Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Boogers and Turds (and other rules questions)

« on: April 15, 2013, 10:06:33 PM »

Boogers/Turds....Are these props?  I'd say they are...They are not necessarily available to everyone.


Second, at our Slam Off, we had a guy ask the host if he could hook up his beat to the sound system... The host said no, and the guy looked like he was going to play his beat through his headphones on the microphone..  He didn't end up doing it, but as bout manager I was scrambling through this forum to determine what the point penalty would be.  I am assuming it is instant DQ?

As to your prop question - I highly doubt they would "enhance" the performance of the poem.  Eww.

Second - his phone/mp3 player/beat-playing device would be an instrument, which is automatic DQ.

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General Discussion / Re: What's in Your Bag? Survival packing hints for NPS

« on: August 02, 2012, 05:31:43 PM »

This is awesome, Karen - thank you!

One thing that I find helpful - meal bars.  CLIF bars, Raw Revolution, Larabar, etc.  They're not necessarily the most delicious meals in the world, but they'll do in a pinch, and they are easy to travel with.

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General Discussion / Re: 2011 WoWPS Competitors!

« on: July 26, 2012, 01:22:59 AM »

who was the video slam winner in 2011?

iCon

http://www.poetryslam.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=214:icon-wins-2011-video-slam&catid=19:women-of-the-world-poetry-slam-news&Itemid=40

-Jesse

Thanks, Jesse!

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General Discussion / Re: 2011 WoWPS Competitors!

« on: July 25, 2012, 04:42:16 PM »

who was the video slam winner in 2011?

5

Slam Selection Processes / Slam Nuba Denver - selection process 2012-2013

« on: March 24, 2012, 02:43:00 PM »

SLAM NUBA
The First & Last Monday every month
Crossroads Theater
2590 Washington Street
Denver, CO 80205

7:30 doors and sign up
8:00 open mic followed immediately by the slam
All Ages Welcome - $5

2012-2013 Season Slam Rules 
- ORIGINAL WORK: Poets must perform their own original work.

- SAMPLING: using a “sample” or a part of another person's poem or song within a poem is allowed – however, the majority of the poem must be of the poet’s own original construction.

- TIME: Each Poet is given 3 minutes to perform an original piece of work. At the end of 3 minutes, a 10 second grace period will be given.  For each ten-second period beyond 3:10, ½ point will be deducted from the poem’s score.  At 4 minutes, the MC will likely cut the poet off.  For certain competitions the time limit is changed – this will be announced in advance.

- PROPS: Poets may not use props, costumes, nudity, or musical accompaniment. 

- JUDGES: Your poem and performance will be judged by three to five judges randomly selected from the audience before the show. The MC will do their best to find unbiased judges based on the audience.  Ideally, the judges will not know or have any connection to the competing poets.

- SCORING: The judges will score each performance from 0.0 to 10.0. Zero is the worst, ten is the best. If we have five judges, the high and low scores are dropped and the three scores in the middle are added together for the score. If we have three judges, then all scores are kept and added together to obtain the score for each poem.

- FORMAT: Slam Nuba slams include three rounds of competition and with the highest scoring poets from each round advancing. “Qualifying” or “open” slams are open to up to 12 poets. In instances of tied scores, both tied poets will advance to the next round. In the case of a tie in the final round, both poets will be required to enter into a final “death match” to determine the winner. 

Slams are open to anyone, however, according to Poetry Slam Inc. regulations, poets must be 21 years of age in order to participate at the National Poetry Slam; some years the host city lowers this age limit to 18. Our venue is all ages, and we encourage poets of all ages to participate in the local competition.

TEAM SELECTION SLAM OFF:
The team selection slam off will have a minimum of 8 competitors.  Poets must have won at least one slam and participated in at least three slams during the qualifying season (August 29, 2011 – April 2, 2012) or must have one of the two finalists from the "Last Chance" slam to qualify for the slam off.  Last Chance Slam will take place at the final regular slam of the season and the two finalists will both qualify for the slam off, regardless of prior participation during the season.
Before competing in the slam-off, poets will be required to sign an agreement with Slam Nuba prepared by the Slam Master(s) which outlines the requirements for team participation, including PSI membership and adherence with PSI rules.  The five poets with the highest scores will qualify for the team. If the winners of the team selection slam off are unable to attend NPS, Slam Nuba will go down the list of qualified finals poets to determine the team.

As for the slam-off process, it is as follows:

3 rounds.  All poets compete in all three rounds and the cumulative score determines your rank.  The first round is random draw, the second round is ordered by score from the first round with the highest score going first, lowest score going last, the third round is reversed order of the first round.

Should a team member need to be replaced, the poets competing in the slam-off will have the first right of refusal in order of their final rank.  If the poets from the slam-off are unavailable to participate on the team, a publicly advertised "emergency slam-off" will be held.

iWPS REPRESENTATIVE:
If Slam Nuba sponsors a representative for iWPS, poets that have won at least one slam and participated in at least three slams during the qualifying season for iWPS (October 24, 2011 – August 27, 2012) to qualify for the slam off.  The slam will feature 1, 2, 3, and 4 minute rounds with all poets competing in all rounds - no eliminations.   The poet with the highest cumulative score at the end of the night will be the official Slam Nuba iWPS Representative.

WOWPS REPRESENTATIVE:
If Slam Nuba sponsors a representative for WOWps, poets that live their lives as women and have won at least one slam and participated in at least three slams during the qualifying season for WOWps (March 11, 2012 – December 31, 2012) to qualify for the slam off.  The slam will feature 1, 2, 3, and 4 minute rounds with all poets competing in all rounds - no eliminations.   The poet with the highest cumulative score at the end of the night will be the official Slam Nuba WOWPS Representative.

* Novelty slams held during season (haiku slams, cover slams, themed slams) are not applied toward accumulated wins, but are applied toward competitor participation.

6

General Discussion / Re: 2012 WoWPS Finals Streaming LIVE

« on: March 20, 2012, 08:38:47 AM »

so people should email Abbey?  Thanks Jesse!

Yes, they should e-mail Abbey.

7

General Discussion / Re: 2012 Executive Council Members

« on: March 12, 2012, 12:53:42 PM »

Good to know.
Syd, I look forward to continue working with you.

second

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General Discussion / WOWps 2012 complete event schedule

« on: March 08, 2012, 08:57:43 AM »

Hey there,

So you should receive or have received this info at registration, but I just want to reiterate - here is the rest of the schedule:


THURSDAY 3/8/12
Registration
8:30 am - 11:30 am | Host Hotel - Cimarron Room (Comfort)
Competing poets attend registration to complete paperwork, get badges & poet bags, and draw.

Poet Orientation
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm | Host Hotel - Onyx Room (Brown Palace)
This is mandatory for all competing poets, where details and info on how to navigate through the festival will be shared

Performance Workshop
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Host Hotel - Navajo Room (Comfort)
Presented by Rebecca Preston, a veteran of Denver's youth and adult slam scene and many stages in theater, this workshop is designed to build comfort and confidence on stage. 

Bout Manager Meeting
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Host Hotel - Cimarron Room (Comfort)
Special instructions for being where you need to be with what you need to have.

Rookie Open Mic
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm | Leela European Café
If this is your first time competing in a national PSI event, this is the perfect way to introduce yourself to your peers and to new audiences.  Hosted by Mariah Bottomly.

Volunteer Training
5:30 pm - 6:15 pm | Mercury Café
Volunteers will attend training to understand their roles and be prepared for the festivities.
 
Preliminary Competitions
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, 9:00 pm – 10:30 pm
Mercury Café| Leela European Café | eden
The official competition begins.  The first bouts of competition will kick off with a four-minute round followed by a one-minute round of poems.  Twelve poets will compete in each bout.

Decathlon Slam
11:00 pm – 12:30 am | Leela European Café
Teams of poets compete in a ten-round obstacle course of impromptu verse, eating, dancing, trivia, physical challenges, and anything else we can think of.  Hosted by Megan Thoma.

Hip Hop Showcase and Cipher
12:30 am – 2:00 am | Leela European Café
An open mic for freestylers and emcees to perform. This event will include a live DJ with incredible instrumentals spinning all night.  Hosted by Bianca Mikahn.

FRIDAY 3/9/12
Yoga Session
9:00 am - 10:00 am | Host Hotel - Navajo Room (Comfort)
Led by Poet, Massage Therapist, Mother, and Instructor Jessica Chernila, this yoga class will focus on connecting your mind with your body and empowering your voice.

Brothers Show Your Love
11:30 am – 1:00 pm | Leela European Café
A WOWps tradition and staple, this is an open mic for the men to share poems that celebrate and honor the women in their lives.  Hosted by Trevor Byrne-Smith.

Haiku Deathmatch 
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm | Leela European Café
The ancient and revered form of haiku meets Slam!  Watch poets go head-to-head with only 17 syllables to fight with.  Hosted by Tazuo Yamaguchi.

SHEism: The Woman Worship Workshop
12:30 pm - 2:30 pm | Denver Art Museum - Lower Level Lecture Hall
Brought to you by Christa Bell, this workshop focuses intensely on accessing the second chakra (creative, sexual, life-giving chakra) to create intensely personal scriptures (poems) for individual participants.   

Check Your Head: Writing Workshop
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm | Denver Art Museum - Lower Level Lecture Hall
A workshop designed to liberate your inner muses' deepest aspirations, articulate them gracefully, and connect on a more intrinsic level with your audience.  Led by Bianca Mikahn.

Encyclopedia Show
2:30 pm – 4:00 pm | Leela European Café
This famed institution of learning, knowledge, poetry, and witty banter began as a monthly theme show in Chicago in 2008. Now franchised to cities around the country, this will be the show's inaugural year at WOWps.

Preliminary Competitions
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, 9:00 pm – 10:30 pm
Mercury Café| Leela European Café | eden
The official competition continues.  The second bouts of competition will begin with a two-minute round followed by a round of three-minute poems.  Twelve poets will compete in each bout, and there will be six bouts in three amazing venues in beautiful downtown Denver.

Beauty vs. Brawn Slam 
10:30 pm - 12:00 am | Leela European Café
This is the most serious grudge match in all of Slam!  Teams of boys versus girls in this no-holds-barred battle of the sexes!  Hosted by Dominique Ashaheed and Ayinde Russell.

Erotica Open Mic
12:00 am - 1:30 am | Leela European Café
Hosted by Lady Speech Sankofa, this open mic is dedicated to poetry with erotic and sensual themes and a celebration of love.

SATURDAY 3/10/12
10:00 am - 2:00 | Host Hotel - Onyx Room (Brown Palace)
Slammaster's Meeting

Denver Art Museum
Ekphrastic Writing Workshop with tour
10:30 am – 11:30 am
Ekphrasis!  Led by Ashara Ekundayo, this is a writing workshop that will include a tour of the Denver Art Museum, where the art becomes our inspiration.
 
RUHCUS Workshop
11:30 am - 1:00 pm | Lower Level Lecture Room
The Radically Unapologetic Healing Challenge 4 Us (RUHCUS) project is a 30-day multi-dimensional, personal and community engagement project designed to launch the journey of radical healing over areas of shame, trauma, fear and pain in our emotional, spiritual, and physical bodies.  Join Ms. Sonya Renee as she discusses the project, and helps you figure out how you can cause a RUHCUS in your life.
 
Exploding Texts: The Girl With No Hands
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm | Lower Level Lecture Room
Led by Rachel McKibbens, this workshop will take a look at the cultural and literary significance of magical realism, as well as provide participants with key steps to designing custom writing exercises that ignite the use of imagery and metaphor in a student's writing. We will also discuss the importance of cutting loose the binds of “truth” by allowing the fantastic to co-exist with the factual. 

Outskirts Press Presents: Self-Publishing and Marketing Workshop
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm | Lower Level Lecture Room
This workshop will provide tips on the most effective ways to self-publish and market books of poetry from the best in the business.


Mercury Café
Remembrance Mic 
11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Mercury Café
This mic is dedicated to those we miss and grieve and a memorial for those who have touched us and moved on.

minor Disturbance Presents: Youth Poetry Slam
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm | Mercury Café
Young women between 13-19 are invited to compete in a 3 round, 3 minute slam.  The winner will be invited to share a poem on finals stage at Denver Art Museum. Hosted by Bohemian Dreamer.

LGBTQ Showcase
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm  | Mercury Café
Hosted by Andrea Gibson, this event will feature an open reading celebrating the poems and voices of the LGBTQ members of the spoken word and poetry slam community. 

Café Cultura Showcase
2:30  pm – 3:30 pm | Mercury Café
Café Cultura is an award-winning open mic series in Denver operating for 7 years.  This event will include an open mic and showcase of the work of Chicana/o, American Indian, Latina/o and other underserved communities while providing a safe space for young artists from throughout the city to speak their truths, build community, and learn about issues affecting our communities.  Hosted by Julie Gonzales.

Café Nuba Showcase 
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm | Mercury Café
Started in 1999, Cafe Nuba "It's Hot & It's Black" is an award-winning quarterly, spoken word, performance art, political prose, indie film space with tight beats and incorporates open mic with featured artists and invited guests.  Hosted by Ashara Ekundayo.


FINALS
Women of the World Poetry Slam Finals
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm - Denver Art Museum | Ponti Hall
This is the most highly anticipated event of the festival, the final competition.  The 12 poets with the highest scores and ranks from Thursday and Friday night will compete for the championship. 

Stoney's:
10:00 pm – 2:00 am - After Party  | Stoney's
Time to celebrate!  Drink specials and dancing to an incredible lineup of all-female DJs in one of Denver's best venues for a dance party. 

9

General Discussion / Re: Questions for all EC Candidates

« on: February 23, 2012, 11:17:43 PM »

I appreciate all of your thoughtful responses.  And Scott Woods - thanks for making the suggestion that candidates for EC make their intent to run clear well before the vote.  This is waaaaaaaaaaay better.

10

General Discussion / Re: 2012 WoW COMPETITOR LIST

« on: February 22, 2012, 01:42:51 PM »

Wait. Are you telling me the Host City can have a cupcake eating round if it wants!?!?!?

Rachel, I don't thank you for your brilliant ideas often enough.  Henceforth, poets shall have to eat their way through 300 cupcakes, stomp through balloons, climb the rafters, kick a bucket of pudding through a hoop, and ride a tricycle to the stage if they want into the last chance slam.

OK, maybe just half of that.  In all seriousness, here are the specific instructions and parameters to sign up for the last chance slam:  

We will take the first 12 eligible PSI members that sign up - doors open at 6 pm, slam starts at 8 pm.  If there is a line of more than 12 when doors open at 6 pm, we will take those competitors that are present and eligible and place them in a random draw for the 12 open spots.  

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General Discussion / Re: 2012 WoW COMPETITOR LIST

« on: February 22, 2012, 01:31:03 PM »

I am interested in helping with this proposal.

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General Discussion / Re: 2012 WoW COMPETITOR LIST

« on: February 22, 2012, 01:24:42 PM »

I'll jump in, ready to host (Suzi, who should I talk to about hosting? Erik? Bill? Someone else?)

Seth White.

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General Discussion / Re: 2012 WoW COMPETITOR LIST

« on: February 22, 2012, 10:07:55 AM »

We should all have a system that removes that pressure from any one person. A clear, identifiable, system which would produce the same results everytime.

Perhaps this should be discussed at the spring SM meeting.

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General Discussion / Re: Questions for all EC Candidates

« on: February 21, 2012, 01:41:54 PM »

Thank you for your thoughtful responses, Inkera!

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General Discussion / Re: Questions for all EC Candidates

« on: February 20, 2012, 01:32:23 PM »

Thank you for your very thoughtful and thorough responses, Karen!