The Word Party


Poetry & Jazz featuring poets and musicians from The Word Party series and the Nova Jazz Band, including Jennifer Barone (poet and host), Daniel Heffez (saxophone), and Ingrid Keir, Cara Vida, and Natasha Dennerstein.


Jennifer BaroneJennifer Barone is an author of three books of poetry, her most recent titled Saporoso – poems of Italian Food & Love. She has been a featured poet at the SF Public Library, Red Poppy Art House, SF MoMa, DeYoung, The Beat Museum and featured at many local poetry readings. She was a winner of the 2007 and 2012 SF Public Library Poets Eleven contest for North Beach where she resides and has been published in literary journals including the Sparring with Beatnik Ghosts Anthology, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, and Quiet Lightning. She is the founder and host of the monthly WordParty Poetry & Jazz open mic series at Viracocha, every third Tuesday of the month. Visit TheWordParty.com for more info.

Daniel Heffez & the Nova Jazz BandDaniel Heffez is the founder of the Nova Jazz band and a respected saxophonist in San Francisco’s jazz community. Originally from New York City, he has played at almost every venue for jazz in San Francisco over the past 10 years. Among his many side-projects, he is the host of the monthly WordParty poetry and jazz event, he composes original music and can also be seen playing with the band Eggplant Casino.

Ingrid KeirIngrid Keir is a poet and host of the WordParty and has organized numerous events in San Francisco including: a yearly celebration of Pablo Neruda’s work at the Red Poppy Art House. She is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in poetry at San Francisco State University. She has been a featured poet at venues in the Bay Area such as The SF Public Library, The De Young, The Beat Museum, and many others. She has written several collections of poetry, her most recent titled Toward the Light. She is currently working on a new collection of poems.

Cara Vida
Cara Vida is an international fine artist, cabaret song stylist, and one of the most unforgettable poets on the San Francisco poetry scene. She is also known to host “Wide Open Mics” at her Museum of Living Art.

Natasha DennersteinNatasha Dennerstein was born in Melbourne, Australia, to a family originating from Belarus. She worked as a psychiatric nurse for many years, which gave her an interesting perspective on the human condition. Natasha has had poetry published in Fourth Floor, Landfall, Snorkel, JAAM, Takahe, Bloom, Transfer and Red Light Lit as well in several anthologies. She is currently living in San Francisco, where she is an MFA candidate in Poetry in the Creative Writing Department at San Francisco State University.


This event is free of charge, and is happening at the Top of the Mark at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel

999 California Street (at Mason Street)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 616-6916

MUNI 1 California