Mary Bowman - P.O.E.T. - Purpose Over Entertainment

Timid and soft spoken off stage, Mary Bowman is known to be fearless as she shares her story with audiences around the Washington Metropolitan area. She is the published author of National Underground Spoken Word Poetry Awards 2011 Book Of The Year Lotus. She is also nominated for National Poetry Awards "Poetry Author of The Year" 2011. Mary has been writing poetry for about 8 years. She has been featured at Busboys & Poets (all locations), The Legendary 'Spit Dat' open mic (DC), Jus Words (Philadelphia, PA), Slam Charlotte (NC) and a host of other community events and venues on the East Coast. In the March 2011 'AIDS Issue' Street Sense, a local newspaper published a 3 page article about Mary. "Be The Change You Wish To See In The World" is a quote that she lives by, organizing community events to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness, facilitating support groups for HIV positive youth, and sharing her personal experiences being born HIV Positive through the art of spoken word. Through poetry she will continue serving selflessly, starting a Non-Profit Organization centered around support for individuals living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.  Purpose Over Entertainment (P.O.E.T.) is dedicated to using social media, visual and performing arts to foster holistic conversations regarding those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the Greater Washington, DC area in an effort to eliminate the stigmas surrounding HIV/AIDS and individuals living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. P.O.E.T. is filimg a documentary entitled "I Know What HIV Looks Like"!!! Essentially the film will be comprised of interviews of random individuals, people living with and those affected by HIV/AIDS, and my story.