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Mojdeh

Chicago, IL

$400 ‐ $4000

Spoken Word Artist

Travels up to 200 miles

Get a free quick quote

Promotional video thumbnail 1 for Mojdeh

Blonde Jesus

Performing at the Loft Literary Center as a part of the culminating performance of a group of writers funded under the Loft Literary Center's Grants.

I am the front woman of an art rock / spoken word band that has shared the stage with Saul Williams, Marc Kelly Smith, Marty McConnel, Nikki Patin, and many others.

1 Video 3 Photos

Overview

Award-winning writer, poet, performer, & educator! Mojdeh is an internationally competing slam poet, has performed in front of thousands, and runs workshops in US, UK, and EU! She uses her work to explore life through the lens of a half black, half middle eastern woman during times when movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #YesAllWomen are all over the media. She has been called "The Margret Cho of Poetry," so you will laugh when she channels her eccentric immigrant parents and you will have conversations with your own empathy when she explores the resilience of a nerdy bi-racial child who is constantly afraid of the homelessness that could be around the corner.

Reviews

7 reviews

Tj M.

February 3, 2019

Professional with Words On and Off the Stage

From our initial contact, to the post show details, Mojdeh was in communication every step of the way. What I loved so much was their initiative to check in multiple times leading up to the event and then finally after. During the check ins, Mojdeh was asking the right questions that I wish every performer would ask leading up to an event because when they got there, they were able to join in and amplify the vibe to another level. Finally, the check in after our show was very appreciative. To have an artist ask After a show what they could've done better or what the producer would've liked to see more of, is a true testament to someone who is taking their craft seriously. On stage and off, Mojdeh and the National Poetry Slam Team were a great act to have at our show and I hope others learn by their example of professionalism at all levels of their artistry.

Hired as: Motivational Speaker, Spoken Word Artist

Mallory E.

January 31, 2019

Full of Energy and Light

I have worked with Mojdeh several times since November of 2015 and it has always been a joy. She is always conscientious, creative, and well-prepared for whatever event she is involved with. She is an excellent communicator, detail oriented, and easy to coordinate with. As a workshop facilitator, she has an easy levity which never fails to engage the crowd. She brings with her a wealth of experience and her workshops are well-organized and focused. In short, she is a joy to work with!

Hired as: Motivational Speaker, Spoken Word Artist

John S.

January 30, 2019

An Excellent Writer, Performer, and Organizer

I have seen Mojdeh perform at numerous shows and have enjoyed taking part in shows she has produced. My great admiration for her work led me to commission her to write and perform a new poem for my book release party at Columbia College. She wrote “Blonde Jesus” which was one of my favorite memories of the show and later became a hit on Button Poetry (see the video on her profile page). She connects with diverse audiences in a way that is both humorous and thought provoking, making us laugh and causing us to question how we can make positive change in the world. I plan to continue collaborating with her in the future.

Hired as: Spoken Word Artist

Noah J.

January 27, 2019

Powerful Performance and Presence

The Sick Muse Magazine had the pleasure of having Mojdeh perform at our Issue 10 Release Party. Not only is Mojdeh's art deeply moving and emotionally frank in its content, but she does the work to ensure people are really listening and engaged when she performs, occasionally even moving through the audience with assured ease. The audience was captivated from the moment her performance began. Off-stage Mojdeh was also a pleasure to work: straight-forward, kind, professional, and understanding. As for her art, I love her words and music, reflecting on how our mind/soul process the past to create our futures, reframing trauma and happiness in the metal of metaphor and language, forged in a fire of immediacy and tension.

Hired as: Spoken Word Artist

Matt M.

January 25, 2019

Mojdeh Stoakley is a Fantastic Poet and Performer

We brought in Mojdeh for a festival and poetry slam and are glad we did. Mojdeh knows how to move an audience, choosing the right poems and delivering them in a way custom-suited to the crowd. The bonus is how Stoakley is also an experienced teacher who knows how to bring that out on stage as well as being able to be brought in for educational opportunities, when possible, outside of just a performance.

-Matt Mason, Nebraska State Poet and Executive Director of the Nebraska Writers Collective

Hired as: Spoken Word Artist

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Booking information

Price range: $400 ‐ $4000

Languages: English, Persian

Gig length: 10 - 60 minutes

What to expect

Expect an interactive performance experience. Shows with Mojdeh can behave as one-woman-theater or as a give-and-take. If event producers and/or audiences are willing, she will bring them into the fun and story. She tells inspirational and humorous stories, performs prepared poetry pieces, and can even run writing and performance workshops.

About

Mojdeh Stoakley is a 5x award winning writer, performer, photographer, researcher, & educator. She burst into the performance scene at 14, her theater & music talents captured the attention of an agent at 16, and has shared the stage with folks like Saul Williams, Pere Ubu, and John Legend since. Her photography & writing & contributions as a community commentator have been aired or published by many media sources & journals such as WBEZ, Alarm Press, Chicago Now, and Muzzle Magazine, among others. She's released 5 albums of music & poetry independently and as a member of »radiant devices«, recently published her first book "born into dissonance," and has an album on the way. She has represented Chicago multiple times at the National Poetry Slam, Individual World Poetry Slam, & Southern Fried Slam in addition to coaching youth competing in Louder Than A Bomb. She's also been an executive producer for festivals like Lethal Poetry's Nights of Sight & Sound, the world's largest mobile art show Art On Track, and one of Chicago's PSi certified slams, Words That Kill. Mojdeh received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is the founder Lethal Poetry Inc and LUCID Art Lab, and board member of Surviving The Mic arts organizations that activate artists as social servants. She is interested in how the arts can effect social and cognitive development among youth and populations who've experienced trauma. When she's not being a creative savant and community leader, she is engaged in HIV prevention research at the University of Illinois at Chicago's School of Public Health. Find out more about Mojdeh at (link hidden)

Additional booking notes

I can perform anywhere! Of course, a stage is nice! But as long as I'm in a space that is accommodating I am very adaptable! A sound system is important for any space that is larger than 12' x 12'. Intimate library or gallery performances are fine without a microphone, but most other places it's preferable to have the option - to ensure the audience has the richest experience possible.

Services offered

Spoken Word Artist Motivational Speaker

Past booked events

June 2019

23

Sunday

St Louis - accepting bookings

8:00am - 11:00pm (Mon)

21

Friday

St Louis - Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam

12:00pm - 10:00pm (Sat)

Tuesday

Performance at Vernon Public Library

7:00pm - 11:00pm

04

Thursday

Motivational + Performance: Greyslake Central HS

8:00am - 4:00pm

March 2019

28

Thursday

DC + Baltimore Area - available for more bookings

1:00am - 11:00pm

27

Wednesday

Performance at TILDEN HS

9:00am - 12:00pm

17

Sunday

TBA - Evening Performance

6:00pm - 11:00pm

16

Saturday

Ann Arbor MI - avail. for more bookings

1:00am - 11:00pm

15

Friday

Gallery Cabaret with BlackerFace

8:00pm - 11:55pm

13

Wednesday

Workshop: Saint Francis Xavier

8:00am - 12:00pm

05

Tuesday

Workshop: Muslim Community Centers

8:00am - 12:00pm

03

Sunday

TBA - Evening Performance

6:00pm - 11:00pm

02

Saturday

Ann Arbor MI - avail. for more bookings

1:00am - 11:00pm

01

Friday

Saturday

Northern IL University - Showcase at House Cafe

7:00pm - 9:00pm

January 2019

31

Thursday

Workshop: College Preparatory School of America

9:00am - 12:00pm

30

Wednesday

Friends By the Fire Performance Series

7:00pm - 10:00pm

28

Monday

Lumpen Women In Music Radio

7:00pm - 9:00pm

20

Sunday

Women Made Gallery Poetry Series

2:00pm - 5:00pm

13

Sunday

London's Wacky Racists - Anti-Racism Showcase

7:00pm - 11:00pm

11

Friday

London UK - Private Satire Writing Workshops

8:00pm - 2:00pm

09

Wednesday

Berlin Kreusberg Slam - Featured Performance

7:00pm - 10:00pm

07

Monday

Private Performance/Writing Workshops

11:00am - 9:00pm (Tue)

05

Saturday

Berlin Poetry vs Comedy Showcase

7:00pm - 10:00pm

December 2018

30

Sunday

Berlin Germany - private workshops + performances

12:00pm - 12:00pm

19

Wednesday

The London Original Slam - Farrago

7:00pm - 11:00pm

07

Friday

London UK - private workshops and performances

12:00pm - 12:00pm

06

Thursday

Workshop: Chicago Jewish Day School

8:00am - 12:00pm

November 2018

30

Friday

LC Femme Showcase Chicago

8:00pm - 11:00pm

30

Friday

Performance: Keller Regional Gifted Center

8:00am - 9:00pm

29

Thursday

Workshop: Sacred Heart School

8:00am - 12:00pm

27

Tuesday

Workshop: Sacred Heart School

8:00am - 12:00pm

21

Wednesday

Performance: Boston Poetry Slam

7:00pm - 9:00pm

20

Tuesday

Performance: Lionel Hampton Fine Arts School

8:00am - 10:00am

01

Thursday

Kibbitznest Books - Poetry Showcase

7:00pm - 9:00pm

October 2018

26

Friday

Performance + Workshops: Heartland Conference

12:00pm - 12:00pm

24

Wednesday

Workshop: Chi Lit Alliance

9:00am - 3:00pm

23

Tuesday

Workshops: Sacred Heart School

8:00am - 12:00pm

22

Monday

Emcee: Surviving The Mic

6:00pm - 9:00pm

18

Thursday

28

Tuesday

London UK - private workshops and performances

12:00pm - 12:00pm

24

Friday

Performance+Workshops: Greenlake Baha'i Conf.

1:00am - 8:00pm

20

Monday

Emcee: Surviving The Mic

6:00pm - 9:00pm

19

Sunday

Performance: BACKROOM 312 intimate showcase series

7:00pm - 11:00pm

18

Saturday

Award Presenter: FINALS STAGE National Poetry Slam

7:00pm - 10:00pm

13

Monday

Emcee + Director of 29th National Poetry Slam

1:00am - 11:00pm

July 2018

16

Monday

Emcee: Surviving The Mic

6:00pm - 9:00pm

13

Friday

Poet/Emcee: of PREACH at Improv Olympics

7:00pm - 11:00pm

13

Friday

Performance: Southshore Fine Arts Academy

10:00am - 12:00pm

12

Thursday

Performance with »radiant devices« at Empty Bottle

6:00pm - 11:00pm

11

Wednesday

Performance LUYA Launch Show

7:00pm - 11:00pm

11

Wednesday

Performance at TILDEN HS

8:00am - 10:00am

05

Thursday

Workshop: Northeastern Illinois University

12:00pm - 3:00pm

01

Sunday

Poetry Performance + Interview: What About Chicago

7:00pm - 10:00pm

June 2018

May 2018

31

Thursday

Rustbelt Regional Slam (Calibration Poet)

1:00am - 11:00pm

30

Wednesday

Poetry Foundation: Performance for Chi Poetry Cntr

6:00pm - 10:00pm

30

Wednesday

Workshop - Hip Hop Poetry at Kelly High School

3:00pm - 5:00pm

28

Monday

New York, NY - private workshops + performances

12:00pm - 12:00pm (Tue)

25

Friday

DC/Baltimore - private workshops + performances

12:00pm - 12:00pm

23

Wednesday

Workshop: Poetry Zines Pt 3 at Kelly HS

3:00pm - 5:00pm

21

Monday

Emcee: Surviving The Mic

6:00pm - 10:00pm

16

Wednesday

Workshop: Poetry Zines Pt 2 at Kelly HS

3:00pm - 5:00pm

14

Monday

Film Interview for TheGate Project

12:00pm - 5:00pm

13

Sunday

Performance for Underlined Poetry Series

10:00am - 12:00pm

13

Sunday

Performance for Film: TheGate Project

10:00am - 12:00pm

11

Friday

Performance for PREACH at Improv Olympics

7:00pm - 10:00pm

10

Thursday

In-studio Performance+Interview WLUW Radio

7:00pm - 8:00pm

10

Thursday

Performance: MLK Academy of Social Justice

10:00am - 12:00pm

09

Wednesday

Workshop: Poetry Zines Pt 1 at Kelly HS

3:00pm - 5:00pm

06

Sunday

NY Bowery Poetry Club Performance

7:00pm - 11:00pm

05

Saturday

Performance for film: Izquerdos Sessions

12:00pm - 3:00pm

03

Thursday

Artist Visit: New York Dida School

12:00pm - 6:00pm

02

Wednesday

Workshop: Social Justice Poetry at Kelly HS

3:00pm - 5:00pm

01

Tuesday

Monday

Thursday

Thursday

Tuesday

Berlin Kreusberg Slam - Featured Performance

6:00pm - 11:00pm

03

Wednesday

Performance Spoken Word Lond'n UK

7:00pm - 10:00pm

April 2016

02

Saturday

University of Illinois - Illinois Interfaith Confrence

7:00pm - 8:00pm

March 2016

01

Tuesday

Saul Williams, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Margret Cho

Setup requirements

one microphone, one mic stand, standard PA/speaker system. An input for an ipod is a plus.

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