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Reposted from my e-mail…..
Next weekend is the 2008 Rust Belt Poetry Slam!
http://www.rustbeltpoetryslam.com
Here are…
Top Ten Reasons You Should Come To The 2008 Rust Belt Poetry Slam:
10. The event is revered nationwide.
This is one of the premier Slam events in the country. Few competitions are larger than this one, and this year’s crew is very proud and excited to bring you this event. With ten teams of poets and four individual competitors, it’s a slam unlike any of the ones you may have come into contact with at the local level. Dozens of poets are coming from as far away as Canada and Minneapolis to compete! They aren’t doing this because the Rust Belt is lame.
9. The poets are really, really good.
Many of the poets are veterans of the Slam scene, clocking in appearances on Def Poetry Jam and on various National Poetry Slam stages all over the country. The range of the work that appears on these stages will be vast, and the quality top-notch. I’d blame that on the cash prize for first place winners, but really, the poets are that good anyway.
8. The venues are awesome.
Frog Bear & Wild Boar. The Mynt. The Lodge Bar.
We’re in three great venues that have never had poetry events in them before and they can’t wait to see what a poetry slam looks like. If audience comes out in great numbers they’ll want poetry in those venues all the time and the word will spread. An art scene is always what you make it, and this event gives everyone the opportunity to let the city know that poetry shows can be as compelling as every other type of show venues offer. They’re not sure what to make of all the buzz. Let’s show them why the buzz is real.
7. The venues are close and centralized.
Every aspect of the event takes place within mere blocks. You can park and walk the whole route with no struggle. On Saturday you can park early, catch the early bout, get a bite to eat, hang out, checkout some art, then show up at the Finals venue later…without moving your car! And downtown is an easy drive from every part of the city!
6. The entire event is in the Short North.
Looking for something to do between bouts? We’ve put the event right in the area where Gallery Hop normally takes place, so there’s plenty for folks to do and see all weekend long! Want a drink? Eats? Shop? See some art? Get your dance on? We’re right in the heart of Columbus’s most happening strip.
5. The shows will be on-time and tightly run.
We’ve got an extraordinary volunteer effort pushing this event forward to keep events moving and on time, from the door to the MCs to the score crews to the merchandise tables. All we need is you in seats and we can get this party started!
4. It’s a great event to use to turn someone on to poetry.
Remember what it was like when you first came out to a local open mic or slam? How cool that was, and how it made you want to come back? Or take up writing poetry? Or even start performing?! Remember how cool that was?
Now imagine it all over again with your best friends - because who wants to come to this alone, right? - and multiply it by TEN. You will leave this event so inspired that you’ll be looking for a microphone to share your poetry on as soon as the last poet reads.
3. We have not one, but TWO side events.
Saturday afternoon features the first-ever Wild Card Slam, which is a slam that anyone can sign up for, but in which teams will picked by draw! You could end up on a team with one of those awesome competitors, or better, YOU could be picking a team, coach!
Also, we have a wide-open mic the hour before Finals for as many people as we can sign up in that amount of time. Bring your work out and perform before our great city to heat the big stage up!
2. You don’t have to pay twice for side events and shows.
We want you to see as much of this incredible event as possible, from the cool side events to the barbecue-hot bouts. To that end, we aren’t kicking anyone out of venues just because a side event is over and a bout is about to start. If you pay the five bucks for the Wild Card Slam on Saturday at noon, you can keep your seat for the bouts that follow without paying again! You can do the same thing for eight dollars during the open mic Saturday at 7:00 before Finals…come early, stay for the show, pay once! While the venues have great seating, we’re expecting really large crowds. TAKE US UP ON THIS.
And the #1 reason to come to the 2008 Rust Belt Poetry Slam…
1. It’s going to be more fun than any advertisement could relay.
Really, with poetry from all over the country and beyond on Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday night, this is like the “Burning Man” of poetry in Columbus. This is like “Poetpalooza”. This is the biggest poetry event Columbus will have seen, and it’s going to come and go before you know it. I know we’ve done this event here in the past…forget what you saw before. Bring as many people as you can fit into your car. Buy some poetry from any number of the poets who will be in attendance at our loaded merchandise tables. See what poetry is capable of. Don’t be the person who stayed home while this historic event was going down. Don’t do ANYTHING else that you could have done at any other time while this veritable festival of poetry is unfolding right in your own backyard. Ignorance may be bliss, but I promise you: you’ll be sorry.
On a personal note: I have years of experience hosting or planning events at the local, regional and national level. I have brought that experience to bear squarely on this phenomenal event. I wanted to see the kind of event that I would pay the kind of good money I pay to go to other events, but better. The incredible crew putting this slam on for you believes wholeheartedly that we have created that experience.
See you next week, and please feel free to post this anywhere you can!
Scott Woods
Event Co-ordinator, Rust Belt 2008
http://www.rustbeltpoetryslam.com
(The first person to guess all four of the poets in this flyer that isn’t one of the poets ON this flyer? I’ll leave you a single free pass to the Friday night bout at the door.)
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An Experiment
I am going to try something new for the next few weeks. I’ve been wondering what I can do to grow as a poet, and to me, the obvious thing to do first would be to try out poetic forms and styles other than what I normally write in. The Chaucerian Roundel fascinates me, and I’ve seen good examples of it used by other folks, including Half Way Tree. So this week, I will attempt to write only Chaucerian roundels, and the best poems of this week’s experiment will be posted on this blog. I also hope to generate some material to read at open mic this week. We’ll see what happens.
-Nicole
