(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Taylor Mali, renowned slam poetry performer, returns to Upstairs Live at the Triplex for his annual summer show on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 8 at the Triplex Cinema. This year’s one-man show, Open Heart Perjury, is described as “an evening of poetry embracing disruption in the service of clarity and laughter.”

One of the original poets to appear on the seminal HBO series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, Mali, who lives in Brooklyn and in Housatonic, Mass., gives a unique and enthralling performance that had the New York Times describe him as a “ranting comic showman and a literary provocateur.”

Mali is generally considered to be the most successful poetry slam strategist of all time, leading six of his seven national poetry slam teams to the finals and winning a record four championships. He is a dazzling wordsmith, a compelling performance poet, serious about his art yet always funny, and a charming guy to boot.

He can also lift his leg almost up to his shoulder. Ask him to do it and he will undoubtedly show you.

Mali is the author of What Learning Leaves and several spoken CD and DVDs. He was also the “golden-tongued, Armani clad villain” of Paul Devlin’s 1997 documentary film Slam Nation, which chronicled the National Poetry Slam Championship of 1996, Mali’s first national team championship.

A former teacher and a poet, Mali is a native of New York City and a vocal advocate of teachers and the nobility of teaching. He received a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant in 2001 to develop Teacher! Teacher!, a one-man show about poetry, teaching, and math, which won the jury prize for best solo performance at the 2001 U.S. Comedy Festival.

Upstairs Live At The Triplex is located at 70 Railroad St., Great Barrington, Mass. All seats are $15. For further info, call 413.528.8885 or visit the Triplex.