ILL List Vol 1 DVD
Director / Editor of ILL List DVD Spoken Word Series
Tazuo Yamaguchi
Tazuo Yamaguchi has earned a national reputation
as a poet, touring performer, and filmmaker for almost a full decade through
his solo tours, his films, his long list of collaborations with some of
the nation’s finest poets and artists, two national haiku championships,
and his "provocative" poetry workouts and workshops that guide
the voices of youth to the elders.
Tazuo Yamaguchi is a master storyteller, poet and spoken word craftsman
with a deep heritage in Shigin Poetry (poet, chanter, and storytellers
of the royal court of Japan.) Growing up in the Bay Area, he was influenced
by the poets, musicians, and creators of his time. He publishes his own
works and implements ancient and modern traditions into new developing
digital technologies.
The Dallas Morning News calls Tazuo "a modern road warrior telling
mythic tales through spoken words and digital films." In a review
after winning a Chico poetry slam, The Buzz said, “Yamaguchi’s
poems become interactive movies in your mind bringing ancient Asian elements
together with modern pop culture...” Peter Rabbit calls him “the
poet with the brass balls.” Commenting on how in the heat of a poetry
slam off, Yamaguchi would whip out a fully improvisational poem.
Highlights of his work include sharing the stage with America’s
finest poets, opening for notable names like Maceo Parker, Saul Williams,
and Jello Biafra, exchanging poems and interviewing the great Nanao Sakaki,
winning two national haiku head to head bouts and being a finalist in
two, performing and filming the SlamAmerica bus tour, Producing the
first ever DVD of poetry slam, Being a part of the extremely talented
and ever-growing Poetry Slamnation,
Tazuo is the author of four books, three CD’s, Director and producer
of two films, director and producer of two DVDs, an old school poetry
slam champion, coach of the Chico youth poets for six years, and a producer
of poetry events and slams in the Sacramento valley of northern California.
Tazuo is also an accomplished educator, multimedia producer, interactive
developer, and online elearning specialist. He has worked for every major
creative hi-tech company from IBM to Intel to Apple to a very impressionable
opportunity working at Lucas Film LTD directly with Star Wars creator
George Lucas. He holds three degrees in the communication, psychology,
and education fields and has taught at universities and k-12 schools.
The power of the written and spoken word has given him a medium to express
his mystic journey of being healed of cancer when he was eleven years
old. With this strong base value for life and a love for the poetic and
musical human learning process, he speaks out with a graceful presence
full of artistic power.
For
booking information or products
WordGroove@yahoo.com
WordGroove.com