Music by Chris Nicola. Lyrics by Steven T. Licardi
Be sure to Follow Chris here: https://soundcloud.com/chris-nicola-music

Mishaps

Original poem by Steven T. Licardi. Mixed using the Amino Acid Synthesizer developed by @user-275864738 and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Mitosis

With 30+ different tracks, "Fracking" attempts to raise awareness of this hot-button issue and draw attention to the effects of mankind on planet earth, including climate change, mechanization, and sustainability. Written, recorded, and filmed by Steven T. Licardi, this poem is raw and unwavering. 

Check out the video/short film, now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDjgU1gKUq0

List of sounds (in order of appearance):
- Wind
- Forest 
- Rain forest 
- Horses galloping 
- Deep sea 
- Beach waves 
- Seagulls 
- Beehive 
- Hawk
- Loon 
- Stone avalanche 
- Crickets 
- Forest fire 
- Lighting 
- Thunderstorm 
- Factory 
- Static 
- 357 Magnum 
- Sewing machine 
- Projector 
- Telephone 
- Morse code 
- Glass 
- Anvil 
- Steam pipe hissing 
- Keyboard typing 
- Neon lightbulb 
- Schoolyard 
- Steam engine 
- Restaurant ambience 
- Lighting a cigarette 
- Toast glasses 
- Draining water 
- Dial tone 
- Quill writing 
- Pen writing 

Fracking

Steven T. Licardi is interviewed by Farzana Karim of Toscanini College at Stony Brook University for their annual Poetry Slam in 2013.

Interview with The Sven-Bo! on Empowerment & Poetry

Steven T. Licardi is interviewed by Farzana Karim of Toscanini College at Stony Brook University in 2013 about the therapeutic power of poetry, its use in advocacy and activism, and mental illness. 

Interview with The Sven-Bo! on Therapy, Poetry, & Mental Illness

Inequality is the single greatest scourge to humanity. The age-old struggle between the haves and the have-nots. It is at the root of poverty, racism, health disparities, poor education, infrastructure, inequity, ad infinatum. Inequality threatens basic human rights all around the world and has been the bane of mankind since the dawn of time. But we can change it. We have the tools, the resources, and the knowledge to make inequality a non-issue, but it requires revolution. An upheaval of how we relate to one another. This isn't about one candidate or one nation - This is about one people, one planet, and one issue. We can end this, but only if we organize; only if we stand together. Only then will we erradicate inequality. Once and for all. TheSvenBo.com

The Sven-Bo!

NOT the American Dream

Whether in recovery for drug addiction or mental illness, the image of the phoenix is often evoked as a symbol of inspiration. The true beauty of the metaphor, however,  is often lost. For the pain and suffering that this mythical creature must endure to rise from the ashes of its former self is no different from the pain and suffering that must be endured in the recovery process. Based on an original poem by Steven T. Licardi, the next time you hear someone speak of the phoenix, remember to recognize its pain.

02/10/2017

The Nature of the Phoenix

Spoken word poet, Social Worker, author, and activist Steven T. Licardi shares his story and announces the release of his second collection of poems, the hand-bound chapbook 'a billion burning dreams'. In it, he traces through poetry his mental health journey from client to clinician. Steven offers an excerpt from the poem that gives the book its title, "Mania-Melancholia." To read the rest of the poem, buy Steven's book now at his website: www.thesvenbo.com/books
Recorded on April 15th, 2018 at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at CUNY LaGuardia Community College as part of their Rough Draft Festival. This annual event -- entitled "How We Create / How We Cope" -- invites performance artists to share and reflect how their creativity is informed, has been shaped, and helps to maintaining mental health and wellness in their lives. Created and curated by Queens-based poet and organizer Audrey Dimola, the event provides a platform for those who have struggled to share their experiences and offer hope to others. Recorded by Holly Stewart-Caines, LCSW.

"How We Create / How We Cope" Performance Excerpt

Recorded in the Red Room at KGB Bar in NYC on 9/8/19, this performance-lecture was part of a showcase of artists uplifting works that confront the realities of mental health and mental illness. 
Steven T. Licardi (The Sven-Bo!) shares his experience growing up on the Autism Spectrum and juxtaposes this to the history of Autism, and the darker history of mental health as a whole. Culminating in the poem "Reflections at Willard State Hospital Cemetery", Steven leads us through a heart-wrenching journey to help shed light on the stories that have gone untold for too long.

Coup de Mot: My Mental Health Journey, the History of Autism, & the Need for More Stories

Amid the COVID-19 global pandemic, this poem was written in response to a writing prompt put our by @WNYC for #NationalPoetryMonth, asking: "What do you wish someone would ask your right now?"

Do You Have Some Time To Talk?

What do we mean when we say 'essential worker'? As time trundles on along its endless path, will we still call them essential? As we each struggle to remain connected through these virtual and digital mediums, how do our healers, soul-shifters, guides, mentors, providers, caregivers, and lovers hold onto their sanity? Or not?

Essential

Halley 
Lyrics & Vocals by Steven T. Licardi
Music, mixing & backup vocals by Josh Alicea

Two eyes
Two eyes for the hallowing 
Beckoning you 
To close them tight
Tonight 
Sleep is something strange 
Something out of place
To me 

Quilt of candlelight  
Constellations in your eyes
I'm counting
Wondering if you'll be in my dreams 

Consult the darkness in the corners of the room
The bedsheets lie unwrinkled 
Twinkling 
The reflections in your eyes 
A scent of lavender exists 
Betwixt 
I'm catching fireflies 
The moon's hung crooked off its nail
For you 

The aurora borealis in your hair has distracted me 
Souls naked in the bleak room
Exchanging whispers in the dark 
(Halos ring the absence)
(Tonight)

(Hush) 
(Lull the aura)
Let me place your heart in mine 
(Unwind the twines that have collected)
As we lie so far from sleep 

Two eyes
Two eyes for the hallowing 
Beckoning you
To close them tight

Halley

Lyrics from the poem "Dust" & music by Steven T. Licardi  
(Music consists of car keys, a book, spoon and fork, fingers, hands, and thighs) 
This poem appears in the book "Death By Active Movement: The Certainty of Life through Poetry," available on Amazon.com

Dust

This poem is dedicated to the victims of the Newtown tragedy. It is featured in the book, "Death By Active Movement: The Certainty of Life through Poetry," available on Amazon.com 

Tete-a-tete  A Reflection on School Shootings in Two Parts

Steven T. Licardi (The Sven-Bo!) is a NYS Licensed Social Worker, spoken word poet, motivational speaker, and actor living in Queens, NY. As a child, Steven was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, an experience that has deeply informed his work. Today, he uses spoken word to create empathic dialogue around, to confront the realities of, and to assist communities in dismantling the stigma surrounding mental health. In 2018, he released his second collection of poems, entitled ‘a billion burning dreams’ -- a work of radical vulnerability and self-love that traces his journey from mental health patient to mental health professional. 
Agápē Bodhisattva.

The Sven-Bo!

Popular tracks