Messages

16

General Discussion / Re: Hi! looking to join a team!

« on: October 28, 2012, 08:52:40 PM »

Hi Ilana!

Deonte is correct. I can help you out with Utah resources. We have slams in Ogden, Salt Lake City, and Riverton. There is also a CUPSI (college team) at the University of Utah that formed last year. You can keep up on our happenings on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/142817314750/

As Deonte also mentioned, all slam teams are selected through open competition. The two PSi certified slams we have are in Riverton UT at the Coffee Shop (Second Thursday of the month) and Salt Lake City at Mo's Grill (Last Monday of the Month... TOMORROW!). Both are 18+ slams and both just started their seasons. See the facebook group for more info on our selection process, or look up each slam in the selection process threads on this forum.

Ogden has a slam the 3rd Tuesday of the month at Grounds for Coffee, but is not PSi certified and will not send a team to the National Poetry Slam in 2013. The University of Utah has a slam team they send to CUPSI, but you have to be a student to get on the team.

Let me know if you have any further questions, and please check out the facebook group.

-Jesse

17

General Discussion / Re: Lookin for a feedback on a weird slam idea I have

« on: October 12, 2012, 05:37:21 PM »

I love it! Though I'm 5'4", so this would not be in my wheelhouse. Shooting a soccer ball into a Pugg, on the other hand ...

You... MONSTER!





-Jesster

18

General Discussion / Re: The Individual World Poetry Slam, October 3rd-6th in Fayetteville, Arkansas

« on: September 13, 2012, 05:17:02 PM »

Only one more week left to register!

https://www.poetryslam.com/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=8

-Jesse

19

General Discussion / Re: Lookin for a feedback on a weird slam idea I have

« on: September 12, 2012, 08:31:54 PM »

Hilarious and awesome!

20

General Discussion / Re: Iwps Reps?

« on: August 31, 2012, 04:17:28 PM »

Sure - Salt City Slam is sending Gray

-Jesse

21

General Discussion / PSi Going Dark for NPS 2012

« on: August 06, 2012, 08:11:47 AM »

All,

You should consider the offices, emails and phones of PSi closed until after NPS 2012.
You can of course reach all of us on site at NPS at will, but we are now on the road, in the wind and catching planes.

See you soon! 

-Jesse

22

General Discussion / Re: Where's the info for Side Events for NPS?

« on: August 01, 2012, 04:45:05 PM »

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
(This schedule will change)


 DATE/TIME    EVENT    

Monday, August 6, 2012

2:00pm – 5:00pm    Registration  (Holiday Inn Center City)       
6:00pm – 7:00pm    Poet Orientation (Holiday Inn Center City)
9pm – Until    Welcome Party    


 Tuesday, August 7, 2012

8:30am – 9:30am    Tai Chi    
10:30am – 2:00pm    Registration     (Holiday Inn Center City)

10:30am – 12:00pm    How to Care for Your Voice Workshop    
12:00pm – 2:00pm    Writing 101 Workshop    
1:00pm – 3:00pm    Open ASL Showcase    
2:00pm – 4:00pm    Entertainment Law Workshop    
3:00pm – 5:00pm    Point of Origin Reading    
3:30pm – 4:30pm    Poet Orientation (Holiday Inn Center City)    

7:00pm – 9:00pm    Round 1 Preliminary Bouts    
9:00pm – 11:00pm    Round 2 Preliminary Bouts    

11:00pm – 2:00am    Erotic Slam    
11:00pm – 2:00am    Slam Master vs. Rookie Slam (cash prize)    

Wednesday, August 8, 2012    

 8:30am – 9:30am     Tai Chi       
 10:30am – 12:00pm     “Workshopping the Workshop” Workshop       
 12:00pm – 2:00pm     Writing 101 Workshop       
 1:00pm – 3:00pm     Recovery & Remembrance Reading       
 2:00pm – 4:00pm     International Booking Workshop       
 3:00pm – 5:00pm     Haiku Prelims       
 7:00pm – 9:00pm     Round 3 Preliminary Bouts       
 9:00pm – 11:00pm     Round 4 Preliminary Bouts       
 11:00pm – 2:00am                       Hip Hop Night      
 11:00pm – 2:00am     Beauty Vs. Brawn (cash prize)       

Thursday, August 9, 2012    

 8:30am – 9:30am     Tai Chi       
 10:30am – 12:00pm     Workshop       
 12:00pm – 2:00pm     Writing 101 Workshops       
 1:00pm – 3:00pm     Nerd Slam       
 2:00pm – 4:00pm     How to Make touring worth it! Workshop       
 3:00pm – 5:00pm     Haiku Prelims       
 5:00pm-7:00pm
7:00pm – 9:00pm     Chow Down Uptown
Round 5 Preliminary Bouts       
 9:00pm – 11:00pm     Round 6 Preliminary Bouts       
 11:00pm – 2:00am     Encyclopedia Show       
 11:30pm – 2:00am     Monologue Slam (cash prize)       

Friday, August 10, 2012    

 8:30am – 9:30am     Tai Chi        
 10:00am –2:00pm     Slam Masters Meeting        
 10:30am – 12:00pm     Art as Business Workshop       
 12:00pm – 2:00pm     Writing 101 Workshop       
 1:00pm – 3:00pm     Day at the Museum Slam (guided tours or art installations)       
 3:30pm – 5:00pm     Haiku Finals (cash prize)       
 8:00pm – 10:00pm     Semi-Finals       
 10:00pm – 1:00am     Group Finals       

Saturday, August 11, 2012    

 10:00am – noon     Slam Family Meeting        
 Noon – 2:00pm     Youth Slam       
 Noon – 4:00pm     Slam Family Picnic       
 8:00pm – 11:00pm  FINALS       
 11:00pm – Until     Closing Party

23

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2012 competing teams

« on: July 29, 2012, 01:54:20 AM »

It would seem to me that we need to take "age" out of "regardless of age, race, etc." since it's not mandatory that slams be all age events and that's the way it reads.

Dead. On.

The EOS has better language.

-Jesse

24

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2012 competing teams

« on: July 28, 2012, 08:08:05 PM »

Team eligibility is covered in the most part by the Equal Opportunity Statement. The language is redundant, except for the introduction of all ages. This should've removed from the NPS rules section

Jesse

25

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2012 competing teams

« on: July 27, 2012, 10:09:52 AM »

You're not being obnoxious. I think this is a really important discussion to have.

Here is what is posted about venue certification in the rulebook:

Venue and Membership
Info
Registering/Certifiying Your Poetry Slam
(We want to have a Poetry Slam in our town)

Any regular Poetry Slam or Poetry Reading Series can become
a cooperating organization with PSi. New registration
costs $125 and can be accomplished over the internet
following the same steps outlined above for becoming an
individual member. Newly registered readings will be required
to fill out an Application for Certification and will
be asked to provide six pieces of “evidence” regarding the
nature of their event. The act of paying the fee REGISTERS
a venue as a cooperating organization. Registration
alone does not qualify a reading series to send a team or an
individual to a Poetry Slam, Inc. event.
To become eligible for inclusion in a Poetry Slam, Inc.
event, a reading series must become “Certified.” Certification
does not guarantee inclusion in a PSi competition, but
all teams and individuals at PSi events must come from
Certified Poetry Slams. Standards include:

1. The series must have conducted at least six events before
certification and its benefits can accrue.

2. The reading series must meet the requirements outlined
in the Equal Opportunity Statement.

3. The audience must average at least 30 members.

4. Any team or individual representing the Certified Poetry
Slam at a PSi event must be selected from an open
competition.

5. A Certified Poetry Slam need NOT be from the United
States to participate in a PSi event.

(Renewing Certification is only $50 prior to January 1,
$75 between January 1 and January 31. If a venue fails to
recertify by January 31 it must pay the new venue certification
fee of $125 and resubmit six pieces of evidence
to support their claim to meet the above standards. (In no
circumstance can a venue become certified for the current
PSi event after other slams have begun registering for it.)

And venues are required to agree to the Equal Opportunity Statement

Equal Opportunity Statement of PSi
(adopted at SlamMasters’ meeting April 1, 2000)
As the SlamMaster of an event sanctioned and registered/certified
with Poetry Slam, Inc., the SlamMaster and/or his or her
assigns agree:

1. To provide a poetry event which is open to all people regardless
of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, national origin,
religion, ethnicity or lifestyle;

2. That Poetry Slam, Inc. will permit a registered venue to serve
a specific segment of the population (e.g. an all women’s Poetry
Slam) provided that the organizers demonstrate a need for such
an event within that community to PSi, and provided that the
municipality or geographical area in question is already represented
by a regular Poetry Slam series open to all participants.
Exceptions are also made for venues where local laws prohibit
minors, or physical characteristics of the building cannot accommodate
everyone. Demonstrable effort should be made to
provide an opportunity for any legally protected group to participate,
where no other local options to participate in a Poetry
Slam exist. It is understood that Poetry Slam events which are
open to all are given preference in selection for the National
Poetry Slam;

3. That the SlamMaster must provide team members and individuals
with a PSi handbook before participating in any sanctioned
PSi event, and encourage his/her members to read and
understand the rules and guidelines;

4. To create a fair and equitable Poetry Slam while providing
leadership which encourages, illuminates and supports established
standards of good-sportsmanship;

So, nowhere does it mention age in the requirements for registering a venue. Where it gets sticky is in the NPS Rules section, age suddenly gets snuck in

Team Eligibility.
Teams must be chosen from an ongoing slam or reading series open to all
poets regardless of age, sex, race, ability, appearance, or sexual orientation.
All certified/registered venues are expected to uphold the Equal Opportunity
Statement. Team members must be chosen through some form of competition;
how that competition is structured is up to the local venue or SlamMaster
so long as anyone who considers him/herself to be a part of the community
fielding the slam team has the competitive opportunity to join it.
Because Poetry Slam is growing, not all certified venues can necessarily be
included in the National Poetry Slam. To accommodate as many poets as possible,
from as diverse a geographic base as can be achieved, some certified
Poetry Slams will be encouraged to share an invitation to the National Poetry
Slam. A person participating at the NPS can only be a member of one and
only one team.

Honestly, the Team eligibility should match the Equal Opportunity Statement. There's no way we can force all slams to be all ages. Some of them are in bars. I will be fixing that inconsistency ASAP.

But nowhere in the rulebook is an age restriction called out. It's referenced in the important dates section

NPS
NPS takes place in August
Registration opens (Certified Venues): 1st Monday in April
Registration opens (Registered Venues): 1st Monday in May
Registration closes: June 1
Last day to declare under 21 team at 18+ NPS: July 1
Last day to cancel and receive any refund for NPS: 45+ days out
=100% refund, 30+ days out = 50% refund, 29 days out =0% refund
of tournament fees but not memberships dues.

But other than that... nothing. I'll be fixing that as well.

-Jesse

26

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2012 competing teams

« on: July 26, 2012, 06:18:10 PM »

Since we're being pedantic, the rulebook says that the slam or reading series needs to be open to all ages, not that the team itself needs to be.

But yes, it's unclear and should use an update.

Pedantic? The rule is named in the headline "Team Eligibility" , Amy.  The rule describes team eligibility for going to Nationals. The very first sentence says "teams must be chosen from an ongoing slam or reading series open to all ages.....". That's not pedantic. It's explicit. It's emphatic.

How is such a rule merely pedantic, when it effects the team eligibility process? On one page the rule book says Nationals is a 21+ event. Then in the "Team Eligibility " section it says your team trying to qualify for Nationals must chosen from a reading series open to all ages.   That's a contradiction.

I agree. I think it's super confusing and unless you've been on the boards where this issue keeps getting mentioned there's no clear way to know about this.

I will be clarifying this language ASAP. I just wish I had caught this earlier and appreciate your help in identifying this issue. Again, I apologize.

-Jesse

27

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2012 competing teams

« on: July 26, 2012, 01:39:03 PM »

Jester, there  needs to be a motion to change the ACTUAL EXPLICIT language of the team eligibility rule. Based on the PRESENT RULE a team is eligible to attend NPS IF MEMBERS OF THE TEAM WERE CHOSEN REGARDLESS OF AGE, and other DISCRIMINATORY factors.

To limit NPS to adults 18 + or 21+ is not wrong. Certain theaters don't let kids below a certain age see CERTAIN movies and teens aren't allowed to buy cigarettes. BUT  OUR OFFICIAL RULE BOOK NEEDS TO STATE EXPLICITLY IN THE TEAM ELIGIBILITY SECTION THAT WE LEGALLY DISCRIMINATE BASED ON AGE.

I think that's the real source of the confusion about the issue.

The issue is that the vote DID happen

http://my.poetryslam.com/national-poetry-slam-age-limit

The problem is that vote was not communicate in our rule book

Jesse

28

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2012 competing teams

« on: July 25, 2012, 10:33:05 PM »

I will be adding this explicitly to the next revision of the handbook. After reading this question, I looked for a specific area of the handbook that stated this and couldn't find one. I also could only find a mention of a vote that I posted in one of my links.

There are certain things that a lot of us take for granted as "known." Like the fact that NPS is 21+ unless the HC declares it is 18+. There are certainly enough discussions about it on this forum. There is even specific language that shaped a notion I made in last year's NPS SlamMaster meeting:

XI.   MOTION:  Move that a deadline of July 1st be created for any registered and potential NPS team to declare themselves an under 21 team for that year’s NPS tournament.  Seconded. 

MOTION:  To amend.  Move that a deadline of July 1st be created for any registered and potential NPS team to declare themselves an under 21 team for that year’s NPS tournament if the tournament is an 18+ tournament.  Seconded.  Discussion.  Motion carries.

MOTION:  To amend.  Move that if the tournament is an 18+ tournament that the deadline set for all teams and everything declared for the teams be the same deadline of July 1st.  Seconded.  Discussion.  Call to question.  Motion fails by visual majority. 

Back to original amendment of:

Move that a deadline of July 1st be created for any registered and potential NPS team to declare themselves an under 21 team for that year’s NPS tournament if the tournament is an 18+ tournament.  Call to question.  Visual majority.  Motion passes.

And yet, still there are a lot of people that just think it is an 18+ tournament and even some that think under 21 means no lower limit.

So, I recently tried to update the rulebook with all the motions I could find since the last time it was updated, based on minutes I could find. I didn't know if this was a rule, legal issue, or something else, so it didn't make it into my edits.

I do apologize for not having this read clearer. I shall try to be better at this in the future.

-Jesse

29

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2012 competing teams

« on: July 25, 2012, 05:47:19 PM »

It was also apparently voted on many moons ago:

http://my.poetryslam.com/national-poetry-slam-age-limit

-Jesse

30

General Discussion / Re: NPS 2012 competing teams

« on: July 25, 2012, 05:29:37 PM »

A little historical reference on the 21+ issue - http://www.poetryslam.com/forum/index.php/topic,2264.msg23682.html#msg23682

-Jesse