Michael “Mic” Ting is an Asian American poet born and raised in the Bay Area. He started writing and performing poetry during his college years at Santa Clara University, and since then has competed on three national slam poetry teams (Team Palo Alto in 2014 and 2015, and The Alchemy Slam in 2016). In 2015, he helped Team Palo Alto take 2nd at Group Piece Finals during the National Poetry Slam. In addition to performing as part of a team, Mic has also competed as an individual at IWPS 2018 (Individual World Poetry Slam), InkSlam, Southwest Shootout, and NUPIC (National Underground Poetry Individual Competition). In 2018, Mic won the Individual World Poetry Slam in San Diego, CA.

Before he began competing on the national level, Mic cut his teeth performing at events in and around his alma mater, Santa Clara University. During that time, Mic also spent a semester studying in D.C. , where he honed his craft practicing alongside the weekly talent at Busboys and Poets. His work navigates topics of race, assimilation, loss, evolution, and triumph through honest storytelling and emotional upheaval. Not to be put in a box, Mic’s poetry un-checks the boundaries of the first generation Chinese experience and challenges others to do the same.

Mic currently resides in Oakland, California, where he works for NoRedInk, an education technology company that empowers teachers to tackle the challenge of grammar and writing. As a Bay Area native, Mic can be seen performing in and around the Berkeley, Oakland, Root, and Alchemy Slams, as well as other community events.