Phil Long Phil Long (aka Phievalon) is, as he describes, “a middle aged, middle class, middleweight, average, relatively unimpressive, spoken word poet who is also a Boeing 777 airline pilot.” Since being challenged in 2008 by his 17 year old daughter to write a rap, he has competed (without much success) at the Individual World Poetry Slam, featured at the iconic Green Mill in Uptown Chicago, won at the midweek NuYorican Poetry Slam in Manhattan, hosted the Jesus Poetry Slam at Columbia College Chicago, performed at a Greek restaurant in Johannesburg, been kindly tolerated at the Sydney Poetry Slam in Glebe, at Centinela State Prison in SoCal, at Coffee Creek (women’s) Correctional Facility in Oregon, on the street between pubs in London, and on a tour bus from the airport in Seoul.
Phil not only slams on layovers and by invitation but has also written and performed two original spoken word plays, Liar Lunatic and CosmoLyrical, both of which were drawn from his slam poetry virtuosity over the previous six years. He has found performance poetry to be much less lucrative than he first imagined it would be and so he still flies large jets between gigs to pay the bills and maintain a little self-respect with his four adult children and lovely, enduring wife, Pam. Phil will be speaking during our large group sessions as well as during a breakout session slot.
Website: phievalon.com |Twitter: @Phievalon