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General Discussion / Re: Poet looking for a slam team
« on: May 31, 2010, 01:26:38 PM »... since poetry hasn't changed in 30 years.
And this is all anyone needs to know. Willing to expend energy to hate on Philly and mock slam on the Poetry Slam forum without taking a moment to research the movement?
Troll.
Apollo?
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General Discussion / Re: Rules for Protesting a Plagiarized Poem in a Slam?
« on: March 28, 2010, 09:47:19 PM »
Apologies for the scope-creep of my last entry. Either I said it all, or just made all those in the thread back away slowly, collecting all the sharp objects along the way.
And yeah, a lot of this is pent up from the many rants out there about "the future of slam" or "where do we go from here?" and the like. So again, I apologize for what does not belong... but hope some of it is of some use.
And yeah, a lot of this is pent up from the many rants out there about "the future of slam" or "where do we go from here?" and the like. So again, I apologize for what does not belong... but hope some of it is of some use.
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General Discussion / Re: Rules for Protesting a Plagiarized Poem in a Slam?
« on: March 26, 2010, 01:23:27 PM »
Jesse, you were right from earlier, when I alluded to plagiarism when it was really 'heavily borrowed or influenced.'
And since Jason mentioned the incident from this past NPS Finals stage that I'm uncomfortably close to (No, I wasn't on Finals stage, but the argument/discussion itself), I have been involved in exhaustive talks about what constitutes signifying-on, sampling and out-and-out theft.
I recently had to defend a mediocre poet/horrible human being who took the opening line of a well-known poem and used it as the "chorus" of one of his signature pieces. The fact remains that side-by-side, the 18-line poem he used as inspiration and the performance script (nee poem) he composed using the opening stanza from a poem again and again are different expressions (genres, even) that go in different directions.
Unfortunately, Mr. Mediocre/Horrible* does have a bad habit of drawing inspiration from wells a little too close to home, and has approached the boundary of plagiarism with many of our local poets/poems. To his credit, he is a great salesman - er, performer - and does a great job indeed make these appear to be his own thoughts.
That bozo reminds me of the person Jacob described here. It is going to happen because of the randominity** of a poetry slam - and the people drawn to compete in one - which allows noobs to swim in the same waters as experienced performance poets who hold their art form close with great reverence.
And this dialogue is one being echoed across Facebook (most notably Alvin Lau's diatribe that, once you get past his sour grapes, makes some incredibly valid points), where incumbents and experienced spoken word artists with slam on their resume have taken issue with this new generation of competitors who emulate the style - and sometimes the writing - of those who have historically been successful in slam. This is largely from those iPhoning it in - that is researching poetry slam performances on YouTube and imitating what they see because that's how they feel it is done. Think of every Saul Williams clone circa 1997-2004. This current mass-emulation threatens to kill the originality and spontaneity of slam - but also makes those who seek to find their own voices - like this 14-year-old in a recent slam - look so much better than many veterans.
The 14-year-old lost a slam-off by time penalty. Upon hearing his age, the thirtysomething slam winner shook his head in disbelief. And while the winner of the slam is an acquaintance whom I respect, I honestly couldn't distinguished any of the three poems he did from one another, as they all stayed safely within a narrow set of subjects with the same 10 or 12 tropes/talking points, while this barely-a-teenager channeled Alan Ginsberg and Tony Robbins (you had to be there).
I end on that anecdote because the kid is a source of inspiration in a movement that teeters on the brink of implosion from all the hating and rapid turnover, and a reminder of the responsibility we have as experienced performance poets to educate as much as we advocate...
... if your local slam doesn't have one, start a workshop. Features can often lead them. If you don't have features regularly, scour the Internet for prompts and grassroot the sucker into existence. Get 'em writing. And editing. Show them that slam is merely a gateway drug to a much more worthy dragon to chase (sorry for the choice in metaphor); don't bitch on Facebook or LiveJournal when you "lose" a slam to someone you don't feel is worthy.
But also call out those suckas who either lack the originality or try to "win" a poetry slam by borrowing heavily, stealing large chunks or better lines than they could write on their own, or out-and-out plagiarizing other poets.
Jacob, call him out. If you don't want to whistle-blow, tell him to his face that you feel what he did was wrong. Sounds like there are a few people on this thread (myself included) that would back you up if what you're saying did indeed transpire. Sounds like he also learned his lesson and might shy away from his past mistakes.
Here's hoping.
* Not to be confused with Dr. Horrible - this individual has neither a Ph.D. nor musical ability.
** Yeah, I made up a word. What? You gotta problem with that? You know what I meant by it.
And since Jason mentioned the incident from this past NPS Finals stage that I'm uncomfortably close to (No, I wasn't on Finals stage, but the argument/discussion itself), I have been involved in exhaustive talks about what constitutes signifying-on, sampling and out-and-out theft.
I recently had to defend a mediocre poet/horrible human being who took the opening line of a well-known poem and used it as the "chorus" of one of his signature pieces. The fact remains that side-by-side, the 18-line poem he used as inspiration and the performance script (nee poem) he composed using the opening stanza from a poem again and again are different expressions (genres, even) that go in different directions.
Unfortunately, Mr. Mediocre/Horrible* does have a bad habit of drawing inspiration from wells a little too close to home, and has approached the boundary of plagiarism with many of our local poets/poems. To his credit, he is a great salesman - er, performer - and does a great job indeed make these appear to be his own thoughts.
That bozo reminds me of the person Jacob described here. It is going to happen because of the randominity** of a poetry slam - and the people drawn to compete in one - which allows noobs to swim in the same waters as experienced performance poets who hold their art form close with great reverence.
And this dialogue is one being echoed across Facebook (most notably Alvin Lau's diatribe that, once you get past his sour grapes, makes some incredibly valid points), where incumbents and experienced spoken word artists with slam on their resume have taken issue with this new generation of competitors who emulate the style - and sometimes the writing - of those who have historically been successful in slam. This is largely from those iPhoning it in - that is researching poetry slam performances on YouTube and imitating what they see because that's how they feel it is done. Think of every Saul Williams clone circa 1997-2004. This current mass-emulation threatens to kill the originality and spontaneity of slam - but also makes those who seek to find their own voices - like this 14-year-old in a recent slam - look so much better than many veterans.
The 14-year-old lost a slam-off by time penalty. Upon hearing his age, the thirtysomething slam winner shook his head in disbelief. And while the winner of the slam is an acquaintance whom I respect, I honestly couldn't distinguished any of the three poems he did from one another, as they all stayed safely within a narrow set of subjects with the same 10 or 12 tropes/talking points, while this barely-a-teenager channeled Alan Ginsberg and Tony Robbins (you had to be there).
I end on that anecdote because the kid is a source of inspiration in a movement that teeters on the brink of implosion from all the hating and rapid turnover, and a reminder of the responsibility we have as experienced performance poets to educate as much as we advocate...
... if your local slam doesn't have one, start a workshop. Features can often lead them. If you don't have features regularly, scour the Internet for prompts and grassroot the sucker into existence. Get 'em writing. And editing. Show them that slam is merely a gateway drug to a much more worthy dragon to chase (sorry for the choice in metaphor); don't bitch on Facebook or LiveJournal when you "lose" a slam to someone you don't feel is worthy.
But also call out those suckas who either lack the originality or try to "win" a poetry slam by borrowing heavily, stealing large chunks or better lines than they could write on their own, or out-and-out plagiarizing other poets.
Jacob, call him out. If you don't want to whistle-blow, tell him to his face that you feel what he did was wrong. Sounds like there are a few people on this thread (myself included) that would back you up if what you're saying did indeed transpire. Sounds like he also learned his lesson and might shy away from his past mistakes.
Here's hoping.
* Not to be confused with Dr. Horrible - this individual has neither a Ph.D. nor musical ability.
** Yeah, I made up a word. What? You gotta problem with that? You know what I meant by it.
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General Discussion / Re: Rules for Protesting a Plagiarized Poem in a Slam?
« on: February 18, 2010, 02:16:17 PM »In addition, consider this from page 36 in the PSi Handbook:Quote from: PSi HandbookSampling.
It is acceptable for a poet to incorporate, imitate, or otherwise “signify on”
the words, lyrics, or tune of someone else (commonly called “sampling”) in
his own work. If he is only riffing off another’s words, he should expect only
healthy controversy; if on the other hand, he is ripping off their words, he
should expect scornful contumely.
-Jesster
Jesse, I think this is more a question of an "original" poem, which is one of the original three rules. At least based on what JacobPoet wrote in his initial post.
If this was a PSi-registered or -certified slam, and this was a qualifier to make a team, then I think a protest is in order, or at least a talking-to ensuring the poet in question clearly understands the rules. Best to presume innocence.
I was at a non-PSi slam a few years back when a contestant dressed like Kanye West did an acapella version of one of West's songs. Those in the audience "sang" along with him and he did receive a score and finished in second place (no money). No one spoke to him about performing the work of another.
A few months later, I founded a slam venue with rules.
/I know: great story, bro!
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General Discussion / Re: Shane Koyczan on the Olympics!
« on: February 13, 2010, 10:39:03 AM »
Good on ya, Vancouver! Represent!
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General Discussion / Re: What do you think about spoken word in TV commercials?
« on: January 16, 2010, 08:47:58 AM »Oh, also:
Theodore Seuss Geisel (later known as "Dr. Seuss") spent most of his twenties and thirties illustrating magazine ads for Flit brand insecticide. The crazy bugs and monsters he drew became pop-culture icons during the Great Depression. Flit was a subsidiary of Standard Oil (later known as "Exxon") (later still known as "you fuckers!"). So there's an example of an E.V.I.L. corporation using a poet in their advertising. But I should note that:
1. Standard Oil wasn't asking Geisel to be their spokespoet. They just liked his insect drawings. It would be years before Dr. Seuss published any books.
2. Dr. Seuss would have made a terrible slam poet. Trust me.
Your newsletter... how do I subscribe?
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General Discussion / Re: What do you think about spoken word in TV commercials?
« on: December 28, 2009, 11:58:25 PM »
Jim Henson's first muppets used to "pump product" in the 1950s. He later went on to create the Children's Television Workshop.
I agree that sugared beverages are not the best for human consumption, but I think it's more relevant to see spoken word become a larger part of the mainstream lexicon. It's not like they're selling tobacco products.
Anything by txtg, y'know?
I agree that sugared beverages are not the best for human consumption, but I think it's more relevant to see spoken word become a larger part of the mainstream lexicon. It's not like they're selling tobacco products.
Anything by txtg, y'know?
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General Discussion / Re: Dear Steve
« on: December 19, 2009, 07:22:31 PM »
Hey, the recession is even hitting the Yankees. Otherwise, their starting rotation would be Sabathia, Burnett, Lee, Lackey and Holladay. Times are tough, even for the 27-time World Champions. 
Maybe the Yankees could buy the Tigers?
Maybe the Yankees could buy the Tigers?
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General Discussion / Re: Feedback welcome
« on: December 15, 2009, 12:46:15 AM »It is entirely up to the poet what constitutes a "poem". For example, a series of related haiku can be called one poem. Three sonnets can be called one poem. This has been deemed acceptable in national competition. By the same token, two short free-verse pieces that add up to less that three minutes can also be considered one poem, if the poet calls it that.
The slam purist in me cringes, but you do have a point. So many slam poets write three-minute pieces that are easily and amalgam of four or five awkwardly grouped ideas. It would be easy to hide several pieces in one.
Now, in most cases, the judges will go "WTF?" and score accordingly, but sometimes they imagine brilliant connections between part one and part two and reward the poet for his innovation.
I guess that's just how it goes, doesn't it? If a poet knows the rule is one poem and mashes two or three, it's between them and their poetry gods, right? Like the misogynist who does pro-women pieces to get laid or the doofus who writes a piece about his mother dying for sympathy when she's still alive.
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General Discussion / Re: Feedback welcome
« on: December 14, 2009, 08:48:27 PM »
The rule (emphasis mine):
"Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem. If the poet goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score."
As Jesster noted, each venue can have its own rules. Some venues have no time limits, some may allow multiple poems. I was in a slam last summer where a poet forgot his poem halfway through and clearly started another. Being one to discuss it (usually here, months later) than file a protest, I said nothing... though I thought that was a clear violation of the rules and the poet should've received a zero or been disqualified altogether...
... but many slams operate from rules that were passed down via oral tradition, and not having a written copy of venue-specific rules on the premises tends to be the rule rather than the exception, so a protest is often not possible.
I've seen this kind of confusion happen when a poet has a long scripted pause in their work. Our slam is in a gallery, with a lot of walls and curtains, allowing for a lot of improvisation. I can hear the beep of the stopwatch clicking back on when the poet starts again, which means they may have gotten 20 extra seconds. This is also commonplace when a poet forgets their poem and struggles to remember it. Do we keep the stopwatch going while they smiled at the ceiling? Heck, yeah.
My guideline to myself is to pass a note to the host if there's something unusual about my poem. I have a few that stop on dimes and a few loong pauses, so I'll let the host or timekeeper (often the same person) know about these in advance to avoid any confusion.
Also, if the person doesn't know the rules, wasn't listening to the m.c. spiel at the opening of the show and tries to do two pieces or worse (time to embarrass pre-SlamRichmond Richmond, VA) recite, word-for-word, a Kanye West rap dressed as Mr. West, they should learn that you will receive applause and be disqualified, not receive a score and a second-place finish. (My hometown has come a long way since.)
Anticipating Rev. BillMac: The time limit is three minutes, not 3:10. The 10 seconds are a grace period.
"Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem. If the poet goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score."
As Jesster noted, each venue can have its own rules. Some venues have no time limits, some may allow multiple poems. I was in a slam last summer where a poet forgot his poem halfway through and clearly started another. Being one to discuss it (usually here, months later) than file a protest, I said nothing... though I thought that was a clear violation of the rules and the poet should've received a zero or been disqualified altogether...
... but many slams operate from rules that were passed down via oral tradition, and not having a written copy of venue-specific rules on the premises tends to be the rule rather than the exception, so a protest is often not possible.
I've seen this kind of confusion happen when a poet has a long scripted pause in their work. Our slam is in a gallery, with a lot of walls and curtains, allowing for a lot of improvisation. I can hear the beep of the stopwatch clicking back on when the poet starts again, which means they may have gotten 20 extra seconds. This is also commonplace when a poet forgets their poem and struggles to remember it. Do we keep the stopwatch going while they smiled at the ceiling? Heck, yeah.
My guideline to myself is to pass a note to the host if there's something unusual about my poem. I have a few that stop on dimes and a few loong pauses, so I'll let the host or timekeeper (often the same person) know about these in advance to avoid any confusion.
Also, if the person doesn't know the rules, wasn't listening to the m.c. spiel at the opening of the show and tries to do two pieces or worse (time to embarrass pre-SlamRichmond Richmond, VA) recite, word-for-word, a Kanye West rap dressed as Mr. West, they should learn that you will receive applause and be disqualified, not receive a score and a second-place finish. (My hometown has come a long way since.)
Anticipating Rev. BillMac: The time limit is three minutes, not 3:10. The 10 seconds are a grace period.
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General Discussion / Re: Surge in Spam Members/Posts
« on: November 11, 2009, 11:34:56 AM »If you are a slam fan, not a spammer, and I banned you, just contact me here, and I will bring you back.
Just wondering - can a banned slam fan see this post?
/sneerk!
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General Discussion / Re: Political Poetry suffers from double translation
« on: November 11, 2009, 11:32:05 AM »
If this was used in last year's Presidential campaign, would the result have been different? 
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General Discussion / Re: Poetry Cross Training Conference
« on: November 02, 2009, 05:01:40 PM »
I'd like to know what I'm missing. Please bring slam camp back.
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General Discussion / Re: An Open Letter to All of the Poets Competing in the 2009 National Poetry Slam
« on: October 23, 2009, 09:26:04 PM »We should all take something out of the message from Richard.
Also kind of reworded but this has been said by someone before, an important thing on vatsim
When everyone stops getting on top of others and putting them down and instead be nice to each other and bring up each other, the place will be much better
something around those words
We should remember
The people that need to read this won't. Too many in slam aren't readers.
/Yeah, I said it.
//Wrote it.
///What?!