The People Poetry Slam is Back at the B Side

Their next slam is October 13th 2021, 6:30 to 9:00 pm, at the B Side Lounge, 2785 Euclid Heights Boulevard in Cleveland Heights. Please follow them on Instagram to stay updated.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The People Poetry Slam (@thepeoplepoetryslam)

UPDATE: Rustbelt Poetry Festival on Hiatus

UPDATE from Akeem Rollins:

Hey, everyone. In light of growing cases of COVID-19 in Cleveland and the postponement of most things, we are going to put Rustbelt on hiatus for this year.

I am also stepping down as the chair. Blaire Bruns, JDavid Ockunzzi and Jacob Wagner are the current management committee. If you have questions, please direct to Blaire Bruns, the new planning chair, for next year's tournament.

Thanks everyone. I know. Coronavirus sucks.
Stay healthy....


Original Post:

Join us for the Midwest's longest running regional poetry slam. Come witness some of the best performers from around the United States as they compete for the title of 2020 Rustbelt Poetry Slam Champion. Over 90 poets!

Join the Facebook group for regular updates:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rustbelt2011/.

Can You Slam Slam?

Don Hall thinks about slam poetry, and asks whether anger really is the only emotion worth slamming about:

• Is It Art or Is It Competitive Therapy? The Paradox of the Slam

2016- Year of the Slam

AKeem Jamal Rollins (photo from cleveland.com)

Nikki Delamotte of Cleveland.com says, How 2016 became the year of Cleveland's slam poetry revival. Horray to Akeemjamal and Cleveland's slam team!

And you can join them at Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern (11625 Euclid Ave) Thursday, Dec. 15; 9 p.m.

Vertigo Xavier adds that he has not stepped down as the slamministrator of Lake Effect Poetry (the Cleveland area slam team)-- but Lake Effect Poetry has passed its status as a PSI Certified Slam Venue on to AKeemjamal Rollins’ new The People Slam.  The People Slam takes place on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at the Happy Dog Euclid.  Follow the series on Facebook.

Or check out:

• OneMicOpen
• OneMicOpen Facebook page

Poetry Matters

POETRY SLAM!!!
#PoetryMatters
$$$ CASH PRIZE $$$
Sunday, October 25th, 2015
Sign-ups 5p-6p

Callaloo Cafe & Bar
15601 Waterloo Rd.
Cleveland, Ohio
More info: poetrymatterscle@gmail.com

Youth Slam Finals at Spaces on 28 March

at Spaces Gallery
2200 Superior Viaduct
Cleveland Ohio, 44113

For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

Free Yo Mind at Guide to Kulchur September 20th

[From the event page on Facebook:]

Guide to Kulchur and Children's Defense Fund / New Abolitionist Association (Ohio) would like to invite you to Free Yo Mind Hip-Hop Cradle2Poetry Slam, the funky-fresh poetry slam contest hosted by Cleveland's youth. Food, drink, $25, $50, and $100 gifts and prizes, plus special guest entertainment.

FREE EVENT. COME SPIT DAT HOT FIRE!

Slam Rules for Competitors:
1. No Props or Musical Accompaniment (must be a-cappella if you sing).
2. You must perform your own original poetry.
3. All poems must be 3 minutes long or less. (Competitors who go over set time will lose points for every 10 seconds over 3 minutes.)
4. There are three knock out rounds so you must have three poems prepared to compete.

Slammers or poets interested in reading during the open mic intermissions contact Joe: 216-650-1961, Deisha: 216-239-4409, or Philip: 937-238-4843 via phone or text.

Winners receive $25 for 3rd, $50 for 2nd, and $100 for 1st place.

More details, audience participation and slammer rules will be announced day of slam.

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjack...

Let's talk about team sports for a minute. Let's set aside the Indians' tugging of our playoff hopes back and forth. Let's forget about the Browns' draft picks. NEO's Lake Effect Poetry Slam Team is heading to Boston for Nationals in a few weeks, and they need our full attention.

When I first started dipping my toes into the poetry reading scene, I didn't know anything about slam other than what I could glean from the comments of other poets and snippets of Def Poetry Jam I might have caught once or twice. I filled in the blanks with a lot of misconceptions.  Such as:

Poetry slam is for teenagers. Slam is like hip-hop. Slam is for street poets. Slam is not for little, Catholic, white girls. Slam poets need to rhyme their poems. Slam poets need to improv their poems. Slam poets need to memorize their poems. Slam poets...need to...recite their...poems...like this... Poetry slam is about pitting one artist against another in a mean-spirited fight. Poetry slam isn't "real" poetry.

I quickly learned that slam was none of those things I used to think it was.

Slam is a poetry performance competition. Some poems lend themselves more readily to performance competition than others, but there is no defined genre for slam. Slam showcases a skill that every poet in every venue needs:  the ability to not only write an effective poem, but to then read/perform it in an engaging manner. Yes, there are some bad slam poems, but there are also some bad academic poems. And some of the best slam poems I've heard were on page.

Fast forward six years from those first open mics, and I found myself in Charlotte, NC for the 2012 National Poetry Slam, as Northeast Ohio's Grand Slam Champion. It was thrilling, terrifying, and inspiring to be around so many poets, to hear so many different voices, to be in front of so many different people.  Writing is a solitary activity, but slam is a team sport--a team sport with a national community.

National Poetry Slam is a chance for poets to stand in front of people from across the country and show off what we're doing here at home. And with this year's team--AKeemjamal Rollins, Caira Lee, Ariana Cheree, and Christine Howey--Boston's going to be buzzing about Cleveland.

But Lake Effect is still short of funds needed to get to Boston. The good news is that they have a handful of fundraiser events coming up in the next couple weeks before they leave. The better news is that you still have a chance to hear their poetry before they leave. Check out the schedule of Lake Effect fundraisers and readings, wish them well on their trip, and root root root for the home team!

Support the Lake Effect!

Lake Effect Poetry is the Cleveland Akron and Canton slam poetry team.

The new Lake Effect Poetry 2013 Team Anthology has been printed -- spread the word! This anthology features poetry from your 2013 Lake Effect Poetry slam team: AKeemjamal Rollins, Christine Howey, Caira Lee, and Arianna Cheree, and also poems from the local greats such as Redd's, Eris Zion Venia, Theresa Göttl, Carla Thompson, Skylark Bruce, Joshua Gage, and Azriel Johnson, not to mention a cover by, uh, that would be me. And, the money raised by sales of the book goes towards a good cause-- getting our team to National Poetry Slam in August!  Boston, look out: the Lake Effect is coming!
Only ten dollars, including shipping-- order it now.

(and, for the full set-- order the 2012 Lake Effect anthology for only $6.00, or buy 'em both for $15!)

Academic poetry, versus slam poetry, versus underground poetry

Azriel, over at the Writing Knights roundtable blog, comments on the difference in feel between what he calls "academic" poetry, versus "slam" poetry, versus a third category, "underground" poetry-- and then is challenged to define what he means by the categories.

"What are "slam," "academic," and "underground" poems...how are you defining these terms? I'm going to make the argument that there are some craft techniques that are universal to all of these styles of poetry, or make all of these styles of poetry stronger or weaker through their use or lack thereof."

Ah, I love categorizing things. It's a game you can just keep on playing.

Of these, slam poetry is the easiest one to nail down-- it's the poetry you get in a poetry slam.  A slam poem isn't really about the poem in itself-- it's all about the performance.  And, more to the point: a slam poem has to get its reaction immediately. It's not one where, hours later, you wake up in the middle of the night realizing you can't stop thinking about that one image, or working through some train of thought the poem had kicked off.  A slam poem kicks you in the gut fast.

"Academic" poems (I think he means what I would call "page" poems-- poems that are meant to be read on the page, not necessarily performed), can work slow.  They can layer on imagery, can take multiple readings.  Many page poems, of course, read very well-- the rhythm and poetry of language can work in readings as well as on the page.

"Underground" poems, I guess, are the ones that don't fit either category-- the true underground poems are edgy, want to make you think or react or feel, want to break rules just for the sake of getting a rise. 

Which, I suppose is as good a segue as any to mention that the Lake Effect poetry team, Cleveland's own slam performers, will be doing their Lake Effect Poetry 2013 GRAND SLAM, the final competition to see who will comprise Cleveland's National Poetry Slam team this year, on Saturday, May 11th at 7:00 PM at 4700 Prospect Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103. There will be a $5 entry fee at the door to attend the Grand Slam. Half of the money collected at the door will go towards getting our team to NPS, the other half will go to the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland.

You want to see slam-- here's the place to find it!

Poets who will be competing in the GRAND SLAM are:
AKeemjamall Rollins
Redd
Eris Zion Venia
Caira Lee
Azriel Johnson
Skylark Bruce
Arianna Cheree
FREE
Christine Howey
Joshua Gage

• Check out the event's facebook page

Every Now and then...

Received this note from a past student - I have removed the name to protect the innocent.

You probably won't remember me but my name is K. B. I was on the first Slam U team to represent Cleveland in San Fransico at the Brave New Voices poetry slam; along with, Chris Webb, Jessica, and Shawn Wright. I don't know if I ever told you thank you but I truly appreciate that experience and all the time you spent helping us to become better writers, speakers,thinkers, poets. What you taught me about performing is still embedded in me to this day.

This too was engrain in mind: "people's number one fear is speaking public . Number two is death."

Again thank you!!!!

K. B.

 That'll perk you up for a day or so.

Here's a picture of a squirrel just for the hell of it.

mgs

Canton First Friday

One of the more interesting, although less well-attended, poetry readings in the Northeastern Ohio area is the Canton First Friday Poetry Spectacular, an event put on by PoetsHaven.  It's interesting because it's put on as a part of Canton's First Friday Arts Festival, which is (to quote their web page) "a monthly party in the downtown Canton Arts District featuring themed music, performance and visual arts events and always a few surprises for adults and children."  The First Friday is a lot of fun if you're turned on by art; the whole arts district of downtown Canton is converted into an arts fair, with music, galleries, painting on the sidewalk, and (of course) poetry.  I'd like to sincerely recommend that you check it out this month (October 5) or next (November 2), while the weather's still nice enough to hang around outdoors and enjoy the spectacle of being surrounded by art.
--if you're a poet, the First Friday reading is a good one for another reason: in addition to the featured reader and the open mike, it features a poetry slam open to anybody who wants to perform, and (pay attention here) the slam pays out cash prizes, courtesy of Arts in Stark.  A great place to try out your performance pieces, see how they work out, with the chance of a little bit a' booty to boot!

• Facebook page for Canton First Friday Poetry Spectacular

Friday Oct. 5the feature will be John Gibson, "JG the Jugganaut"--plus (always) the open mike and slam.  The theme of the Canton First Friday will be "Once Upon a Time."

• Event page on Facebook for the October 5 spectacular

And, for the next month, first Friday comes on November 2, the day of the dead, so the theme of the Canton First Friday will be "Zombie Artvasion."  The spectacular feature poet will be Mary Turzillo.
  --Poetry opens doors at 7, but do come to Canton at 6, when the first Friday arts starts up!

November 2: celebrate Día de los Muertos with poetry from Mary A Turzillo (image: dappled dawg)

... and a tip o' the hat to the indefatigable impressario Vertigo XX, for putting on the show!

Starving Artists present annual 3-Part Slam Series

[Click poster to see a larger version]

From the Starving Artist Project press release:

It's the 1st Annual 3-Part Slam Series, hosted by the Starving Artist Project. There will be three different slams held at three different venues over three days. Each slam has a different theme, and will be open to poets of all ages. Each competitor WILL be required to pay a $10 entrance fee for each slam they compete in. This money will go into a pot and the top poet will win a percentage of this pot. Each slam will be three rounds and scores will not be cumulative.

The Slams:

September 8th, 2010 - "The Minute Slam" at The Root Cafe, 15118 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, OH. (Each round of this slam will be restricted to a time limit. 1st round - 1 min, 2nd round - 2 min, 3rd round - 3 min.)

September 9th, 2010 - "Women's Only Slam" at the LGBT Community Center, 6600 Detroit Avenue in Cleveland, OH. (This slam is restricted to women poets only, but all are welcome to attend.)

September 10th, 2010 - "Men's Only Slam" at Urbean Joe's Cafe, 14804 St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland, OH 44110 (This slam is restricted to male poets only, but all are welcome.)

Visit the 3-Part Slam's Facebook event page here.

Is Slam Going Soft?

Slam poetry

was invited into the White House, and is the focus of the recent HBO documentary series “Brave New Voices.” But slam poetry-- at least acording to slam founder Marc Kelly Smith-- is supposed to be "a subversive, thumb-your-nose-at-authority movement."

The New York Times asks, Is Slam in Danger of Going Soft?

White House Poetry Slam

Arizona lawmaker Kyrsten Sinema has been invited by President Barack Obama to attend the first-ever White House Poetry Slam on Tuesday.

The assistant Arizona House Democratic leader is among 100 people nationwide invited to attend a night honoring America’s writers and poets.

The president will speak at the event, which also will be attended by First Lady Michelle Obama.

“It’s an incredible honor any time to receive an invitation from the White House and President Obama,” Sinema said. “But to see our nation’s talent and be a part of history at the first-ever White House Poetry Slam is amazing. I’m very excited to be a part of this moment.”

She added, “This event just displays President Obama’s commitment to the arts and his support for emerging and non-traditional forms of art. He is an amazing president, and I hope to continue to work with him in the future.”

The White House Poetry Slam will feature: James Earl Jones, Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldeman, Jazz pianist ELEW, poet Mayda Del Valle and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Who do you think will be more insulted - the nose in the air poets who consider Slams to be nothing if not low brow - or the self important practitioners of the competition who were not invited to perform?

Holy F*** Girl

That was my IM to Patricia Smith - a dear old friend who just happens to be nominated for this year's National Book Award in poetry for her collection Blood Dazzler.

Patricia, four time National Poetry Slam champ, proves that just because you don't read in a monotone and believe an audience at a reading deserves a performance it doesn't mean your work can't stand up on page.

Unlike others who earned success via early participation in Slam, Patricia never turned her back on the genre by bad mouthing the scene or it’s participants as low brow. She has continued her support of the up and coming and it is rumored she is looking to compete again soon.

Congrats to strong and talented woman.

What I meant was...

Okay,
All this talk about form revolving around what is a haiku - what isn't haiku and who decides has got me to pondering.

What about punctuation, correct grammar, strict adherence to other forms and then of course the grand daddy question - is the piece poetry? I mean, can we just slap down 14 lines and call it a sonnet - or do we go that extra graded on a curve step of trying to have around 10 syllables a line, or do we actually attempt iambic pentameter and what the hell is a downbeat anyway?

What makes a piece a poem? I been known to say the next time I hear a poem being performed by some slick preeminent performance poet who is strutting and spouting about his or her metaphors and similes doing this or that without using any metaphors or similes that I will blow my brains out (metaphorically speaking of course.)

So how important is form?
Is it a poem if the only meaning to be discerned from the piece is that which is bobbing right on the surface?
Does correct grammar come into play at all?
Is it an affront to the artist to demand more than preaching to the choir?
Does lack of narrative constitute experimentalism?
Questions questions questions.

I'll leave you with a sonnet:

The Poetry Instructor


They look at me and ask “What should I write?
Which of our thoughts deserve to be on page?”
As if I flip the switch on a spotlight
Illuminating images for stage

I tell them to grab hold of moments
Sufficiently firm they cannot escape
Buoyantly enough they are not bent
That one may reproduce their shape

Instead they wear their hearts upon their sleeves
Rend open boxes full of misery
Lay siege to concepts which we all agree
Are safely held by the majority

I sigh a weary sigh, throw up my hands
What can I say; they’ve gone and won the slam

Redford and Youth Poetry

I have always believed that poetry and activism go hand in hand, that poetry is a verbal activism in and of itself, and a precursor to actual physical action. It is no surprise, for instance, that for many decades, Central and South American revolutionary activity has been accompanied by a ragged and beautiful poetry of the soul. Well, environmental activism is the revolution of the 21st Century. Here in the old U.S. of A, that movement is being fostered by young people, and it comes as no surprise to me that Robert Redford is behind some of it. Redford, known for his support of environmental causes, is apparently a big backer of youth poetry slams as a means to communicate the dangers of global warming. Check out the following story that ran on NPR.