QLPOR Features Composer-Performer Martin Graff

Martin Graff is an artist, author, musician, and extreme-chin-beard enthusiast in Arlington, VA who crafts poetic vignettes with matching art on every topic from the stigma of liking scrapple to the meaning of life in a series called The Face Zone: Surreal Daydreams to Trip Your Imagination... Marty’s live spoken-word show adds original piano compositions from his album Trips for Piano to heighten the experience. His affecting commentary, original humor, whimsical artwork, and absorbing piano offer a uniquely engaging respite that cuts through the noise of our information-age lives with concise, essential truths certain to entertain as they set mind in motion. For a decade, Marty's act has been featured at venues across the region, including Capital Fringe Festival, Spit Dat DC's residency at The Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and multiple Busboys & Poets locations. He has been reviewed and interviewed in over thirty print and online publications, and has made radio and TV appearances in support of his three books and piano album, for which he was nominated Best Classical Artist in the 2022 DC Wammie Awards. When not performing, Marty teaches English as a Second Language, which he started in China and has continued doing throughout the Mid-Atlantic U.S., earning a 2015 Teacher of the Year nomination in Frederick, Maryland.

Thank you for listening to Quintessential Listening Poetry Online Radio and YouTube. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to our podcast on your preferred platform to stay updated on new episodes. You can also leave a review on our podcast to help us improve our content and reach more listeners. Follow us on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook to stay connected with us and join our community of poetry lovers. Finally, if you’re a poet or spoken word artist and would like to showcase your work on the podcast, please contact the host, Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram, at maingram@gmx.com. Thank you for your support and we look forward to sharing more poetry with you soon!