Keys & Crowbars

Jorge Mendez

POETRY

Born in Brooklyn in 1978, Jorge Mendez moved with his family to Virginia Beach in the winter of ‘87 where he finished school and became involved in the nascent 757 Hip Hop scene by 2001, where he recorded four albums, releasing three of those before co-founding a small label with John "Smiles" Dennis: “UKNODACREW.”
Jorge began seriously focusing on writing and performing Spoken Word by 2011 after his initial experiences at the famed Venue on 35th Street where he now serves as its event host and event coordinator under Norfolk playwright and art’s patron: Patti Wray.

A featured poet at Arts Out Loud, Verses and Vibes, The Mic Fiend, and Last Tuesdays, Mendez has become a staple of the Hampton Roads Performance Poetry community.

"I can report to you that Jorge’s work is excellent. And I can attest that you are about to experience a collection that is at points heartbreaking, at others laugh out loud funny, and sometimes manages to be both at once. I am thrilled to present here the debut page work of a man who has it within him to become one of the grand old poets of this area." ~ from the introduction, by Jeff Hewitt