In light of the police shootings of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and John Crawford III in Beavercreek, Ohio, among others, The New Black Fest commissioned seven emerging black playwrights to write 10-15 minute monologues that explore their feelings about the well-being of black in a culture of institutional profiling.

In 1988, Dominque Wilkins & Michael Jordan squared off in Chicago for the most epic dunk contest in the history of the sport. 30 years later, poets & playwrights, Idris Goodwin & Kevin Coval, long-time collaborators, pay homage to the slam dunk, the anniversary of contest & to the moment & to the sport that changed culture in America & around the globe. Human Highlight: An Ode to Dominique Wilkins is a celebration of creativity, improvisation & the beauty & power in the game of basketball.

"Can I kick it?" "Yes you can!" -A Tribe Called Quest Situated squarely in the oral traditions of hip-hop and BreakBeat Poetry, Idris Goodwin's work bridges the divide between the reader and the poet. Combining the tongue-in-cheek and the irreverent with the melancholy and incisive, Goodwin's poetry samples and re-purposes pop-culture-from Back to the Future to Prince, Missy Elliot to Dominique Wilkins-in order to reflect and remix the stories we tell ourselves and each other in order to live.

Graffiti crews are willing to risk anything for their art. Called vandals, criminals, even creative terrorists, graffiti artists set out to make their voices heard and alter the way people view the world. But when one crew finishes the biggest graffiti bomb of their careers, the consequences get serious and spark a public debate asking, 'Where does art belong?'

"Can I kick it?" "Yes you can!" -A Tribe Called Quest Situated squarely in the oral traditions of hip-hop and BreakBeat Poetry, Idris Goodwin's work bridges the divide between the reader and the poet. Combining the tongue-in-cheek and the irreverent with the melancholy and incisive, Goodwin's poetry samples and re-purposes pop-culture-from Back to the Future to Prince, Missy Elliot to Dominique Wilkins-in order to reflect and remix the stories we tell ourselves and each other in order to live.

These Are The Breaks is the debut essay collection of NEA award-winning playwright, HBO Def Poet, and critically acclaimed "indie" rapper, Idris Goodwin. A rhythmic blend of biting wit and break-beat poetry, Goodwin's prose pulses with purpose. Remixing broken dreams and distorted legacies, Goodwin cross-fades past and present, personal and political: Motown's last vinyl factory juxtaposes against Bronx rap legends battling in open-air arenas; Chicago's Public School system contrasts against Santa Fe's tourism industry; an Egyptian child drowns in the Dead Sea as Nat Turner sprints across Death Valley. Diverse in scope and wickedly satirical, Goodwin's poetic essays sample race, class, and culture, transcending the page with hip-hop musicality. These Are The Breaks is the literary mixtape of our cacophonous times.