SEASON 38 | February 2026

EVERY.WORD POETRY’S LINES FOR LIBERATION - A Black History Month Spoken Word Experience
February 26th – March 1st, 2026

every.Word Poetry invites the public to its Black History Month spoken word poetry experience, Lines for Liberation. Four poets embark on a journey toward freedom, discovering what a future for Black lives can look like and how liberation might be claimed in order to be transported to a time co-crafted by these literary seers.

Lines for Liberation is an experience of curiosity, confidence, pride, and, most of all, warmth. The poets actively build the warmth and vibrancy needed to transform the space into an Afrofuturistic world. Through spoken word performance, they move through vulnerability, comedy, music, theatre, truth, and spirit. This show is the result of creativity being valued and honored within the Black experience.

The poets bring the audience to the future through the lens of Black folks. It is not a story so much as a collective dream and shared imagination of liberation that persists through time. Though only an ensemble of four, the poets work to encapsulate and paint a picture of Black life in space beyond what can be easily conceptualized, pinpointing shared fears and hopes when thinking beyond the present. They are the past, present, and future, always.

Dre’ Jackson, Jasmine Games, Michael Hatcher, and Ms. Trin-I-Tee star in this cosmic conception of Black liberation under the creative leadership of Florinda Bryant, Dr. Eva Margarita, and Aaliyah Jenkins. Audiences are invited to take a journey into a new world without boundaries, where poets manifest reality in real time and combine poetry, music, and other artistic elements into a show that explores the endless possibilities of Blackness.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

Florinda Bryant is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, educator, and cultural strategist based in Austin, Texas. Her work centers performance as a tool for community engagement and social justice, using storytelling and embodiment to explore identity, race, and lived experience from Black and Afro-Latina perspectives. Florinda is the founder of Creative Flow - Coaching Por Vida, LLC and a YWCA Woman of the Year for Racial Justice.

Aaliyah Jenkins (she/her) is an Austin-based writer of poetry, prose, and at least one play. She holds a BA in Plan II Honors from the University of Texas at Austin where some of her poems have been published. She’s been a student of theatre and staged performance nearly her whole life having held many roles across technical, performance, and directing capacities. With a deep interest in the human condition, her creative work centers, honesty, healing, and the power of being seen.

Dr. Eva Margarita (she/her) is an Afro-Latina artist and scholar originally from Los Angeles, CA. As a dramaturg and performance artist her work is guided by the principle that rituals of everyday life acknowledge communal, scholarly, and spiritual methods of caring for one another. Her previous credits includes directing devised works Something in Me About the Ground and Child of Aphrodite as well as dramaturgy for Blasphemy of a Good Bath. She is a board member of The Poet House acting as a guide for artists within the organization. Eva Margarita holds a Phd in Rhetoric & Language from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master's in Performance Studies from New York University. 

ABOUT THE POETS

Michael Hatcher (he/him) is a poet with over 13 years of experience in the slam scene and the Executive Director of The Poet House. He holds a BS in Sociology from The University of North Texas and a Global MA in Human Resource Management from Colorado State University. A decorated slam poet, Hatcher is a 4x Dallas–Fort Worth Regional Slam Champion, a Jubilee Theater Black History Slam Champion, and a 2024 Blackberry Peach National Poetry Slam finalist. His books include Things I Say in Crowded Rooms and above the canopy, with publications in Inverted Syntax Magazine, Flying Ketchup, and Word Space Dallas. Follow him @mikekpz_poetry.

Jasmine Games (she/her) is a Black queer spoken word poet and theater practitioner from Houston, TX. She holds a BA in English and Performance Studies from Texas A&M University and an MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. An award-winning artist, she received the 2021 Sexton Prize for Poetry and the Winifred Ward Award for excellence in theatre education. She is a 2025 Austin Poet Laureate finalist, Blackberry Peach National Poetry Slam finalist, and Right2Write finalist. As Artistic Director of The Poet House, home to every.Word Poetry and Courageous Cadence, and Event Coordinator at The Carver Museum, she uses drama and creative writing to address social justice. Her debut poetry collection, Somebody’s Daughter, is available online. Follow her @jasminegamespoetry or visit jasmineigames.com.

Dre’ Jackson (he/him) is a poet originally from Central Florida and Warwick, Bermuda, now based in Austin, Texas. With degrees in Psychology and Education, he writes with a deep respect for human complexity, always tuned into both the mind and the moment. A writer first and performer second, Jackson turns feelings into something audiences can hear, feel, and maybe even heal from. His style is honest, curious, and intentional, tracing the contours of love, heartbreak, lust, and everything in between. His debut poetry collection, Side Mirror, is available on Amazon.

Ms. Trin-I-Tee (she/they) is a Houston native, spoken word poet, and activist. A University of Texas at Austin graduate in Rhetoric and Writing, she has performed on over 50+ stages in and around Central Texas, while also hosting and curating poetry-centered community events. Her work earned her a feature on CBS Austin, where she performed an original piece “What Is an African to an African American.” Her art confronts colonialism, institutionalized racism, and corrupt social systems, centering Pan-Africanism, intersecting identities, and radical imagination. Beyond the stage, she works in artist management for Smoke’n Mic Night and serves as a committee member for the Poet House nonprofit. A revolutionary in the making and self proclaimed dreamer, she IS the moment. 

ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS

every.Word Poetry is a program of The Poet House. The Poet House cultivates a care-centered community of spoken word poets by uplifting the marginalized and building spaces where art is a catalyst for change. thepoethouse.org

The VORTEX, one of Austin’s longest-running alternative performance venues, is a cultural anchor dedicated to inclusive and innovative art. Home to The Eloise Stage, a nationally certified butterfly garden, The Butterfly Bar, and Patrizi’s, The VORTEX supports diverse artists and communities through bold new works and collaborative partnerships.

Join us for a powerful evening of poetry, music, and the beauty of Black expression.