Posted: Friday, May 21, 2010 1:36 pm

Police Athletic League (PAL) children from all five boroughs gathered at Affirmation Arts, 523 West 37th Street in Manhattan, to showcase their spoken word creations to friends, family and PAL staff at PAL's Annual Poetry Jam.  The young people's poetry reflected this year's theme of "See What I See."  Students from PAL's Duncan Center in Hell's Kitchen, PAL's Armory Center in Washington Heights and PAL's Harlem Center worked on their poems at the PAL ARTS After School Program.

Manhattan winners included Breia Marslow and Daquane Simmons from PAL's Harlem Center, Ashley Anglero, Dariel Santana and Katherine Ramirez from PAL's Armory Center, and Anthony Ure–a and Wendell Joseph from PAL's Duncan Center.  The young poets had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with professional poet, Kahlil Almustafa, who coached them on performing the spoken word.

Kahlil Almustafa is the 2002 Nuyorican Grand Slam Champion and author of Grandma's Soup and I'm Crying Everyone's Tears.  He recently released his debut CD CounterIntelligience.  Almustafa gained attention in the hip-hop community as a performer with GAME Rebellion, performing at the first solar-powered hip-hop concert, while participating in the "Hip-Hop 4 President Tour," and as a grantee of the Future Aesthetics Artist Regrant Program selected by the Hip-Hop Theater Festival.

The 2010 Poetry Jam was made possible through funding from the following generous individuals: The City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Keith Haring Foundation and The William Talbott Hillman Foundation.

Affirmation Arts is a new arts complex comprised of a gallery space, offices, studios, and an artist-in-resident quarter.  Additionally, the building houses a foundation for the arts.  The mission of the Affirmation Arts Fund is to raise the status of the artist and art as a vocation through the support of arts education.  The new premises, on the far west side of Manhattan, provide a fresh space for the arts to thrive.

New York City's Police Athletic League is the first, largest and finest civilian-run PAL in the country. Founded in 1914, PAL has served New York City's young people for 96 years.  PAL provides recreational, educational, cultural and social activities to over 56,000 boys and girls annually.  It is also the city's largest, independent, nonprofit youth organization.  For more information, please visit www.palnyc.org<http://www.palnyc.org/>.

Winners from Police Athletic League's Annual Poetry Jam