Third Thursday Poetry presents Abe Becker

     The Arena Theater and Point Arena Third Thursday Poetry present a virtual Third Thursday Zoom Poetry reading at 7:00pm on Thursday, October 15.  This month features Berkeley poet Abe Becker, with open mic to follow. To watch or participate as an open mic reader, please email blake@snakelyone.com.

    Abe Becker, AKA The Poet Laureate of Awkward, is known for writing and performance that is equal parts vulnerable, morbid, and silly. He hopes that by depicting heavy subjects like grief, clinical depression, and disability with levity he can encourage honesty in himself and others that will hopefully spur positive change.

     Abe has a background in music and theater, and began to give poetry the most attention in the Bay Area slam poetry scene around 2007. He has been a five time member of the city of Berkeley's poetry slam team, winning group piece finals at the National Poetry Slam in '09, and in 2018 becoming Berkeley's grand slam champion. He was also grand slam champion of UC Berkeley, where he represented the university nationally as poet three times and coach three times; he made the finals of CUPSI, (collegiate nationals), three times. 

     Some of Abe's recent publications include: Juked, Fourteen Hills, Fifth Wednesday Journal, After Happy Hour Review, CLAM, Sweet Wolverine, Drunk In A Midnight Choir, The East Bay Review, The Oakland Review, Sparkle + Blink, and Be About it Zine. He has read his poems and led workshops in homeless shelters, retreat centers, k-12 schools and Universities, Libraries, theaters, pubs, house parties, BART, and wherever else seemed important.

     Abe works, and writes about working, as a caregiver (primarily for quadriplegic people), a pet sitter, and a poetry instructor. He is better with animals than people but through therapy, writing, and various woowoo Bay Area tactics, he hopes to bridge the gap. Regardless though, he hopes to grow as a poet every day, creating what feels authentic and helpful to himself and audiences, and that his writing is generally equal parts fun and sad. Abe also hosts and curates Get Lit, Nomadic Press' monthly new work series in Oakland.

     Abe's writing is a hybrid between theater and poetry. He loves mixing genres of art and has a background in singing and drumming, so reading poems with musicians is one of his favorite things. 

Here's a caregiving poem published in Juked