A Little Bit About George Watsky

On June 17th, join 247 Townhall for the preview of the George Watsky Show. Until then, here's a little bit about George:

In March, 2006 Watsky won the Youth Speaks Poetry Grand Slam Finals with a perfect score in front of a sold out San Francisco Opera House crowd. In April, 2006 his San Francisco slam team won the BNV National Poetry Slam, with the finals culminating at a sold out Apollo Theater in New York City. In 2007 he appeared on the sixth season of Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry on HBO and in November, 2006 Watsky traveled to Sundance, Utah as the recipient of Robert Redford's Sundance Summit Award for poetry on climate change. Watsky holds the record for consecutive appearances at Youth Speaks Grand Slam finals (with five). The last two of those slams (at the San Francisco Opera House and Masonic Auditorium) are to date the two largest audiences ever for a poetry slam of any age, anywhere in the world, topping out at over 3,000 each. A three-time Bay Area National Teen Slam Team member and a 2005 and 2006 Brave New Voices National Finalist, his poetry is featured on the CDs Bringing the Noise 3 and Bringing the Noise 4 and in the second First Word Press anthology Hearts Sized Like Cities.
Watsky's debut poetry collection and CD, Undisputed Backtalk Champion from First Word Press sold out its first printing. After a limited second run it is awaiting a third edition with a new distribution deal from the legendary City Lights Books. Adam Mansbach, Author of Angry Black White Boy or The Miscegenation of Macon Detornay provides the foreword.
Watsky has been featured in most major Bay Area media outlets including the San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Bayview, WILD 94.9 FM, KGO radio, KPFA Hard Knock Radio, the KRON 4 Evening News, and the KPIX Channel 5 Morning Show. He has performed at the biggest venues in the area and beyond including the Apollo Theater, the Great American Music Hall, the Independent, the Herbst Theater, Masonic Auditorium, the War Memorial Opera House, Bimbo's, the Yerba Buena Theater, and has won all-ages slams in Berkeley, Marin, and at the famed Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan. Watsky has performed with the DaKah Hip Hop Orchestra and has been featured at shows headlined by Mos Def, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal Michael Franti and Meshell Ndegeocello among others.
He hosted the popular San Francisco 21 and under open mic Final Fridays from 2005-2006. Watsky is a member of the class of 2010 at Emerson College in Boston where he is pursuing an acting degree.