Messages

121

General Discussion / photos from IWPS 2007

« on: April 09, 2007, 09:33:32 AM »

Hello, folks:

As some of you may recall, my dad (Rich Beaubien) was at the Individual World Poetry Slam this year, celebrating his birthday and taking photos of many of you. He had a fantastic time and asked me to send his love to all of you.

Lots of folks have asked where the photos he took can be viewed. So far, he's only got a small batch up, just from the draw, but he hopes to add the photos from prelis and finals over the next a couple of weeks. Here's the link to his site:

http://www.intheviewfinder.net

Folks interested in prints or high-res copies for press purposes can contact me and I'll put you in touch with Dad.

--simone

122

General Discussion / Change in PSI Events Calendar

« on: March 17, 2007, 10:07:30 AM »

This line of thinking makes a great deal of sense to me.

Thank you for clarifying, Steve.

123

General Discussion / Change in PSI Events Calendar

« on: March 17, 2007, 12:06:54 AM »

I agree that any event in November is better than any event in October. But I'm not sure that's the concern at hand.

However, the event my venue has established sending a rep to in November and a brand new event we don't know if we'll send a rep to in March... That I like less.

I think it's a good way to get more venues to rep at WOWPS. I think it's not a good way to enable scenes to send teams to NPS and rep at iWPS.

124

General Discussion / Poetry Venue World Map

« on: March 16, 2007, 12:57:08 PM »

Just as it oughtta be, John...

:p

125

General Discussion / Attleboro, Mass., poetry slam! $200 prize!

« on: March 15, 2007, 10:39:45 PM »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Boston Poetry Slam Presents Poetry at the Attleboro Arts Museum

Attleboro, Mass., – When someone says “poetry in a museum,” one might imagine ancient calligraphy or sonnets and sestinas hung on walls. On Saturday, March 24, at the Attleboro Arts Museum’s second annual Poetry Slam, the poetry will be anything but two-dimensional.

The afternoon event will kick off with an open mic for students from Attleboro High School, Bishop Feehan, and the Network School, showcasing some of the area’s local young poetic talent. Participating students will be fresh from workshops with facilitators Molly Meacham and Harlym125, who hail from Chicago and New York, respectively. These two nationally renowned performers will also take the stage for featured performances during the afternoon. Expect to be surprised, entertained, and moved by the work of these two deeply different and multi-talented poets.

The show will culminate with a poetry slam, a competition in which poets perform their work and are judged Olympic-style by members of the audience. Storytelling, lyricism, and stand-up comedy all come together in this modern oral tradition of poetry. Entry in the slam is open to the public and all interested comers are invited to throw their names in the hat to compete for the top cash prize of $200! All-star competitors will include Nantucket SlamMaster Len Germinara and last year’s defending champion, Ryk McIntyre, plus, no doubt, a few ringers from the surrounding poetry slam scenes.

This event will be hosted by the SlamMaster of the Boston Poetry Slam, Simone Beaubien. In addition to four years of national poetry slam competition with the Cantab Slam Team, Simone can lay claim to a myriad of MC credits, including a recent stint as the Finals Night host for the 2007 Individual World Poetry Slam in Vancouver, B.C.

This show is a cooperative effort between the Attleboro Arts Museum and the Boston Poetry Slam, and is made possible by a generous grant from the Attleboro Cultural Council. Admission is free, although donations to the museum will be graciously accepted.

The open mic portion of the show begins promptly at 2:00 p.m. Featured performers Molly Meacham and Harlym125 will follow, then a brief intermission, then the poetry slam, which will wrap up by 5:00. This all-ages event is handicapped accessible.

Attleboro Arts Museum
86 Park Street
Attleboro, MA 02703
508.222.2644
http://www.attleborortsmuseum.org

The Boston Poetry Slam at The Cantab Lounge
Simone Beaubien, SlamMaster
http://www.slamnews.com
cantab@slamnews.com

126

General Discussion / Change in PSI Events Calendar

« on: March 15, 2007, 10:37:59 PM »

It's gonna be a kickass show, Steve. I'm still a little tweaked about the schedule change, but I guess I'm just a republican at heart.

<ducks>

127

General Discussion / Change in PSI Events Calendar

« on: March 15, 2007, 09:43:59 PM »

Hee. I certainly don't expect it to burn the hotel down. Er, not in a literal sense.

I guess I was sort of imagining that the event was designed to bring more women to the slam and more of their voices to the stage... And that once that had been achieved, we might change the focus of the event.

I agree that this issue was not addressed at the SlamMasters' meeting in this way; what I do recall is that one of the arguments for the slam was that we needed it to up the amount of women who participate. Are we not imagining a time when we don't need WOWPS to bring women to the stage?

128

General Discussion / Change in PSI Events Calendar

« on: March 15, 2007, 08:31:34 PM »

Your point about the size of iWPS is well taken. I hope that WOWPS will increase to all the size you hope for.

So are we definitely looking at a long-term event here in WOWPS? I guess I had some kind of inkling (possibly based on absolutely nothing) that it would be sort of a year-by-year growth thing, possibly morphing into another kind of slam in the future, assuming that it achieves what we want it to achieve. Am I looking at this the wrong way?

129

General Discussion / Change in PSI Events Calendar

« on: March 15, 2007, 06:55:43 PM »

Guys, I have to say that I am not entirely thrilled about the schedule change here. I think it makes sense to push the fall event to November and the winter one to March, but I feel that we've lost some balance in the calendar with the iWPS/WOWPS event switch.

I have really liked the symmetry of the two large slam events balancing each other out on either end of the annual schedule; now our two more established events run piggyback. This gives slammers a very short, intense national season, especially if those slammers happen to be men.

It also gives our brand new, never-been-run event a pretty cush spot in the off-season. It looks as though we are presuming the event will be an instant success.

On a local level, I think it definitely makes it tougher to send a representative to iWPS so soon after NPS... I suspect not only that fewer venues may now choose to send reps --which may not be not a bad thing-- but that those who do will probably send an established poet who attended NPS, rather than holding a separate slam to qualify. One thing I like about iWPS is that we see some different faces there, and I wonder if this will continue to happen with the new schedule.

Does anyone else have concerns about this, or am I the only one resistant to change?

130

General Discussion / The Web Site Suggestion Box

« on: March 03, 2007, 02:52:21 PM »

I agree that the site is difficult to navigate. My major issue is that we simply provide too much information up front. There are too many categories in the left taskbar (Home Menu), and the front page in general is pretty word-busy. I would really like to see things split up differently.

First, we need to prioritize what the most important info is. We simply cannot bombard a user with the whole site map on the first page as we do now. Right up front, possibly in capitals, we want to direct people to a basic FAQ, to the store (just merch! not the registration stuff!), and to the next upcoming event. Drop-down menus should then invite them to search for a venue, check out the yearly calendar, learn more about PSi, see an in-depth history of the slam, etc., etc.

I think the major problem with our current design is that many people visit our site for many different reasons, but we don't really cater to any of them. Specifically, we have SlamMasters, slammers, wanna-be slammers, teachers, people who just want to know what the heck a poetry slam is, and browsers who have somehow or other just stumbled in.

I'd like to see links organized depending on the user: SlamMasters should be able to find registration dates, certification information, and official rulebooks, all from one drop-down menu or page. Teachers should be able to find the basic rules, video and sound clips, and merch. Slammers should be able to log in to the forums and find venues. And stumblers should be able to understand immediately what it is they've stumbled upon.

I also think there should be multiple FAQs; again, these should be user-directed. Our current FAQ kind of covers everything from history to rules to venue certification, and although all this information is valuable, it's daunting when presented all at once to someone who just wants to know what the heck a poetry slam is.

Lastly: is there any way we can make the login for the forums synch up for the login for poetryslam.com? I feel like folks (myself included) would be much more inclined to use the available features if there was only a single login and password to get you to everything. I understand this may be an obnoxious compatibility issue, but making it easier for the user to get to everything will certainly make some neglected portions of the site (reviews, for example) more popular.

Oh, I may be opening myself up for something big here, but: I have some information mapping experience and would be happy to help with navigational stuff for the site.

Thanks for asking us about this, Erik. I'm looking forward to seeing (and using!!) the new design.

131

General Discussion / Double Features: What's the big deal?

« on: February 25, 2007, 06:11:57 PM »

Since we pay features on a scale based directly on how many people pay the cover charge at the door, I never book two independent features; I want to make sure that the poet (especially a touring poet!) gets paid appropriately for the work, and having to split the funds with another performer doesn't guarantee that.

On the other hand, I do sometimes book a "spotlight" feature; this is an unpaid mini-set during the open mic after which the poet may vend their product. It's a far cry from a feature, but it does allow a touring poet a chance to shine and make a few bucks without detracting from the night's headliner.

In general, I feel like my disinclination towards the double feature is not about product sales --a poet who connects with the audience will sell product no matter who else is in the venue, and deservedly so. It's more about promising a poet a headlining spot and rewarding the poet for the crowd they helped draw.

--simone

132

General Discussion / East Coast: Cambridge’s Two Poetry Slams Welcome Marc Smith

« on: February 23, 2007, 01:02:04 PM »

Cambridge’s Two Poetry Slams Welcome SlamPapi Marc Smith for National Poetry Month

Cambridge, Mass., – Every poetry slam, from Portland to Paris, starts the same way: “The poetry slam was invented in the 1980s by a Chicago construction worker named Marc Smith…”. Now, Marc Smith, the slam’s much touted, much so-whatted SlamPapi, will hit up Cambridge on his tour of the east coast.

On Thursday, April 12, Marc Smith will perform in the newly restored theater of the Central Square YMCA. Marc Smith, founding voice of the poetry slam movement, experienced showman, and leader of Chicago’s long-running SpeakEasy poetry group, will headline this special event. Marc’s work will be backed by the improv jazz stylings of the Jeff Robinson Trio.

In addition, the event will showcase local poetry slam superstars Iyeoka Okoawo and Adam Stone, as well as Worcester’s own Duende, a poetry/music duo composed of long-time slammer Tony Brown and bassist Faro.

This special show, a cooperative effort between the Boston Poetry Slam at the Cantab Lounge and the Lizard-Lounge based Poetry Jam Collective, will benefit the area’s two poetry slam teams; both venues will send a slam team to the 2007 National Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas.  

Doors for the show open at 7:00. The showcase poets will begin at 8:00 and Marc Smith will follow. Tickets for this all-ages show are $12 at the door. Advance tickets for $10 may be purchased at the Sunday night Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam, 1667 Mass Ave. or at the Wednesday night Boston Poetry Slam at 738 Mass Ave.

The Boston Poetry Slam at The Cantab Lounge
every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.
738 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass.
http://www.slamnews.com
cantab@slamnews.com

The Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam downstairs at the Cambridge Common
every Sunday at 8:00 p.m.
1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass.
http://www.poetryjam.com
poetryjam@gmail.com

133

General Discussion / And the winner of iWPS 2007 is...

« on: February 05, 2007, 01:54:02 PM »

Hey, we've been misspelling his first name as "Aaron" for years. I suppose it's finally come back to us.

"Stove Mahresh." Heh.

134

General Discussion / And the winner of iWPS 2007 is...

« on: February 05, 2007, 12:59:08 AM »

Oh, I care, believe me. Why do you think I nearly always use only my first name?

I forgive you anyway, Mr. Mahresh. Thanks for working hard for the tournament.

135

General Discussion / Housing Touring Poets: Question about?

« on: January 24, 2007, 09:58:34 AM »

I agree with the previous posts here about housing features; if a poet is touring far from home, they almost certainly are not being paid enough to get a hotel. I've certainly found myself stuck far from home with no place to stay after a show and only $50 (minus dinner and tips) in my pocket. It kind of sucks.

As a SlamMaster, when I book a feature, I ask them if they will be looking for a place to stay, and warn them that unless they are unbearably cute and/or at least one audience member is thoroughly drunk, it might be difficult to get a bed on short notice. I try to house every touring poet who asks (bed, couch, or floor, depending on how many I have crashing that week), but I understand that not everyone has the luxury of the room to do so.

I don't have a lot of pity for poets who tell me they are all set a month or a week before, then call me morning of panicked because they didn't set up housing, despite having had plenty of time to plan.

Similarly, I think it's totally inappropriate for the poet to cancel on the day of the feature. If, for whatever reason, there's no place to stay and they know that's a necessity, they should cancel then. Any last-minute cancellation puts the host in a tough spot.

--simone