🎉👏 **Congratulations to Michael Guinn, Man of the Year!** 👏🎉
We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible Michael Guinn, whose tireless dedication and multifaceted talents have earned him the well-deserved title of Man of the Year!
From his influential work as a mental health specialist to his impactful presence in the world of spoken word, poetry, and community activism, Michael's contributions are truly unparalleled. His visionary efforts in creating safe and supportive platforms for artists, coupled with his prowess as an emcee and performer, have left an indelible mark on audiences around the globe.
Michael's recent accolades, including the 2023 National Spokenword Award and nominations for prestigious music awards, are a testament to his exceptional talent and unwavering commitment to making a difference. Not to mention his incredible work with "Verbz & Vibez," where he has raised significant funds for poets in need.
Your journey from Jacksonville, Texas, to the global stage inspires us all. Congratulations, Michael Guinn, on being named Man of the Year! Here’s to your continued success and the countless lives you’ll keep touching with your artistry and advocacy. 🌟👏🎤
#MichaelGuinn #ManOfTheYear #Inspiration #SpokenWord #Community
Actor/Poet/Emcee/Advocate
Michael Guinn is a Jacksonville Texas native who besides being a full time mental health specialist, is also nationally renowned spoken word artist, storyteller, multi published, award winning poet and high impact community events organizer and activist with a global audience.
He is an internationally renowned content creator and professional high energy emcee for audiences of all ages. Michael has almost 30 years of experience as the director of Mike Guinn Entertainment and FDR/CEO of Uplift Your Life, a 501c3 which addresses mental health and wellness via performance arts. He is a 2023 Winner Of The National Spokenword Awards and is an award winning and highly sought after promoter who continues to build safe and supportive platforms for all artists and audiences everywhere. For the past four years he has also hosted one of the most consistent virtual open mics on clubhouse called Verbz & Vibez where he has helped raise more than 17,000 for poets on and off the app.
Michael is also a full time social worker turned actor and has also appeared in films, stage and television series and is currently streaming on Amazon, Peacock, Netflix, Tubi, black Oak TV, Afro Land RV, YouTube and Roku. Michael is also a voting member of the NAACP Image Awards and hosts 8 ongoing open mics and ten annual showcases and conferences nationwide.
Most recently, he has also been nominated for a Gospel Choice Music award, a Prayze Factor Award and is on the waitlist for Grammy consideration for his new album “The Calling”
Michael has also published two best-selling collections of poetry and has had his works featured in more than 125 journals, anthologies, ezines on multiple continents in a career that spans more than 25 years! Michael is a two-time National Poetry Slam Finalist, Toronto International Slam Champion and most recently won a 2023 National Spokenword Award for America’s Top Spokenword Emcee/Host and he is always seeking new opportunities to make every experience a fun and rewarding for all. Say Hello to the curator of cool, the king of collaboration, arguably the HARDEST WORKING MAN IN POETRY Mr. Michael Guinn
Michael is just as heavily involved in social services and currently serves on several boards and provides vital input and services to assist with deliverables for homeless and former foster youth.
There’s a sound south of my knowing.
A whoosh of wind winding in whispers and wonder.
A breeze blowing boldly because of the breath of this moment.
And here I am caught up in this gust of time trying desperately to hold on to this feeling.
I’ve created a masterpiece.
A moment molded by the momentum of an active imagination.
I’ve built a monument.
A reminder of the many minutes
I’ve spent sculpting and reshaping the mountain of the man I’ll become.
And now that I’m all grown up.
Now that my pen has become my peace.
I’ve diagnosed and released determined demons delivered by design and poured them all out on the page of my mind.
I am free now.
Sleep betrays me.
But right now, as I wrestle with these Unwelcomed wishes. I pray that daylight reveals and relinquishes me from these still-smoldering embers of past pain.
I made it. Did it all by my damn self.
I’m still here momma.
It’s been 50 years. Be proud of me.
Because your son created a masterpiece.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the bottom of boat built for baggage
we sat. Starving for salvation.
Stolen from our nation.
We were No longer free.
Across oceans the motion moved us farther from the motherland we knew.
Knees raw. backs blue.
Blistered feet! Stuck in the goo
But still
We came here together.
Woman Loving you was my greatest migration
And not even the stench of greed
Nor being treated like breeds
Could stop our love.
No whip could erase the memory of your kiss. Massa’s midnight visits did not stop this craving for your touch. I was a slave to you long before they captured me.
And here we are
Standing chained together at an auction of blocked blessings
half of a whole that has no half to hold.
For sale. still
I'd rather be beaten black blue then to die unchained to you.
poem
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Is Why I Love My Neighbor
By Mike Guinn
I could tell by that Make America Great Again bumper sticker that my neighbor loved the former president. She was Always watching me, judging me, giving me that mean look for no reason.
We couldn’t stand each other. Well we may have had OUR differences, but our pets could care less about “politics”. Everyday my dog anxiously waits for her little friend. And when she sees her. the excitement begins. Then what was once a battleground becomes common ground for my neighbor and I. And as we enjoy the energy of two animals bonding. We talk! Hi my name is Brenda and this is Cassie.
My name is Mike and this is Abby. We’ve done this everyday and our friendship has grown. Three weeks ago she’s asked me to pray for her mom JEAN! Well her mom passed. My heart goes out to her.
Still…our routine continues. And whenever I run out of those doggy poo pickup bags! Brenda shares. When she sees someone that we don’t know! I’m right there. We’ve decided that our dog’s friendship and ours, were way more important than politics.
God is a genius the way he brings people together at time when they need each other the most. When we first met, I thought.
Uh oh! Not another one of those “Karens”. Turns out deep down she was just so caring” And this is how we learn to love our neighbors!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COME BACK HOME! Letter To A Moving Target
By Mike Guinn
Son I want you to see that your life.. does not have to be Saturday night autopsies & pre-ordered grave stones a freedom you’ll never know.
But you can no longer live this life as if the Negro National Anthem was enough to justify the color of your skin. Because if you do.
NO amount of tattoos or K2 will ever replace the scar tissue on your soul. Your heritage is more than rope burns around history’s black neck.
It’s a deep desire for survival no matter how loudly homicide speaks of rivers. This melanin is so rich that when this nation denies you your color, it will be impossible to feel safe in this house arrest called America.
And even after you’ve given this country all of your Africa and your life light goes dim. You’ll realize that our fragile lives did not began on the back porch of shotgun houses, that the chalked lines that silhouette themselves in the shape of a lonely bulls-eye searching for another black target don’t have to fit the profile!
And it’s not your fault that you were born a verb in past tense, an unwilling subject in a sentence that kept on running. This curse, this prison we call life is like playing peekaboo with Satan. Because here you are, fractured by the manner in which the wind whistled and Emmitt-tilled your future.
Son my love is rugged remnants of pain polished smooth by trial and error. It knows your soul like skeletons know crowded closets. These streets will eat and rip and tear you apart SON!
They are as relentless as hurricanes and as unforgiving as white privilege. And I am dying inside the way this life intended, but not you! You will not be blood stains on sidewalks or a redundancy of clichés rewinding themselves into tornadoes of fully refurbished lies.
You will not sag or smoke or walk around here entitled with the audacity to hold up clean hands like this world owes you something. Because it fucking don’t.
Listen.. I don’t want your existence to be another statistic on the back page of history. This life needs to know that if you died, at least you stood for something far more substantial than a bag of weed or pride. There are good things to come son. But you have to be here to see em. So do me a favor, lose the attitude, put down your ego, pull up yo pants and remember this! That whether it be cop or stranger Just SHUT YO MOUTH. SMILE! STAY ALIVE.. and Bring Yo Ass Home! Cause these streets don’t give a damn about young black men.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fix Me
When I was little
I wanted to fix earthquakes because I didn’t like it when things crumbled.
But I still ended up scar tissue
Tender remnants of what’s left of trauma’s lashes and lament
I tried to fix it
Picked up the bits and pieces of me
Filled in the potholes of my soul
Stitched compliments to my smiles
And created this patchwork of pride and guilt
Built more for self-sufficiency than legacy.
I tried to fix it
But how can a suicide singed survivor
Lost and longing
Find traction on trails with such treacherous terrain.
I became a trial and error specialist
Geppetto’s reluctant marionette
And now skulking skeletons peep from crowded closets at my loathing.
Shadows mimic memories from the moments where my mind’s
momentum meanders in a menagerie of misery.
And as alchemy beckons me relentlessly
I’ve become a hostage to a frequency that will never let me be free
The dichotomy of my biology bothers me astrologically.
Because me loving me was an improbable possibility
And this yearning, this burning be hot like lava.
A melody that mysteriously moves me to a time when star signs
Once divine
Intertwine in a glorious celebration of sound.
My black her brown. My castle… Her crown.
And yet here we are
Missing pieces in a partnership of puzzles trying to fix and fit together again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Non Profit Board Member Info
New Friends New Life Men’s Advocacy Group which provides creative outlets and support for women rescued from Human Trafficking. Michael facilitates a writing workshop 2nd and 4th Tuesdays for the past 8 years and is a role model for men who provide safe spaces.
Purple Light Touch Foundation: An organization that provides resources for women and yong girls who have been through domestic violence.
3 Leaf Foundation: An organization that provides literacy opportunities for our ederly.
Catch The Next: A foundation that provides college assistance to first generation Hispanic students via resources, funding and transfer motivational opportunities.
Acting Accolades
With all that Michael does he manages to keep his acting skills honed and has won several awards including the 2020 Irma P Hall Black Theater award for a featured actor in the stage play and is streaming in two Amazon prime series. Peter: The Series and he’s also makes an appearance on Season 2 of “ WASHED”
Michael is also starring in a regional film called “God’s Tired” directed by Michael Green (Dallas) and a short film called “The Lamb” directed by Ali Kareem (Los Angeles) Michael has been a featured actor in several short films & documentaries and Is no stranger to the stage. He has a huge following and brings everything he has to the table as a featured guest or artist.
Keeping The Dream Alive (Sacramento ‘03) Lisa LacyI Wish I Had Waited (Dallas ‘05) Sylvia LettRitche Man (Dallas 09)
Roses Are Read -Sammy Estrada
2017 (Fort Worth)Born To Win By Kay Bell - Waco 2018Sweat Farr Best Theater
Father Comes Home From The War (African American Repetory Theater) Won Irma P Hall Black Theater Award 2020 Dallas
Black Men Interrupted - Soul Repertory Theater - Dallas 2019
Deceitful Keystokes - Nicole Caruthers
Notable Extra Work
Bass Reeves
Sprite Commercial
Baylor Scott White Commercial
Blind Confession- Michael Green
God’s Tired -Mike G Productions 2021
Big Dreams - KD Conservatory 2021
Gold Peak Tea National Commercial 2021
Michael’s Film Credits
Gordon Lee Short Film (1)
Michael Green Short Film (3)
Calvin J Walker -(3)
N’zuri Austin (2)
Mahalia Butler Jackson
Media Tech
SMU PSA
IMDB For Mike Guinn Actor
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7015000/
Gold Peak Tea Commercial
https://youtu.be/sVxg_bqzyHU
The Lamb (New Short Film) Ali Kareem Writer/Director (2020)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=J0snLBRenv0
Actors Access: www.resumes.actorsaccess.com/MikeGuinnActor
1000 Cards https://10000cards.com/card/michael-guinn
TV APPEARANCES
Michael has appeared on Good Morning Texas 3 times as well as other notable news spots
CBS 19 Interview on Spokenword
https://www.cbs19.tv/video/news/local/tyler-spoken-word-competition-honors-martin-luther-king-jr/501-1dcd2f65-3a7c-450d-9822-1ec56b6686d4
NBC5 Interview
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/not-my-son-group-holds-rally-against-racial-injustice-inequality/2400828/?amp=1
Fort Worth Magazine Article Mike Guinn
https://fwtx.com/news/the-power-of-the-pen/
Fox News Social Worker Advocate
https://www.fox4news.com/news/fort-worth-duo-advocates-for-more-resources-for-foster-care-system?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR07WR1A14LaQDnmLMWfHilyo82q1-ffAu8TA9uz4qOMjPAd8LLgOUQilPo
Channel 8 Interview With Mike Guinn
Wednesday Child
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/outreach/wednesdays-child/wednesdays-child-helping-those-who-aged-out-of-foster-care/287-2c248ebf-ce31-4127-95fc-487f1b24f12e?fbclid=IwAR36HcKYNJjnjKwS6F0xXGqF7QGToOB13XvSLLLWIYGPUWjU3NOfOkVrTIk&mibextid=Zxz2cZ
Actors Access: resumes.actorsaccess.com/
MikeGuinn Actor
Website: http://www.mikeguinneent.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/mike.guinn.ent/
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-guinn-a9b2a911
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/jordanmichaelg.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.guinn.948
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jordanmichaelg
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