POET/PLAYWRIGHT/MULTI-PERCUSSIONIST/PHOTOGRAPHER/TEACHER

Avotcja has been published in English & Spanish in the USA, Mexico & Europe, and in more Anthologies than she remembers. She is an award winning Poet & multi-instrumentalist who has opened for Betty Carter in New York City & Peru's Susana Baca at San Francisco's Encuentro Popular, played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bobi & Luis Cespedes, John Handy, Sonido Afro Latina, Dimensions Dance Theater, Black Poets With Attitudes, Bombarengue, Nikki Giovanni, Los Angeles' Build An Ark, Dwight Trible, Diamano Coura West African Dance Co., Terry Garthwaite, Big Black, The Bay Area Blues Society & Caribeana Etc. Shared stages with Sonia Sanchez, Piri Thomas, Janice Mirikitani, Diane DiPrima, Michael Franti, Jayne Cortez, & with Jose Montoya's Royal Chicano Air Force & is a Bay Area icon with her group Avotcja & Modupue.  Avotcja was the opening act for the legendary Poet Pat Parker the last three years of her life. She both composed & performed the film score for the Danish documentary MuNu. Her Poetry &/or music has been recorded by Piri Thomas, Famadou Don Moye (of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago), Bobby Matos Latin Jazz Ensemble, & performed by The Purple Moon Dance Project, and was the 1st Poetry performed by New York's Dance Mobile. She's appeared at The Lorraine Hansberry Theater in S. F., The Asian-American Jazz Festival in Chicago, as well as The Asian-American Jazz Festival in San Francisco.  She's been featured 5 times at Afro-Solo, twice at San Francisco's Carnival, The Scottish Rite Temple & Yoshi's in Oakland, Jose Castellar's play “Man From San Juan”, Club Le Monmartre in Copenhagen Denmark, Stanford University, at San Francisco's Brava Theater For The Arts with Cine Accion, New York's Henry Street Settlement Theater and The Women On The Way Festival in San Francisco. Avotcja is popular Bay Area DJ & Radio Personality, and the founder/Director of “The Clean Scene Theater Project (AKA) Proyecto Teatral De La Escena Sobria”. She continues to teach Creative Writing, Storytelling & Drama in Public Schools & thanks to the California Arts Council she was also an Artist in Residence at the Milestones Project & the Penal System. Avotcja is a proud & active member of DAMO (Disability Advocates Of Minorities Organization), PEN Oakland, California Poets In The Schools, NARAS & the National Writers Union Local #3.

Avotcja P.O. Box 422340 San Francisco, CA 94142-2340
Website: www.Avotcja.com
For resume, stage plot &/or example of poetry visit:
Email: avotcjawordpower@earthlink.net
Email: laverdadmusical@yahoo.com
Press Packets available upon request

Avotcja & Modupue
Build An Ark
Diamano Coura West African Dance Company
Proyecto Teatral de La Escena Sobria/The Clean Scene Theater Project

Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Sistahs With Stories
Las Bomberas de La Bahia
John Handy
Black Poets With Attitudes
Omaya
James Spaulding
Caribeana, Etc.
Sonido Afro Latina
Dimensions Dance Theater
Build An Ark
Terry Garthwaite
Bombarengue
Henry Street Settlement Theater

BUILD AN ARK ON DAWN ("When Ancestors Speak")
     SHAMAN WORK RECORDINGS 2007

KARLTON HESTER ON 21ST CENTURY MUSICISM (Origins "True Confessions Of A Sound Junkie")
     HESTERIA MUSIC 2006

MEMBERS OF MODUPUE W/GLEN PEARSON ON BRIDGE ACROSS THE BLUE ("Oaktown Blue")
     Word & Violin 2004

AVOTCJA & MODUPUE ("Live @ Yoshi's 2003")
     WORLD OF WORDPOWER & SONG 2004

PHAVIA KUJICHAGULIA ("The Human Race")
     A WISDOM COMPANY 1992

“AVOTCJA” W/CONJUNTO SOCIAL Y FOLKLORICO (promotional video Produced & Directed by Jeanelle Rodriguez)
     SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY 1997

“HAS ANYBODY HEARD MY SONG?” (w/Bobi & Luis Cespedes, Pepe Ntoto, Julian Priester, Famadou Don Moyé, Val Serrant & Terry Garthwaite)
     IMANI ENT. 1989
     (PRESS PACKET, CD & PHOTOS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST)

• WOW   Women On The Way Festival (w/Avotcja, Sandi Poindexter, Tammy Hall & Michael Goerlitz) @ The Shotwell Studios San Francisco, CA 2008
  
  
• Avotcja & Modupue (w/Upsurge, Golda Solomon/Saco Yasuma, Copus & Adam David Miller) @ The 1st Jazz Poetry Festival The Hillside Club Berkeley, CA 2007
  
  
• Avotcja, Shirley Kazuya Muramoto of Modupue, w/Tatsu Aioki @ The 11th Annual Asian American Jazz Festival @ The HotHouse   Chicago, IL 2006
  
  
• Avotcja & Modupue @ San Francisco World Music Festival @ ODC Theater San Francisco, CA. 2004
  
  
• Avotcja & Modupue @ San Francisco Carnival w/E.W. Wainwright @ Comcast Stage/S.F., CA 2004
  
  
• Avotcja & Modupue @ Malcolm X Jazz Festival w/Sandi Poindexter, Francis Wong, Coto Pincheira, Baba Ken Okulolo, John-Carlos Perea, E.W. Wainwright @ San Antonio Park East Oakland, CA 2004
  
  
• Playwright/Director “Oaktown Blue” (The Dynamic Faye Carol, Alvon Johnson, Orq Directed by Glen Pearson & Members of 5 Dance Companies @ Alice Arts Theater Oakland, CA 2002
  
  
• Avotcja & Val Serrant, etc Opening Act for Peruvian diva Susana Baca @ El Encuentro Popular @ Corinthian's Center San Francisco, CA 2001
  
  
• Black Artists Forum (w/Piri Thomas & Amiri Baraka) @ The Black Dot Cultural Center Oakland, CA 2000
  
  
• Afro Solo @ Theater Artaud & ODC Theater Space San Francisco, CA 1999-2003
  
  
• W/Rahsaan Roland Kirk @ The Village Vanguard New York City, New York 1970
  
  
• Opening act for Betty Carter @ Hilton Hotel/New York City, New York. 1970
  
  
• W/Rahsaan Roland Kirk @ The Both/And San Francisco, CA 1968
  
  
• W/Horace Tappscott's UGMA (The Underground Musician's Association) Los Angeles, CA 1965-?

Bay Area Blues Society's Jazz Band Of The Year 2005, Carijama Awards, California Arts Council Grant, Zellerbach Family Fund Grant, Serpent Source Foundation For Women In the Arts Grant, “Pat Bond Award”, two times “Blues DJ Of The Year” Bay Area Blues Society's Hall Of Fame Awards/Oakland, CA 2000 & 2003, Sister Of Fire Award (Woman of Color Resource Center)/Berkeley, Corporation For Public Broadcasting Grant

     (PRESS PACKET, CD & PHOTOS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST)