Jeffrey Bowen is

a Poet & Percussionist

living

in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 

Jeffrey Bowen studied beat literature, creative writing and performance poetics with Jacob Leed, Lloyd Mills and Thaddeus Rozecki, then began his own foray into spoken word.  Jeffrey has appeared as a featured poet at Cain Park, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Public Theatre, and on WCSB 89.3 FM., WJCU 88.7 FM & WRUW 91.1 FM. Jeffrey has performed on programs produced by Beck Center for The Arts, Cleveland Poetry Slam, CSU SummerDance, CSU Poetry Center, DANCECleveland, The LIT, Everett Maddox Memorial Poetry and Prose Series, Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Mac’s Backs, PAND, Poets and Writers Inc., The Repertory Project and Daniel Thompson.  Jeffrey was featured in the “Mondays at Mahalls’ Poetry Series”, has performed at the Snoetry and Jawbone Poetry festivals, and was one of the closers for the National Broken Pulpit Poetry Extravaganza. His work was among the “Top Ten Cleveland Poems” in both 2013 and 2014. His tribute to Poet Laureate Daniel Thompson won the 2015 Hessler Street Fair Poetry Competition & was featured in the City Club of Cleveland’s “Soul of Cleveland Project”, broadcast live on WCPN 90.3 FM. His work appeared on the Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Website as part of ”30 Days of Poetry in Celebration of National Poetry Month”.  His poetry in response to visual art by nationally acclaimed artists, Derek Hess, Jake Kelly, George Kokar and Laura & Gary Dumm was part of the “Public Conscience” exhibit at Heights Arts Gallery in 2017.

Jeffrey’s poems have been published by Art Crimes, Cicada, Cool Cleveland, Crisis Chronicles, CSU Poetry Center, Dimensions, Doan Brook Watershed, Excursions, Green Panda Press, Hessler Street Fair, Procrastination Press, Poet’s League of Greater Cleveland, The City, The Cleveland Reader, and Whiskey Island Magazine. He is one of six poets profiled in the 1995 documentary, “Off the Page”.  Four of his poems are featured on “Cleveland Tumbadors,” an album of Traditional Afro Cuban Music and Latin Jazz on Fame City Records.  His poetry and percussion appear on two Cats On Holiday CDs, "Holiday in a Box" and "Livin' Life & Lovin' It!" from COH-TONE Records.  Jeffrey’s writing has also appeared in Akron Beacon Journal, Call & Post, City News, Cleveland Scene, Cool Cleveland, EcoWatch, Elephant Journal, Girl Scout News, Green City-Blue Lake, Heights Observer, ideastream, Live Cleveland, Neighborhood News, Nonprofit Notes, Sun News and various Habitat for Humanity publications.

Jeffrey studied Afro Cuban percussion with Bess Taylor, Baba David Coleman, and Baba Adetobe Ajibilu; and Afro Brazilian rhythms with John Spuzzillo and Marcus Santos.  He has performed with Aquarela do Mondo, Blue Lunch, Cleveland Tumbadors, Dallas Coffey & The Grinders, Miguel Cuni Jr., Halim El-Dabh Drummers, Doug Dostal & Friends, Drumplay, Earth Rhythm, Evil Doers, FM Project, Baba Jubal Harris, I-Tal, Carlos Jones, Linda Thomas Jones, JR Blessington & The Straight Fiyah Band, Anita Keys & Friends, John Kuegeler & Company, Outlaws I & I, Rockport, Rhythm Culture, Elec Simon, David Smeltz, and Ray McNiece’s Tongue & Groove.  Jeffrey has been the resident poet & conga player with the popular Cleveland band, Cats On Holiday, since 2008.

Jeffrey performs with Cats On Holiday, a Roots-based, Swamp Pop band that has been pleasing Ohio audiences for 21 years. With its own special blend of Texas and Louisiana inspired Blues & Zydeco, Cats On Holiday's performances are infused with a healthy dose of original songs and poems about urban life.  They perform at the best live music venues in greater Cleveland and at large outdoor events such as Burning River Fest, EarthFest, Great Blue Heron Music Festival, Hessler Street Fair, Ingenuity Festival, Land of Nod, Lazy Daisy Festival, Lock 3 Live, Parade the Circle, Starwood Festival, Voices in the Valley & Wade Oval Wednesdays.  Cats On Holiday has opened for various New Orleans' favorites, including: Marcia Ball, BeauSoleil, Tab Benoit, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Buckwheat Zydeco, Carpenter Ants, The Iguanas, Los Lobos, NRBQ, Leon Russell, Terrance Simien, and Three Dog Night. The ensemble performs over 100 gigs per year and has released six albums to date.

Jeffrey is a full-time College Lecturer in Organizational Leadership at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, teaching Undergraduate and Master-level courses in nonprofit management, organizational leadership and fundraising.  He earned a BA in Psychology from Kent State University, and both a Master of Nonprofit Organizations (MNO) and an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Certificate in Positive Business and Society Change from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.  In addition to working in landscaping, construction, food & beverage service, and sales & marketing, Jeffrey's career as a nonprofit professional includes working as a Crisis Intervention Counselor, Youth Services Caseworker, After-School Program Fundraiser, as Director of Development & Public Affairs for the Lake Erie Girl Scout Council, and as the Executive Director of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity.