The 23rd Annual National Poetry Slam Charlotte NC 7-11 August 2012

[inkera]

Blumenthal Performing Arts, Poetry Slam, Inc., & SlamCharlotte have partnered to bring you the 23rd National Poetry Slam.  This will be the 4th time these organizations have partnered to bring you a national poetry event and we are excited about having you in the Queen City once again.

We are still experiencing technical difficulties with the website.  We anticipate that it will be launched by 5 pm on Monday, 2 April 2012. The website address will be www.nps2012charlotte.com

In the mean time, you can follow us on Twitter,  @nationalslam  #nps2012clt or on Facebook National Poetry Slam~Charlotte

Some important things to remember:

DATES:  7-11 August 2012 (Early registration will be on Monday, 6 August 2012)

HOST HOTEL:  Holiday Inn Center City 230 N. College Street Charlotte NC 28202 (888) 465-4329
The Holiday Inn is offering a rate of $119 + tax per night  (for a room with either a King Bed or two Double Beds) starting on Sunday, August 5 and going through Sunday, August 12. You can make your reservation by contacting the hotel directly or online at http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/reservation/roomrate?destination=230+North+College+St+Charlotte+North+Carolina+United+States&hotelCode=cltdt&groupCode=POE&execute=basic

*Please note that unlike previous PSi events, individuals must contact the hotel directly to secure lodging; there will be no option to book through the PSi website this year.* This rate is valid until 13 July 2012 or until all rooms in the block are taken (whichever one occurs first).

TRANSPORTATION: The Holiday Inn DOES NOT offer shuttle service.

By Plane: The Charlotte Douglas International Airport is only 8 miles away from the host hotel. US Airways is our airline of choice, and we are currently working on a special discount code.

*The most economical way to get to the host hotel from the airport, is the Sprinter Bus, which is only $1.75 each way. The Sprinter Bus runs every 20 minutes during weekdays and every 30 minutes during nights and weekends, and conveniently has a stop that is only 2 blocks away from the host hotel! You can catch the Sprinter in front of the airport. Look for the GREEN hybrid-electric bus.  http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/Bus/ridingcats/Pages/sprinter.aspx*

By Taxi: A taxi from the airport to Center City is roughly $25
   Taxi service is available curbside, on the Baggage Claim level

By train: Amtrak provides service to Charlotte from most of the United States.
1914 N Tryon St  Charlotte, NC 28206 (800) 872-7245  www.amtrak.com  

By bus: Greyhound 601 W TRADE ST Charlotte,NC 28202. (704) 375-3332. www.greyhound.com

             Megabus Pick up and drop off at  S Brevard St just outside of the Charlotte Transportation Center. http://us.megabus.com

VENUES: All venues will be within an 8 block radius from the host hotel. The closest venue is less than 1 block and the farthest is 8 blocks. All competition venues will be hosted in Blumenthal Performing Arts Theaters. http://www.blumenthalarts.org/

**For those who are unable/prefer not to walk, Charlotte also offers a free trolley service. It runs every 12 minutes Monday – Friday from 6:56 a.m. - 6:05 p.m.*  http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/Bus/ridingcats/Pages/GoldRush.aspx

Volunteers: Volunteers are one of the most important aspects to having a successful event. We couldn’t do it without you.  Jina Meadows is serving as the Host City volunteer coordinator. I have attached the volunteer form below.  Please complete the form and email it to her now. All volunteers will receive a volunteer pass that allows you entrance into all events EXCEPT finals on Saturday.  PSi is responsible for bout managers and hosts.

Sponsorship: Blumenthal Performing Arts & SlamCharlotte have secured almost $32,000 in sponsorships to date.  

HC Staff:
PSI Event Coordinator: Henry Sampson
Host City Coordinator (s):  Douglas Young, Boris Rogers, & Inkera Oshun
Day Event Venue Manager: Blaqbaree/Bluz
Slam Venue Manager: Douglas Young
Night Venue Manager :Bluz
Lodging Manager: Inkera
Volunteer Coordinator (local): Jina Meadows
Program/Scheduling: Q
Programming {to include shirt/bag design oversight, creation of badges and programs booklets) Eye-am-bic & Blaqbaree
Marketing/Media: Dana Sidberry/Motivation Marketing & CB
Treasurer :Inkera Oshuin
Secretary :Sarah Evans
Web/IT Manager : Dee York
Sponsorship: Collective group effort

If you have questions, please feel free to post them here or you can email me at inkera@slamcharlotte.com

Until We Meet (Again)_

Inkera Oshun

[inkera]

**Special Announcement**~To celebrate 25 years of slam as well as National Poetry Month, The National Poetry Slam is offering $25 off the all-event pass to the first 25 people.  Tickets for the NPS, to be held in Charlotte NC Aug 7-11 are on sale NOW at carolinatix.org #NPS2012CLT  Brought to you by SlamCharlotte, Blumenthal Performing Arts and PSI

[hsampson]

Thank you, Inkera!
     I encourage you to make reservations now!   Credit card to secure the rooms, but they don't charge the card now. 

[inkera]

HOST HOTEL:  Holiday Inn Center City 230 N. College Street Charlotte NC 28202 (888) 465-4329
The Holiday Inn is offering a rate of $119 + tax per night  (for a room with either a King Bed or two Double Beds) starting on Sunday, August 5 and going through Sunday, August 12. You can make your reservation by contacting the hotel directly or online at http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/reservation/roomrate?destination=230+North+College+St+Charlotte+North+Carolina+United+States&hotelCode=cltdt&groupCode=POE&execute=basic

*Please note that unlike previous PSi events, individuals must contact the hotel directly to secure lodging; there will be no option to book through the PSi website this year.* This rate is valid until 13 July 2012 or until all rooms in the block are taken (whichever one occurs first).

Make sure that the IATA # is 99801505 and that the Group Code is POE

The link that automatically re-directs you to the booking site appears to be broken BUT you can still reserve your room.

[trevor.byrne-smith]

I assume this subject heading is supposed to read "2012" not "2011. "

[SMJodiAnn]

I am the Slam Master for a new Slam in Saginaw, Michigan.   We have had our six shows this season, have a regional team going to Rustbelt Regionals in Columbus Ohio June1-3 and have gathered our stuff to get "certified" by PSI -- but I'm still confused about whether or not we will be able to register for Nationals or not.   We would like to.   We are going to be "certified" this week.   I know we have to be registered for Nationals by June 1st -- but, I'm confused by the mention of the "Two Wins and You're in" requirement for Nationals.   Does this mean we have to WIN two regional slams in order to represent Saginaw at Nationals?  Or what?  What does "Two Wins and You're in" mean???

I don't want to waste our time and money scrambling to get certified and register for Nationals this year if we can't register anyway so please help!! : )

& I apologize if I posted to the wrong forum or the wrong person -- this forum is the most confusing thing I have ever seen -- and I have taught online writing classes in several different platforms for over 10 years so that's sayin' something.   Thanks for whatever help anyone can be!!  Thank you! -Slam Master JodiAnn, Saginaw

[jesster]

I am the Slam Master for a new Slam in Saginaw, Michigan.   We have had our six shows this season, have a regional team going to Rustbelt Regionals in Columbus Ohio June1-3 and have gathered our stuff to get "certified" by PSI -- but I'm still confused about whether or not we will be able to register for Nationals or not.   We would like to.   We are going to be "certified" this week.   

Hi JodiAnn! Welcome! You should be able to register as a "registered" slam. Please contact Abbey Ehn at psimember@charter.net and she can fill you in and help you out.

I know we have to be registered for Nationals by June 1st -- but, I'm confused by the mention of the "Two Wins and You're in" requirement for Nationals.   Does this mean we have to WIN two regional slams in order to represent Saginaw at Nationals?  Or what?  What does "Two Wins and You're in" mean???

The short answer is: you do NOT have to participate in Win and You're In to go to NPS. That system is simply to figure out how to structure the waiting list (if one exists) for getting into NPS.

The most current rules that help clarify this issue are in this thread under PSi Member Files:
http://www.poetryslam.com/forum/index.php?topic=1803.0

I did notice that you posted in this thread that you can't see the SlamMaster forum. You should also have access to the PSi Members forum, which you can gain access to by posting here: http://www.poetryslam.com/forum/index.php?topic=627.465 Once you get access, you will be able to get to the rulebook and see a host of other topics.

I don't want to waste our time and money scrambling to get certified and register for Nationals this year if we can't register anyway so please help!! : )

Let me know if you have any more questions. You can private message me, as well.

& I apologize if I posted to the wrong forum or the wrong person -- this forum is the most confusing thing I have ever seen -- and I have taught online writing classes in several different platforms for over 10 years so that's sayin' something.   Thanks for whatever help anyone can be!!  Thank you! -Slam Master JodiAnn, Saginaw

No problem. It sounds like you probably don't have access to a lot of areas that would help answer these questions, so that's the first step. We are here to help if things continue to be confusing.

Hope that helps, and welcome, again!

-Jesse

[inkera]

Have you made your hotel reservation for NPS 2012?

HOST HOTEL: Holiday Inn Center City 230 N. College Street Charlotte NC 28202 (888) 465-4329
The Holiday Inn is offering a rate of $119 + tax per night  (for a room with either a King Bed or two Double Beds) starting on Sunday, August 5 and going through Sunday, August 12. You can make your reservation by contacting the hotel directly or online at http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/reservation/roomrate?destination=230+North+College+St+Charlotte+North+Carolina+United+States&hotelCode=cltdt&groupCode=POE&execute=basic

*Please note that unlike previous PSi events, individuals must contact the hotel directly to secure lodging; there will be no option to book through the PSi website this year.*


This rate is valid until 13 July 2012 or until all rooms in the block are taken (whichever one occurs first).