, can I come back to you with something different?” When approached at the end of the night for further comment, she stands firm with her original provocation. “I think scrambled eggs just sums it up,” she concludes. You can find Tavares on her website at arieltavares.com or insta @ariellingmyname.
SPOKEN WORD: SOCIAL JUSTICE – KOBE DENNIS
Kobe Dennis posted on his Instagram, right before the event, “I was mistakenly nominated for a ‘Spoken Word Category.’ Please be sure to not vote for me as I not only stopped accepting community awards, I am certainly not worthy of this recognition. Much respect to the committee and best of luck to the nominees.” This statement seems to say it all about Dennis’s character. It’s quickly apparent when looking through his socials that he’s doing incredible, community-oriented work. If you’re reading this, we think you deserve it Kobe! Find him on insta @ cornerstone_complex21.
SPOKEN WORD EVENT – OUTSPOKEN
Sara Lopes, winner of multiple awards this night, is host of the Outspoken poetry series, a space where PVD poets and audience members have the chance to get on stage and share their work. Lopes, in a fabulous Canadian tux, bounded on stage with the sweet and simple words, “Why be soft-spoken if you could be outspoken.” And the crowd went wild. Check out a list of upcoming events for the Outspoken poetry series, or just to see what they’re all about, on their insta @ outspokenbysimplysara.
SPOKEN WORD: YOUTH; AND FAVORITE LIVE YOUTH PERFORMER – JULIUS MORRIS
What’s that old saying? The apple doesn’t fall from the tree? That couldn’t apply more to Julius Morris, son of Sara Lopes. Morris opened the night performing an original work, as the only youth poet performing. Morris hit the stage with a work of startling maturity that also maintained its rightful innocence. It was a poem about art, and why he, and subsequently all artists, love it. To the roar of the audience, Morris came on stage and exclaimed, “I want to thank my mom, brother, dad, aunt, and my classmates. They are good friends!” Ah, to be young! When describing his work in one sentence, he said, “Interesting.” It only gets more interesting…
LANGSTON HUGHES COMMUNITY POETRY READING LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – RAFFINI
A special award to honor a longstanding member of the poetry scene in RI, the Langston Hughes Poetry Award went to educator and poet Raffini. Raffini, as stated in her bio for the Southside Community Land Trust, is best known as a member of RI Black Storytellers. An artist, teacher and storyteller from Providence’s South Side, Ms. Raffini is a local legend who’s touched more lives, young and old, than we’d dare to count. When she won, she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness. It’s my pleasure because the Langston Hughes Poetry Reading has been in the community for over 30 years, and we celebrated that in February. We give back and we go forward and we go together.” On her own work, Raffini proclaims it is “exhilarating, enlightening, enjoyable.” Her work can be found at ribsfest.org.
FAVORITE STORYTELLING EVENT – PVD FEST
Ah yes, PVD Fest has taken home another Motif Award this year (see our Music Award Winner Recap). PVD Fest is beloved by locals and extraterrestrial people alike. How they won this, we’re not quite sure, but it is an event that celebrates all of our stories on multiple different levels. They do have stages for storytelling and comedy – and you, dear readers voted them up for it! Even though, when the winner of this award was announced, my personal notes were, “crickets and confusion.” Congrats, PVD Fest! Check out their upcoming schedule soon at pvdfest.com.
STORYTELLING: PERSONAL STORIES; CALL & RESPONSE; OVERALL MOST VOTES – RUDY RU CABRERA
If you’re anywhere near the PVD poetry scene, you’ve likely run into Rudy Ru, a.k.a Rudacious. I shared an interesting night with Rudy Ru at our own Motif Swap event, where, due to weather, we had quite a small turnout. Ended up just being me, Ru, Jaybird Walker, and another chap, sharing our poems in a small circle at an after-hours Mexican joint. His work is fast-paced and emotive, full of character and vibrancy. It’s no surprise that he also is an actor, recently featured in La Tempestad at Trinity Rep. On stage, Ru grabs the mic and proclaims, “I want to say at the end of the day the honor is in the nominations. Without the ecosystem of art, none of us would be able to do this. It can’t exist with just one of us, but has to be all of us.” In response to the night’s query, Ru describes his work as “fun and personal.” Catch Ru acting crazy on his insta @itsrudyru.
STORYTELLING: HISTORICAL/ CULTURAL – SARA LOPES
Sara Lopes has a prowess for engaging and provoking storytelling. During the live performances she shared a poetic work about a car crash involving her son, Julius Morris. She hit all the notes – from fear to anger to hope, Lopes knew how to invoke the pathos of the audience in a way that didn’t stray from genuineness. Once again accepting an award, Lopes howled into the mic, “If I was going to be born again make me Black! Shoutout to all the places that make me who I am.” Her work, she finds, is “spiritually fulfilling.”
NARRATIVE MUSIC – JON HOPE
Jon Hope is a Providence native and beat fanatic. He has released seven albums and over 70 music videos, even gracing the stage with Nas, Wiz Khalifa, and has been in collaboration with DJ Statik Selektah. He also started the Hope Scholars Initiative (HSI) which is a youth empowerment platform rooted in hip-hop-based practices. On top of all these accolades, he is an arena host for the Big East Conference’s Providence College Men’s Basketball. Sounds like this guy does it all! You can find his music and story on his website, jonhopepvd.com.
PRODUCER – J. DEPINA
J. Depina is a humble fellow, and it also happened to be his birthday the night of the awards. Double attention! DePina is a producer out of PVD who has a lot of friends who wished him a happy birthday. Amid these well-wishers, DePina accepted his award with thanks, saying “I don’t talk much, I talk with my hands.” When asked the tell-tale question, DePina responded with, “I don’t talk. I speak with my hands; the sentence is my hands.” Check out his beats on insta @j.depina.
COMEDIAN – LISA COSTA
Costa, donning the most festive red sweater, joyfully accepted her award. With typical comedic flair, she had to rip on the current political administration (as we all do, especially right now). “Oh my goodness, we need comedy right now; we need laughter, we need to laugh that dude all the way out the White House.” Her job, she says, is to “make the world laugh.” That’s all you really can do! Keep an eye on Costa through insta @lisa_j_comedian_.
COMEDY: NEW VOICE – SONYA PRIEST
Priest is definitely a name you want to keep an eye on. She’s got a fun, quirky style and a quick-moving wit. On accepting her award she exclaims, “Gotta make this quick, because tomorrow I’m going to space with Britney Spears for five minutes.” After her speech, Priest got on her knees and kissed the ground. Her comedy, she says, “Comes from real-life stories, with a punchline.” Find her next events and space launch on insta @sonyaapriest.
COMEDY: NSFW; FAVORITE LIVE COMEDY PERFORMANCE – BLAQ SAV
Blaq Sav seems like a pretty quiet dude, until you get him on stage. During his comedy set, he had everyone in a roar. He quickly bounded up and accepted his award, proclaiming, “Thank y’all, I appreciate y’all, you look amazing, and don’t be a fool: Tip the bartenders!” Thinking about others: what an un-funny thing to do. When describing his own work, he calls it “artistic.” He also creates some really cool pieces of art. You can keep up with Blaq Sav and all his antics on insta @blaqsav.
COMEDY: IMPROV – EVERETT THEATER
The Everett Theater is not just a theater, it is a company, and a school. Their website states, “Its ensemble of artists create, perform, teach and mentor new generations of artists within a diverse community. Guided by the principles of collaboration and experimentation, Everett explores complex social issues through a combination of theater, dance, music, and video.” Not to mention improv. A good improv night has the capacity to change an artist’s life, giving them the freedom and confidence to explore their craft. So, kudos to Everett Theater for providing this space! Keep tabs on them through their website, everttri.org.
COMEDY NIGHT – COMEDY BUS
Who doesn’t love driving around and laughing! Also, who doesn’t love driving around and laughing and drinking?! Crazy people, that’s who. And these crazy people obviously aren’t our voters, because they love the Comedy Bus. Their website touts their service as “a live stand-up comedy show on wheels! … Tour your favorite city like never before!” If you’ve seen this bus driving around, you know it looks like a good time. A representative for the Comedy Bus, on accepting his award, told the audience “Thank you guys so much. We appreciate the love and support. Without comedians who crush it on the comedy bus, we would be nothing. This goes out to them.” Their own mission statement? “Just creating a new environment for comedy to grow and thrive in Providence.” We’d say you’re doing it! Get on the bus at comedybus.net.
LOCAL PODCAST – LITTLE STATE BIG VOICES
Little State Big Voices, hosted by Shahidah and Tracey, took their second consecutive Favorite Local Podcast award home this year, proving just how impactful it is to celebrate Rhode Island’s rich community and culture. Their listeners clearly appreciate their efforts to find great guests that not only represent RI, but New England at-large. During their acceptance speech, the duo shared, “When we started, we were just two women with mics and opinions, and while we never imagined that this labor of love would make such big waves to our listeners, you ride with us, and we love you for it.” You can find their show on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you like to consume your podcasts, and you can find the hosts on Instagram @sali_6172401 and @so_very_tracey.
FAVORITE LIVE SPOKEN WORD PERFORMANCE – MIKAYLA “MICHAELIS” LEE
Mikayla “Michaelis” Lee took the PVD poetry scene by storm this year when they began competing in this year’s ProvSlam season. Pulling on her Washington, DC roots and themes of the dirty South, Michaelis uses their poetry as a storytelling tool to meld the pain and beauty of the Black queer experience across universes. The crowd went totally hush as she graced the stage with an awe-inspiring presence that earned her the Favorite Live Poetry Performance of 2025. When accepting the award, the poet remarked, “I’m so grateful to have come to Providence at this time when spoken word is undergoing such an amazing and authentic renaissance. I cannot express how much I appreciate the way that the community has embraced me and my art.” You can find Michaelis on Instagram @michaelis.explicit, or you can watch them compete with the Providence Poetry Slam team at the NorthBeast Poetry Slam in Boston on July 11 and 12. •
Photo: The Lopes family
