SPIT DAT

KELSEY OGBEWE (Kelsey OG, ) is a poet, essayist, and recording artist with a passion for storytelling. He describes himself as a storyteller who finds his voice in rap, nurtures it with jazz, and offers it as poetry. Born and raised in Montgomery County by Nigerian and Haitian parents, Kelsey started writing and performing in 2012. Since then, he has released a six-song poetry EP (Pieces of a Man), read for a Hurston/Wright Foundation event commemorating Black August, published poems in The Amistad (Howard University) and Stylus (University of Maryland), featured at Busboys & Poets, spoken at local school events, and performed as a guest artist with the Baltimore-based nonprofit Speak Life Tour. Kelsey’s work explores Black personhood, liberation, relationships, education, and spirituality. He aims to promote self-discovery and creative freedom for the working masses of the Black diaspora. Kelsey’s prose, poetry, and performances are available on Medium, YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, and other online platforms.

Meet our November featured artist: !

Get to know the artist beyond his poetry at his IG Live interview this coming Sunday 11/9 at 3pm EST.

Then join us for his powerful in-person poetic performance on Monday 11/10, 8pm at (641 D St NW DC), home of the !

S i r H a r v e y F i t z
is a two-time DMV Renaissance Award winner,
cultural curator, and boundary-pushing spoken
word artist. A theatrically trained actor, producer,
photographer, and author, he’s the creator of
Poetic Vibes Open Mic—a celebrated platform
featured in a Georgetown University award-
winning documentary—and the visionary behind
the Black to The Future Festival. His latest
project, Art Official: Intelligence, is the first
spoken word album performed entirely over
original Go-Go music, executive produced by
legend Shorty Corleone and submitted for Grammy
consideration. Harvey’s work is a vibrant tribute to
Black oral tradition, uniting art, community, and
innovation.

Join us Sunday 8/10 at 2pm EST as we go Live for our interview with Monday’s feature !

J.S. Russell is a poet, educator, and the visionary founder of Inspiring Word LLC, a publishing company dedicated to reducing recidivism and empowering incarcerated individuals. A returned citizen himself, Russell has authored nine books of a powerful poetry collection, as well as a transformative workbook and guide designed to inspire personal growth and freedom from within the prison system.

His work has been featured in prestigious outlets such as NYU’s Review of Law and Social Change digital publication The Harbinger, Prison Journalism Project, and PEN America. Through his writing, Russell provides a raw and thought-provoking lens into the experiences of an incarcerated Black man, offering insights that highlight resilience, self-reflection, and the power of transformation.

J.S. Russell’s mission is clear: to show that words can change lives and to help others “write their freedom.” His work continues to make a profound impact, encouraging incarcerated citizens to reclaim their futures and inspiring initiatives that lower recidivism rates. He has been spreading his message at various schools, facilities and open mics in the DMV area.

As a Community Developer II in Prince George’s County Health Department, he mentors youth referred by the Department of Juvenile Services with his lived experience, teaching anger management and victim awareness with Bridges 2 Success. As a credible messenger, Mr. Russell is determined to show that rehabilitation is possible through personal development.

(Fun fact: J.S. will be celebrating his birthday Monday night when he features!)

Sunday evening (August 10), 6pm EST, join us as we go Live for our interview with ! Then join us in-person Monday night at (641 D St NW DC) as Steven features at along with !

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, performance poet Steven Willis mixes elements of theatrical performance with formal teachings of anthropology and political theory to express his eclectic personal narrative. A 3 time Individual World Poetry Slam finalist, Willis is a contributing writer to the Breakbeat Poets Anthology and NYU’s National Council for Teachers Journal. Willis received his MFA in acting from the University of Iowa in 2021 and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop for poetry in 2023. His first full collection, A Peculiar People, was released with Button Poetry in 2022.

Today marks the 5th anniversary of a courageous conversation with our creative community which I initiated from this platform. This conversation was the result of a couple of months of public conflict and confusion between some members of the community. It would have been safer (albeit selfish) for me to keep myself out of the line of fire, watching the drama unfold silently from the sidelines and emerging unscathed. But it genuinely hurt me to see people who I cared about eat each other’s reputations alive via social media, so I stepped up in an attempt to mediate and moderate.

As a result of this conversation, I was accused of being a poor leader who centered myself while allowing harm to befall others. Under pressure, I succumbed to the blindly biased, viciously non-nuanced elephant gun of cancel culture; all at the behest of those whose idea of “ethics” was to conflate attacks with accountability and mistake revenge for justice. Reputations were scarred and relationships were lost in the sad cycle of “hurt people hurting people.”

Since, I have done quite a bit of reading and reflecting on the concepts of community, healthy conflict, and restorative justice. I have continuously checked in to my intent and impact as an artist and host, humbly approaching these crafts and callings with the attitude of a lifelong learner. And I have marveled at the continued grace, support, and love of my true community; those who know how to empower without enabling and challenge without destroying.

If you are or ever were Spit Dat Fam, regular or “irregular,” true blue or once-in-a-blue-moon, baring your soul on stage or giving energy and empathy to those who did, you have contributed to our life and legacy. We thank you for the lessons and welcome those with whom we still have more to learn. Because anyone who has stopped learning has stopped growing. Because anything not growing is dead. And because we are still alive.

Peace, all. A few people have asked if Spit Dat is tonight. It is not. We have moved to second Mondays except in the case of holidays (as with this coming October when we will be rocking on October 6 instead).

The next Spit Dat in-person event will be Monday, August 11, 8-10pm, featuring and . It will take place at , 641 D St NW DC.

See y’all there!