In 2000, Corbet Dean was asked to share his experience at the Spoken Word Festival in Tempe, AZ. After performing poetry about the confrontation, Corbet was praised: Gary Mex Glazner mentioned his work in a festival review for About.com. Later that year, The Mesa Tribune published a portion of the poem in an article on poetry in Arizona. Eventually, Corbet's work appeared in Off the Cuffs, an anthology published by Soft Skull Press.
Weeks later, Corbet won his first Grand Slam Championship in Mesa, Arizona. After being named, "Slam Artist of the Year" by his local venue, Corbet took his second championship in 2001. In 2002, Corbet placed second in the nation at the National Poetry Slam in Minneapolis, MN.
In the months that followed, Corbet became a popular feature at poetry venues throughout the country. His shows included performances at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC, the Berzerkeley Slam in San Francisco, and the National Poetry Slam in Chicago. Corbet's 2003 performance at the Bowery Poetry Club later appeared on the Best of Urbana, 2003 compact disc. At the 2005 National Slam, Corbet repeated another "top ten" finish.
In all, Corbet has won a total of seven local slam titles. While performing in ten consecutive National Poetry Slam events, he released three collections of prose, edited a benefit anthology, and produced a new DVD film. Corbet has seen his work appear in The Arizona Republic, Freedom To Speak (Wordsmith Press), Poems from the Big Muddy (Wordsmith Press), High Desert Vocies (Wordsmith Press), & An Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry (Alpha Books), and The Spoken Word Revolution Redux (Source Books). A Collection of Crime Scenes, Corbet's first full-length manuscript, will be available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and www.corbetdean.com
in March of '07.
Currently, Corbet works as a police officer, trying to affect change within the "system." On his days away from the department, Corbet travels the country, sharing unique poems about God, love, and this crazy little thing called life.
Inspired by 1 Timothy 1:17, Corbet's mission is to create written and visual art that forces us to face the humanity that flourishes in the shadows where we least expect it. By doing so, Corbet strives to honor the Spirit of those spoken word traditions that precede us by centuries.
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