Timothy Prolific Jones is a poet, publisher, activist, and educator who truly believes that how we decide to utilize art, particularly poetry & hip-hop, as a community could be what saves our children from the streets and the prisons. He is appalled by the continued disenfranchisement of people of color in this country, and is dedicated to making whatever changes he can make in his lifetime. Timothy is an ambassador of the black Long Island experience, and an oral historian of black life in Nassau County. He has been writing for over ten years, and writing professionally for the past five.
Timothy doesn't believe poetry to be a dead artform, and uses his words as a means to inspire change, and to inform and uplift. He believes art to be revolutionary, and views poetry as God's gift.
Timothy is the CEO/President of Andre Maurice Press LLC , which is an independent publishing company which is becoming a home for poets and writers on the verge. The company is named after his deceased first cousin, who was an integral part of Timothy's artistic childhood.
Timothy's dedication to his community extends far beyond his artwork. In 2002, he joined Blackout Arts Collective (BAC), a national grassroots organization dedicated to empowering communities of color through the arts, education, and activism. He has conducted countless workshops on political education, using hip-hop to teach poetry in the classroom, and currently is the mastermind behind BAC's Art or Die series at the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe. Through Blackout, Timothy embarked on the 2003 Lyrics on Lockdown Tour: Slamming the Prison Industrial Complex, performing and conducting workshops in poetry cafes, nightclubs, halfway houses, juvenile detention centers, and prisons. Blackout Press, the organization's publishing venture, currently is partnered with Andre Maurice Press. He also currently serves on BAC's National Board of Directors.
From 2002-2004, Timothy was also the member of The Cataclysm, a spoken-word fusion group that he co-founded at Hunter College. The Cataclysm embarked on several college tours, and released an independent cd titled "The Movement."
Timothy has performed across the East Coast in many open mics, slams, hip-hop showcases, and speaking engagements at venues including The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Bar 13, The 40/40 Club, The Bowery Poetry Club, Riverside Church in Harlem, The Sugar Shack, Acentos, Nuves, Bar Nunn, North by Northwest, Project Row Houses, Cafe Mawanaj, Planet Hollywood, Remote Lounge, Galopagos Art Space, Carlito's Cafe y Galeria, Sutra Lounge, Jake's Saloon, Brooklyn Moon Cafe, Hunter College, Cornell University, Lehman College, Baruch College, LaGuardia College, City College, Cooper Union, Columbia University, New York University, The New School, Riker's Island, Oakhill Juvenile Detention Center in Laurel Maryland, Queens Musuem, and many others.
"if there is no struggle, there is no progress"--Frederick Douglass
"a tiger doesn't shout its tigritude. it acts."--Wole Soyinka
"the power is in the people & politics we address"--Tupac Shakur
"definitions belong to the definers, not the defined"--Toni Morrisson
While you're around, check out:
Blackout Arts Collective , an organization dedicated to empowring communities of color through education, arts, and activism.
Media Sutra , home to all of Andre Maurice Press, LLC's graphic design needs.
Support Underground Hip-hop!!!!!!!!!!
Unlimited Vinyl Ink --one of the best indie labels I've ever come across. It's the home to Substantial , my favorite ambassador of hip-hop culture. You know your mama loves him, so visit the site!