Topic 31 of 53: National Poetry Slam 98
Sun, Aug 16, 1998 (20:41) |
Paul Terry Walhus (terry)
The National Poetry Slam '98
More than just poetry with attitude, the art of spoken word has caught on
feverishly. Slams begat slam-offs; slam-offs begat the Nationals. Which
brings us to the '98 Slam right here in Austin.
4 responses total.
Topic 31 of 53 [poetry]: National Poetry Slam 98
Response 1 of 4: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Sun, Aug 16, 1998 (20:42) * 209 lines
Slam Week Events
compiled by Kim Mellen
VENUES
Book People Sixth and Lamar, 472-5050
Borders 10225 Research Blvd, 795-9553
Electric Lounge: 302 Bowie, 476-FUSE
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: 409 Colorado,
867-1839.
Blondies: 510 Rio Grande, 472-7343
Fringeware 2716 Guadalupe, 494-9273
La Zona Rosa: 612 W. Fourth, 472-2293
La Quinta Inn Capitol 300 E. 11th, 476-1166
Mojo's Daily Grind, 2714 Guadalupe, 477-6656
Paramount Theater 703 Congress, 472-5411
Public Domain 807 Congress, 474-6202
Ritz Upstairs: 320 E. Sixth, 474-2270
Ruta Maya: Fourth and Lavaca, 472-9637
Twist: 505 Neches, 320-TWST
Tickets for the Friday finals are available through Star Tickets
(469-SHOW) and Paramount Box Office (472-5470).
A limited number of half-price tickets are available through AUSTIX's The
Box Office (454-TIXS, 201 W. Second).
Q-Passes ($10, good for all Wed-Fri events) are available through
AUSTIX's The Box Office and at all bout venues. Bouts are $3 per venue
per night without a Q-Pass.
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WEBSITE
http://slam.home.texas.net
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SCHEDULE
Pre-Slam events begin on Saturday, August 15, at the Electric Lounge when
the 1998 National Poetry Slam Organizing Committee hosts their Cage Match
and Silent Auction Preview Party. This year's Austin Slam Team will go up
against The Ghosts of Christmas Past (former Austin Slam Team members
Mike Henry, Hilary Thomas, Wammo, and Phil West) in a head-to-head poetry
duel. Silent auction tables, heaped with goods and services from numerous
local businesses, will be available for perusal. Admission is $4. 9pm.
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TUESDAY NIGHT
OPEN MIKE with hosts Mark Maslow and Sara Wynn. Ruta Maya, sign up before 6pm
THE ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE EXTRAVAGANZA Slam-related movies, including
SlamNation, Slam (featuring Saul Williams from the '96 New York team,
Beau Sia from the '96 New York team, and the '97 Mouth Almighty team),
Wammo's video for "There Is Too Much Light In This Bar," and the '98
Nationals PSA, "which promises to be 30 of the greatest seconds of your
life." Marc Smith will also be there to give a reading and the
pre-Nationals invocation, $2. Alamo Drafthouse, 8pm
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WEDNESDAY
OPENING CEREMONIES Competing teams and individuals meet here and will be
introduced. Electric Lounge,1-3pm
MASTERPIECE THEATER Slam Hall-of-Famers deliver the poems that made slam
great. Mojo's,4:30-6pm
INCOMMUNICADO PRESS BOOK PARTY A reading with authors Steve Abee and
Jimmy Jazz. Fringeware, 4:30-6pm
PRELIMINARY BOUTS Slam teams from all over the country compete for their
spot in the finals. See schedule. Rounds begin at 7, 8:30, and 10pm
MUTANT DISCO KARAOKE POETRY EXTRAVAGANZA Sing or read to the karaoke
machine or the live band. Electric Lounge, approx. 11:30pm
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THURSDAY
POETS LIVING ROOM Taos-style round-robin open mike. Book People, noon-2pm
GRAMMAR RODEO AND SPELLING BEE Not for the faint of heart, thrills and
spills guaranteed. Mojo's,
1-2:30pm
MARC SMITH A reading with the father of the slam, Chicago poet Marc
Smith. Book People, 2-3pm
POETICALLY INCORRECT Poet talk show discussing the state of contemporary
poetry. Mojo's, 2:30-3pm
NIGHT OF THE CHIHUAHUA All Latino poetry with Kenn Rodriguez
(Albuquerque), Danny Solis (Albuquerque), Marta Sanchez (Seattle), Guy
Gonzales (New York), Trinidad Sanchez (San Antonio), and many more.
Mojo's, 3-4:30pm
JUSTIN CHIN, JEFF MCDANIEL, AND TARIN TOWERS Fringeware, 3:30-4:30pm
PROP SLAM Mojo's, 4:30-6pm
MANIC D PRESS BOOK PARTY Hosted by Juliette Torrez (San Francisco), Bruce
Jackson (San Francisco) and Jeff McDaniel (Los Angeles). Fringeware, 4:30-6pm
WRITERS CORP CYBER SLAM Borders, 6pm
PRELIMINARY BOUTS Slam teams from all over the country compete for their
spot in the finals. See schedule. Rounds begin at 7, 8:30, and 10pm
CHEF'S SURPRISE Could be a Bad Poetry Slam, freestyle rapping, or
beat-boxing, Tag Team Challenges - only one way to find out. Electric
Lounge, about 11:30pm
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FRIDAY
THE ANNUAL EAST VS. WEST SOFTBALL GAME Danny Solis said in SlamNation,
"In poet softball, you have about 12 people in the infield and 50 people
in the outfield, and the object is to be as clumsy as possible so people
can laugh at you." Barbecue, beer at second base, and Shappy and Wammo
giving their play-by-play from the pressbox. Sunken Gardens softball
fields on Robert E. Lee Street, across from Umlauf Sculpture Garden, 11am
POETS LIVING ROOM Book People, noon-2pm
THE TRUTH ABOUT SUPERHEROES A gay and lesbian showcase with Douglas A.
Martin (Athens), Ken Hunt (Madison), Lyska Janacek (Fargo), Justin Chin
(San Francisco), Scott Klein (Detroit), Thea Iberall (Los Angeles), and
many more. Mojo's, 1-2:30pm
PATRICIA SMITH A reading with the four-time poetry slam champion, Boston
poet Patricia Smith. Book People, 2-3pm
POETICALLY INCORRECT Mojo's, 2:30-3pm
CHOCOLATE CITY This African-American writers showcase promises to be
delicious. With Boogie Man (Cleveland), Jerry Quickley (Los Angeles), DJ
Renegade (Washington, DC), Roger Bonair-Agard (New York), Bruce Jackson
(San Francisco), and many more. Garland J. Thompson, Jr. hosts. Mojo's,
3-4:30pm
DOUG MARTIN, SPIKE GILLESPIE AND BOB REDMOND Fringeware, 3:30-4:30pm
HEAD-TO-HEAD HAIKU SLAM Mojo's, 4:30-6pm
SOFT SKULL AND MOUTH ALMIGHTY PARTY Hosted by Sander Hicks and Bob
Holman. Fringeware, 4:30-6pm TEAM SEMIFINALS pit the top teams from the
preliminaries. Bouts at 7pm and 8:30pm, Blondies, Electric Lounge, La
Zona Rosa
INDIVIDUAL SEMI-FINALS The top 10 poets in the individual all-arounds go
for two rounds of mayhem. The top six will move on to Saturday night.
Electric Lounge, approx. 10pm
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SATURDAY
SLAMMASTERS' MEETING La Quinta Inn Capitol, Lady Bird Room, 10:30-1:30pm
POETS LIVING ROOM Book People, noon-2pm
FIRESTORM All-femme reading series with Genevieve Van Cleve (Austin),
Christina Springer (Pittsburgh), Lea Deschenes (Laguna Beach), Sabrina
Hayeem-Ladani (Albuquerque), Lisa Martinovic (Fayetteville, Ark.), Anne
MacNaughton (Taos) and more. Mojo's, 1-2:30pm
BOB HOLMAN A reading with poetry impresario and slam godfather, New
Yorker Bob Holman. Fringeware, 2-3pm
YOUNG VOICES SLAM Open to poets 21 and younger. Mojo's, 3-4:30pm
AUSTIN CINEMAKER CO-OP PRESENTS EXQUISITE CORPSE FILM FESTIVAL Super-8
film screening modeled on the poetry-writing exercise. Public Domain, 4-5pm
ELLYN MAYBE AND MATTHEW NIBLOCK W/ SPECIAL GUESTS Fringeware, 3:30-4:30pm
RAP SLAM Mojo's, 4:30-6pm
2.13.61 PUBLICATIONS/SACRED BEVERAGE PRESS PARTY Hosted by Ellyn Maybe
and Matthew Niblock. Fringeware, 4:30-6pm
THE 1998 NATIONAL POETRY SLAM FINALS will be held at the Paramount. The
Asylum Street Spankers will open the show, followed by Best of the Week
Showcase Poems, the first two rounds of the team finals, the individual
finals, and the concluding two rounds of the team finals. Paramount
Theater, 8pm
Topic 31 of 53 [poetry]: National Poetry Slam 98
Response 2 of 4: Paul Terry Walhus (terry) * Sun, Aug 16, 1998 (20:46) * 43 lines
So what is a poetry slam? you ask. From teh http://slam.home.texas.net
website:
At a Poetry Slam participants are given three minutes to step up to the
mic and perform a poem of their own construction. No props. No costumes.
No musical accompaniment. After the poet finishes, he or she is scored by
a panel of 5 judges who have been selected from the audience. Scale of
0.0 to 10.0 . . . just like the Olympics. Judges give scores based on
both content and performance. The high and low scores are dropped - the
remaining three are added together - and the poem has a score. As the
night progresses, poet after poet will take the stage, each attempting to
impact the audience (and the judges) just a little more deeply than the
last person did. The audience is encouraged to respond to the poet (and
the judges) in whatever way they see fit-- cheering, booing, laughing,
heckling. Anything is fair game. There's an MC that keeps the show moving
and in the end someone wins a little cash, some bragging rights, and the
rare and tangible proof that they connected with the audience. An
audience that just got to see a lot of great poetry and have a heck of a
lot of fun . . . that's what the Slam is all about. Brainchild of
Chicagoan Marc Smith, the Slam has evolved over the last decade on the
strength of its precepts; involving the audience, taking away the safety
net, and making poetry readings real, visceral experiences instead of the
overly polite, staid events that many poetry readings had become. The
Slam has become the flagship of the resurgence of the spoken word craze.
It's the sport of spoken word.
And each year, poetry slammers converge on a previously agreed upon city
to circle the wagons for four days of knock-down, drag-out poetic battle
called the National Poetry Slam. This August, Austin, Texas will proudly
play host to teams of poets representing 45 cities, a system that inserts
team dynamics, multi-voice performances and group strategy in to the
usually singular art of performing poetry. Six venues will host the first
two nights of tournament competition. The field will slim to 18 teams for
the semi-final night and then culminate in a final four-team bout which
will take place in the majestic Paramount Theater in a high-stakes battle
for thousands of dollars and immeasurable amounts of pride. During the
week of Nationals, Austin not only gets the best of the best in
competition, but also in a variety of daytime showcases and competitions,
not to mention witnessing first hand the intense reunion of the National
Poetry Slam family as they celebrate their art, their passion, and each
other.
Topic 31 of 53 [poetry]: National Poetry Slam 98
Response 3 of 4: Stacey Vura (stacey) * Fri, Aug 21, 1998 (17:08) * 2 lines
so jealous!!!!
Did you go to some of the events?!?!
Topic 31 of 53 [poetry]: National Poetry Slam 98
Response 4 of 4: wer (KitchenManager) * Sun, Aug 30, 1998 (09:37) * 1 lines
I didn't...
poetry conference 
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