Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2013: Official Update Thread

« on: May 03, 2013, 05:22:52 PM »

Poets and friends and friends of poets!

At long last, we are able to announce the official NPS 2013 hotel! Thank you so much to all of you for your patience in waiting for this. You may make your reservations any time here:

Hyatt Regency Cambridge
575 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-492-1234 or 800-228-9000: mention that you are with the poetry slam
http://nps2013.poetryslam.com/getting-around/lodging/

To reserve a room directly online, click here: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/e7f755a7

I recommend making your reservations as early as possible. You do not have to put any money down to reserve a room and cancellation fees only apply if you fail to call to cancel ahead of time. Our rate will only be honored until July 29, so there's really no reason not to reserve as early as you can... Remember that the Boston NPS 2011 hotel block SOLD OUT before July 4 and we lucked out in finding a backup hotel that year! Please, please, PLEASE book your hotel room(s) as soon as you have a chance to do so.

As discussed here and at SlamMasters, the hotel is more expensive than in 2011, and likely more expensive than many of us are accustomed to. I do want to assure you that our Event Coordinator worked extremely hard to get us a rate of $159/night for single or double occupancy, which is excellent for the Boston area and for a hotel of this quality. Triple or quadruple occupancy was quoted to us as costing $174/night, but as of this writing (May 3), that link quotes higher occupancy at the lower rate. SlamMasters may see this thread for more information: http://www.poetryslam.com/forum/index.php/topic,9016

Some of you may recall this hotel from your stay in 2011, as this was the back-up hotel. It is located slightly further from our venue base (just under 1 mile from the closest venue, and two more blocks to the subway) than the primary hotel in 2011. The hotel does have two van shuttles that it cannot dedicate solely to us, but has offered to keep on a tight schedule during bout times in order to get everyone to a nearby subway station for easy transport to venues.

Now, you probably want to know what good stuff you are getting for the high price of this hotel. I can tell you that negotiations have brought us the following cool perquisites: free Wi-Fi, reduced parking for those who have road-tripped to Boston ($15/night instead of $32/night), and a 24-hour meeting space that we plan to dedicate to use as a poets' room!

The hotel also has a courtyard that is open to smoking, a gym, and a pool. The entrance of the hotel is located only steps from the Charles River and its accompanying walking/running path, and there is a small food store (Trader Joe's) and coffee (Starbucks) 0.5 miles down the street along the river.

Overall, I am very happy with the accommodations; the price is higher than we hoped, but much lower than you will find elsewhere in Boston. When you come to Boston to enjoy your stay, please don't forget to high-five your President, Henry Sampson, for all of his hard work in securing us this primo space.

Can't wait to see everyone soon. Now that the hotel is settled, I'm looking forward to updating you guys about venues in the coming month. Hooray!

--simone
Simone Beaubien
Host City Director, NPS 2013

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General Discussion / Re: How To Contact PSi

« on: April 26, 2013, 09:22:07 AM »

Thanks, Henry!

I wonder if we could have Erik set up email forwards for our EvCs, so we wouldn't have to keep updating here?

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General Discussion / Re: NPS 2013: Official Update Thread

« on: April 25, 2013, 11:49:07 AM »

Hey, folks:

Just wanted to let you know that I posted a fresh blog on the NPS website today. A lot of folks have been asking how to help the Boston community after the events at the Marathon, so this answers those questions... As well as hopefully lays to rest any concerns about NPS 2013. Can't wait to see everyone there!

Blog post below, or you can find it here, with all the links intact:
http://nps2013.poetryslam.com/blog/from-the-director/

Hugs,
--simone



Dear friends of the Boston and National Poetry Slam communities:
April 24, 2013

As you are no doubt aware, it has been an extreme and trying week for all of us here in the greater Boston area. Although I am relieved to say that our immediate community remains unbroken, the bombings at the Boston Marathon have left all of us shaken, unnerved, and struggling to regain our sense of security here in the city. Although we frequently talk about how best to make our slam space safe from negative speech, it is rare that we are given cause to worry for our physical safety. We are grateful to have survived this tragedy, and to be given the opportunity for perspective and growth as we move to return to our daily lives.

I am also very grateful to have this platform from which to thank everyone who reached out to support your fellow poetry community here in Boston. I know that we are experiencing only a fraction of the compassion and good wishes that have been directed the city’s way, and the kindness of our slam family has been tremendous. Thank you so much for your emails, texts, calls, Facebook posts, tweets, and positive energy.

Many folks have contacted to ask us how they can help the survivors and their families. As in any managed disaster, the most flexible and efficient donation you can give is cash: we recommend donations to The One Fund, a non-profit founded by the Massachusetts governor and Boston mayor specifically to reach those affected by the bombing. The Huffington Post has also gathered a selection of ways to donate directly to some of the families who have experienced loss. In addition, you can donate blood on a local level any time to help the many people who are in need each day; even if you are deferred from donation, you can consider hosting a blood drive for others to donate.

Some folks have also asked how they can help our poetry community during this difficult time. We deeply appreciate your continued support and good wishes, and ask only that you keep us in your hearts when spreading positive thoughts about the upcoming National Poetry Slam in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville.

Which leads us to the next concern to address: yes, the show will go on in Boston this August! After Governor Patrick’s assertion that “Next year’s Marathon will be even bigger and better,” we are confident that the city will support our efforts to bring the National Poetry Slam back to Boston. As a long-time arts organizer and working artist, I strongly believe in art’s ability to heal, not only with stories of survival and empathy, but also through continuing to create and share —and, yes, entertain —even in difficult times.

Our entire community offers our thanks to you for helping us heal, move forward, and continue to make art. I look forward to welcoming each and every one of you at the 2013 National Poetry Slam this summer.

Sincerely,
Simone Beaubien
Host City Director, 2013 National Poetry Slam
SlamMaster, Boston Poetry Slam

Links:
The One Fund: http://www.theonefundboston.org
Huff post link list: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/15/help-boston-marathon-victims_n_3087183.html
Red Cross blood donations: http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood

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General Discussion / Re: NPS 2013: Official Update Thread

« on: April 16, 2013, 10:39:46 PM »

Hello, poets:

This is just a quick note to let all of you know that we are okay and hanging tough in Boston. The explosions on Monday at the Boston Marathon have made it a tragic and difficult week, but we can at least let you know that our community remains whole, if shaken. Thank you to all of you who have reached out to contact us and offer your support and concern.

In light of the stress of Monday's events, I have elected to set aside about a week for the NPS staff to recover. All of the usual channels of communication (www.nationalpoetryslam.com, the nationalpoetryslam Facebook page, @nationalslam on Twitter) are open and I encourage you to keep Tweeting us the results of your team selection slams, emailing us your local press about your NPS team, or spreading the word about our Facebook page! However, if you have a question or concern, it might just be a few extra days until we get back to you. Normal operations will resume on Sunday, April 21, at 10 a.m. EST.

As the national news will surely tell you, the cities of Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville (all destinations for NPS) are in the process of healing and also conducting police investigations to establish motive and culprit. At this early date, we do not anticipate this affecting our bid in any way, nor the overall structure of our tournament in August, or transportation options to and around NPS 2013. However, it may mean it will be a little longer before we are able to announce a complete list of venues for the event.

It will also almost certainly mean that it will be vital for you to have a photo ID, preferably government-issued, to access all venues easily at NPS 2013: I know that this can be a distasteful requirement for anyone who values personal privacy, but I also know that having an ID always makes travel and venue access more smooth. With four months to plan, I hope you will consider thinking ahead to have this important item for your trip to Boston.

Some folks have contacted me to ask what they can do to help the poetry community here in Boston. We are grateful to all of you who have kept us in your hearts, and that is really all we ask. If you want to go the extra mile, then we'd love for you to help keep the news about NPS 2013 positive, excited, and buzzing. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to email me at director@nps2013.poetryslam.com.

Now, even more than ever, we are thrilled to be welcoming the joyful, caring, hard-partying slam family to our resilient little city. Once again, our thanks go out to everyone... Looking forward to seeing you soon!

--simone
Simone Beaubien
Host City Director, NPS 2013

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General Discussion / Re: NPS 2013: Official Update Thread

« on: April 01, 2013, 09:53:30 AM »

More news about NPS today! Today is our deadline to announce the age limit for NPS 2013, and I am pleased to say...

NPS 2013 will be 18+ for all registered competitors.

That means that we have enough prelim venues that allow 18+ performers to permit our tournament to include all competitors who are 18 years or older by Tuesday, August 13! Hooray!

However, we will still have some 21+ preliminary competition venues. That means that SlamMasters must make sure all under-21 members of their team are registered with PSI before July 1, or you could be placed in a 21+ venue. Boston will NOT permit underage persons in 21+ venues, so please make sure PSI has acknowledged that you need an 18+ venue by July 1 at the very very latest... We will not be able to make exceptions or changes once you get to NPS. 

Please also be advised that this means that some of our events (mostly late-night shows) will be 21+. Just like NPS 2011 in Boston, we have a goal to provide an 18+ or all-ages show in every time slot, including late-night, but some of our local venues are firm about age limits. We are working hard to provide options for everyone at all hours so we can all enjoy the full NPS experience!

Lastly, you may have questions about under-18 poets. NPS is always an adult event and so NPS 2013 will not permit any competitors who are under 18. However, we will have many all-ages day events and are working to have at least one all-ages competition event every night (Finals will definitely be all ages!), so under-18 audience will still be able to see some of the National Poetry Slam in Boston this August.

Thanks for everyone's patience on this. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to check out our website or drop me a line! You can get to me in a private message on these forums, or any of the ways linked here in our Getting In Touch thread:
http://www.poetryslam.com/forum/index.php/topic,8706.0.html

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

--simone
Simone Beaubien
Host City Director, NPS 2013

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General Discussion / Re: Where is the link for PSI Individual member sign up?

« on: April 01, 2013, 08:58:50 AM »

Programming-wise, it's not as simple as you make it sound, Shaggy! But, yes, I agree: the current system was designed to allow poets to only sign themselves up. Since we know that, realistically, SlamMasters end up signing up their whole team, a change is in order for the future.

Big changes were announced in the future for the Store, so let's hope this makes the wishlist.

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General Discussion / Re: Host Hotel

« on: March 14, 2013, 04:03:33 PM »

Inkera is right on! All the updates go immediately to http://nps2013.poetryslam.com, so that's where you should watch for updates about the host hotel.

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General Discussion / NPS 2013: Official Update Thread

« on: March 04, 2013, 03:29:35 AM »

Folks, this is the thread where you can check in for updates for the 2013 National Poetry Slam. Whenever I've got quick news, I'll try to post it here first. However, you can always catch this same info even faster at www.nationalpoetryslam.com, or at any of the ways to reach us listed in this thread: http://www.poetryslam.com/forum/index.php/topic,8706.msg88767.html

--simone
Simone Beaubien
Host City Director, NPS 2013


Anyway, here is the awesome news you have all been asking for: we are excited to announce the official dates for NPS 2013! National Poetry Slam teams will be traveling to Boston for:

Tuesday, August 13 through Saturday, August 17

I personally recommend planning your arrival for Monday, August 12 so you can register at your leisure and enjoy our opening night festivities.

We do realize that these dates are a little later than NPS typically occurs; some folks will be glad to hear that we start up the week after Brave New Voices, while others might be disappointed that the show starts so close to the school year. Although we did our best to consider both these concerns, our decision was ultimately made by when we were able to secure a Finals venue. (That's our next cool announcement, by the way.)

Feel free to spread the word! Thanks to everyone for patiently waiting for these to be announced.

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General Discussion / Re: What are the actual dates For NPS?

« on: March 03, 2013, 03:53:09 PM »

Dave, I promise to update the website and let everyone know as soon as we can confirm dates. Thanks for your patience!

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General Discussion / NPS 2013: Getting in touch

« on: February 26, 2013, 08:04:28 PM »

Hello, poets!

I'm writing to you from beautiful sunny (well, today) Boston, Massachusetts, the site of the 2013 National Poetry Slam. We're looking forward to hosting everyone here in August! WOWPS will be here before you know it, which means that it's almost time to start thinking about NPS. I know that some of your venues have already begun the final selection process for your National Poetry Slam teams, so I want to offer some information about reaching us at NPS 2013.

First: OUR WEBSITE. If you've been to NPS before, you know that the NPS website tends to change addresses from year to year, and can sometimes be tricky to find. Here's some good news: with help from the EC and Erik Daniel, it'll now always be easy to find the NPS website you are looking for... It's just the year dot poetryslam dot com! (So, for instance, if you want this year's website, you can go to nps2013.poetryslam.com. To see our archived website from 2011, you can go to nps2011.poetryslam.com.) The even cooler news: ALL FUTURE NPS WILL NOW START AT THE SAME WEBSITE. So for the most current information ALWAYS, including for 2013, you just go here to get started:

http://www.nationalpoetryslam.com

Easy, right? Our site for 2013 has actually been up since last July, but we are adding new content week by week. The biggest updates come from our Social Media Lead, Cassandra de Alba, who will be blogging about how the tournament is progressing. Just click on Blog from the menu to see what's up.

Next: OUR FACEBOOK PAGE. To match our new website address, we've acquired a Facebook page that will host all future NPS events, too! So that means that even if you aren't sure if you are coming to Boston this year, you can Like our page to make sure you get all the updates for 2014, 2015, and beyond, since we'll be turning it over to Poetry Slam, Inc. once NPS 2013 is done. Our Facebook address is exactly what you'd think it'd be:

http://www.facebook.com/NationalPoetrySlam

Please share the page with your friends, friends of friends, relatives, pets with Facebook pages, and whomever else you think should know about poetry slam. Also, feel free to tag your old photos to associate them with this page! The more followers and content we get, the better work we can do promoting the event to venues, hotels, and the press.

While we're on the subject of sharing, we know that some of you like to use TUMBLR to do that. Okay, so here's our tumblr page, which we'd love to have you hook up with. I admit that it's a re-packaging of our Boston Poetry Slam tumblr, so it's got a bit of a regional slant, but we try hard to reach out to post poetry, videos, and ideas from all over:

http://nps2013.tumblr.com/

And if that's too long-form for you, there's always TWITTER! Our Twitter account actually stays the same from year to year, although our hashtag changes. Don't be shy about tweeting your excitement about your trip to NPS, your slam team, or your plans to hang with us either live or virtually:

Follow: @nationalslam
Hashtag: #NPS2013

Well, dang. That's a heck of a lot of ways to reach NPS 2013, right? Still, those just might not be personal enough for you... So maybe you want OUR EMAIL ADDRESSES. If you have general questions about NPS, you can always reach out to us at info@nps2013.poetryslam.com. However, if you have a specific question, suggestion, or concern for one of our departments, like Press, Development, Day Events, or Volunteers (to name a few), you might want to check out the contact information for our top-level staff:

http://nps2013.poetryslam.com/contact-us/

OKAY OKAY. One last thing... I know you have lots of questions to ask about NPS. Chances are good that the information you are looking for is on our website (nationalpoetryslam.com, remember). If you have a burning question about dates, age limits, or how to compete, you might want to check our FAQ before going anywhere else. Yes, these are the most updated answers, so you can expect them to change as more questions are asked and news is confirmed:

http://nps2013.poetryslam.com/faq/

Got our digits? Cool. Feel fee to write 'em on every bathroom mirror from here to Mexico City (hi, Mexico City!). Looking forward to a great August with everyone.

--
Simone Beaubien
Host City Director, NPS 2013
Boston, Cambridge, Somerville
http://nps2013.poetryslam.com

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General Discussion / Re: What are the actual dates For NPS?

« on: February 17, 2013, 06:11:55 PM »

Karen, that seems unlikely: most of our target Finals venues are collegiate spaces, and summer sessions that use theater and music spaces will be holding their final productions around then.

We are shooting for the week after BNV if at all possible, but cannot guarantee that venues will work with us for those dates. Again, I'll update everyone as soon as I can!

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General Discussion / Re: What are the actual dates For NPS?

« on: February 12, 2013, 09:29:26 PM »

Guys! Yes, we are aware of the conflict with BNV: they actually reached out to us directly, which is really cool. I also am aware that we traditionally run NPS in the first full week of August, in part because of conflicts for teachers; in the past, however, there has been a little flexibility in the tournament and we did run in the second full week of August back in 2011.

The dates of NPS are almost always contingent upon when a Finals venue will book us, and 2013 will be no different. We are working hard to secure an excellent Finals venue for NPS 2013, but we just aren't comfortable posting official dates until we are sure our venue is ready to contract.

My apologies for the delay, folks. Thanks again for being patient, and for keeping me informed about important conflicts!

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General Discussion / Re: What are the actual dates For NPS?

« on: February 07, 2013, 02:45:28 PM »

NO DATES ARE AVAILABLE FOR NPS YET. Sorry! Please don't spread rumors, folks!

You can always check the website for the most updated information. I promise that the dates will appear there as soon as they are confirmed:

http://nationalpoetryslam.com

Thanks for being patient!

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General Discussion / Re: Electronics Use During Slams

« on: February 07, 2013, 02:40:24 PM »

There is actually no rule against using a clock or timing device during your poem. I've heard from a few different sources that this is "cheating," but I'm not sure how that got started. It's nowhere to be found in the rules.

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General Discussion / Re: National Poetry Slam 2013 will be in Boston/Cambridge

« on: June 14, 2012, 08:10:34 AM »

Folks! It's true: all of us here in Boston have recovered from NPS 2011 (or perhaps it drove us out of our minds...), and when we heard Chicago would be unable to field the bid, we submitted our own. In coming months, I'll be posting to ask you what we can do and do better for you at NPS in 2013. We already understand that crowds and our selection of day events were problematic, so these are high priorities for us. But you may know about something else imperfect that we can work together to make more awesome. I encourage you to start brainstorming!

In terms of regional favoritism: I would LOVE to come to a west-side NPS, and it's definitely the east coast's turn to content with the fundraising and time-change challenges. However, as some folks have mentioned, it's up to those cities to put in a bid. I hear NPS 2014 is open for bid this August, right...?