Established on Saturday, September 6, 2003 at The Best Western Hotel in Lanham, Maryland, Great Publishing Company hosted The Pen Point Fall Poet’s Ball to introduce the National Underground Spoken Word Poetry Awards (NUSPAs) pronounced “new-spa” like refreshing. The event brought together poets throughout the United States to celebrate poetry and its literary impact in the local, regional, and world communities. Two hundred attendees came together in solidarity to fellowship, network, and share what each poet contributes to the written and spoken word. Great Publishing Company LLC promised the first ever National Underground Spoken Word and Poetry Awards (NUSPA) to the DC Metro Area welcoming poets, painters, spoken word artists, emcees, family, and friends to the most anticipated poetry event in history.

Sponsored by Tribes Magazine, OyaXclusive, and the John Nelson Art Gallery, NUSPA made history on Saturday, April 16, 2005 @ The Summit in Forestville, Maryland. Twenty two venues in the cities in Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. participated in the nominations for nineteen categories in the month of February 2005. NUSPA was standing room only the night of the event.

On June 2, 2006, NUSPA was held at The Lee Center in the Richard Kauffman Auditorium in Alexandria, Virginia on a Friday night. When NUSPA reached its third year, poets and sponsors were calling ahead to be apart of the event. In 2007, NUSPA was moved June 2nd and held at The Rosslyn Spectrum on Kent Street in Rosslyn, Virginia.

Coined “The Grammy’s for Poets,” NUSPA is the only event of this magnitude and the source of recognition for Spoken Word Artists and Poets Nationally; an award ceremony for artists by artists. NUSPA is the brainchild of national best selling author, KaNikki Jakarta (Mix), and poet and cofounded by husband, Marquis Mix who is an internationally known spoken word recording artist known to the art form as 13 of Nazareth.

Great Publishing Company was busy in 2008 and 2009 presenting fundraisers such as the 100/100 Poetry Slams and publishing poets and spoken word artists alike.  NUSPA returned on Saturday, May 1, 2010 selling out The Solarium inside of the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in the heart of Washington, D.C. 

NUSPA has been hosted by KOM, godchild The Omen, and Beny Blaq.  Artists that have graced the NUSPA stages include:

13 of Nazareth, Archie the Messenger, Big Sllim, Carolyn Malachi, Courtney Dowe, Culture Shock, Hamza, HanaLyn, Emoni Selah, Joanna Hoffman, KaNikki J., KOM, KuKu, PAGES, Princess of Controversy, Ryan Hammer, Sonya Renee Taylor, SoulR InnerG, Taalam Acey, and The Wryte One.

As poets/spoken word artist continue to raise the bar of poetry and spoken word, NUSPA will continue to be the award ceremony that celebrates the art form.

Thank you in advance for your support of The National Underground Spokenword Poetry Awards