Biography:

S.L.A.P.

Born Lakeya Eugenya Gardner in the if you can make it here you can make it anywhere city of Brooklyn, New York, Sum-Thyng like a poet is a public speaker, organizer, poet/spoken word performer, & an emcee; she has used her northern and southern roots to craft her own brand of creative expression. Sum-Thyng Like a Poet mostly goes by the acronym S.L.A.P. and it's fitting once you hear how powerful her presence and words hit

Since finding a passion for slam poetry, Slap has competed regionally and nationally for the last 4 years she has been a member of the Bull City Slam Team out of Durham, NC & Slam Charlotte also out of NC been a finalist for Nuyorican Slam team in 09 and a she is a member of the team that was known as Blood Is Cold they are out NY they performed at SoundBitesNYC hosted by Mo Browne and Jive

Since falling in love with the stage and microphone, Sum-Thyng Like a Poet has also used her talents and connections within the arts circuit to aid in developing the community and pushing for social change. She has worked as an organizer on such issues as social injustice, domestic violence and sexual assault; planned and facilitated for the Convent House in NY along with the aid of some of her peers they conducted creative writing and performance workshops to help young children learn that through the art of poetry they can release their fears and dreams and teach them that even when this cold world seems like it has turned its back on them and stop listening that through this art form all poetry if they speak someone will listen because they're not going through it alone.

Slap has had the pleasure to work with the City of Durham (2011,2010, 2008, and 2007 Durham’s Art Walk First place winner for the 2009 Bimbe Festival held in NC she as been part of the Aids /HIV Awareness program at NCCU and performed for the Obama Champion 08 in North Carolina Sum-Thyng like a Poet is also a cast member of Black Poetry Theater Founded and Co-founded by Church da Poet and Dasan Ahanu in Durham NC she has also done an Off Broadway Production Directed by Emit Thrower Called Ghettoery (Between the Bricks) and currently she is working with Greatness Productions owned by producer & Artist Stranga the Great who is like 5th on the charts overseas but in the main time you can catch her performing beside some of the best & well known poets in the world right here in the United States

Sum-Thyng Like a Poet at several different times has created her own series of shows and collaborated with local promoters and artist to provide some of the best arts and music events in NC. Her work has been featured on Blog talk and Community Radios across the nation .Her writing has been featured in online and print publications. Sum-Thyng Like a Poet has also released 2 spoken word Albums entitled (S.L.A.P.) Sum-Body Loves a Poet, & This Is Life… A Lifestyle Not a Hobby she also has a chapbook entitled 21 Luv Notes. So pretty much what it all balls down to is this inspiring striving poet only seeks to create art that tells stories that can stimulate people's minds, touche their heart, and capture their attention and hope that she doesn't lose who she is as a person doing it.