Harris, who loves hip-hop and the spoken word, is a natural fit for the open mic night. "I perform anywhere they embrace poetry and share good vibes," she said from her home in Lake Worth.
She gets inspiration from her two heroes, poet, singer and spoken word artist Gil Scott-Heron, who died in 2011, and poet Nikki Giovanni.
One critic characterized Harris' spoken word performance as "straight-to-the-gut protest poetry."
These days in addition to performing at open mic nights from Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale, Harris hosts a blogtalk radio show, "Conversations with Cleo," in which she talks about everything under the sun, including "Blame it on the Sun – Solar Flares, Humans and Violence," "Black, Female and Gay," and "America and Drugs: An Historical Love/Hate Relationship."
A woman of many passions, Harris said she donates free advertising on her radio show for local businesses and farms and is having an upcoming fundraiser for the Passion for Paws pet rescue in West Palm Beach.
Rolando Chang Barrero, of ActivistArtistA gallery and one of the driving forces behind theBoynton Beach Arts District, said, "Open Mic at AcivistArtistA began a year ago with musician Rod Dusinberre and myself as a way to bring artists together who are interested in forging relationships, working together to establish hybrid groups where poets, dancers, singers and musicians can explore working and performing as one entity."
"To date the camaraderie among the various talented artists shows us that we are right on track," he said.
Visit activistartista.blogspot.com or email ActivistArtistA@gmail.com. The Boynton Beach Arts District is at 422 W. Industrial Ave., Boynton Beach. Call 786-521-1199.
For information about Cleo Harris, visit conversationswithcleo.com or conversationswithcleo.net.
Upcoming events include: Valyn Calhoun: A Retrospective with Rita Baum running from Aug. 22 to Sept. 27. Calhoun's photography features homoeroticism, fetishism, fashion, and nightlife in elegant and highly stylized imagery.