ABOUT
THE BERKELEY SLAM
(AND SLAMMING) The
Poetry Slam season is quickly reaching its peak, as all
the Bay Area poetry slams are in the process of selecting
their teams (4-5 poets, the top score-getters of the
year). The newly-picked teams are about to be sequestered
with their coaches- frenzily preparing for the National
Competition (held this year in St. Louis) and the West
Coast Regional Competition (held every year in Big Sur).
Background on the West Coast's
most exciting lyrical boxing match – The Berkeley Slam! The
Berkeley Slam is widely seen as the epicenter of the northern
California Slam scene. Most well-known poets come to the
event regularly, and up-and-comers see it as THE place
to test their work. The event has won "Best of the
East Bay" (East Bay Express 2003) and hosts "moving
verse" (New York Times 2003) weekly. The venue is
home to teams that are West Coast Regional Slam Champs
in 2002 and 2003 and half the 1999 National Slam trophy
rests above the bar with other sports trophies.
(In 1999,
two Bay Area teams won first place- SF/Berkeley and San
José. They opted to share the glory and prize for
the first time in that competition's history. The
finals stage made such a splash, our poets appeared on
60 Minutes and The New York Times.)
Formerly a monthly event, The Berkeley Slam had the blessing
of "too many" people
in the venue, according to Charles Ellik, emcee of the event, making it hard
to move and breathe. In 2000, in order to accommodate its beloved venue, The
Starry Plough, the event went weekly. It consistently draws 100-300 every Wednesday.
With the help of its Slammasters, The Berkeley Slam has helped spawn other regular
slams (Second Sundays- SF, Tourettes Without Regrets- Oakland, The Marin Slam
and many others) as well as spoken word events like The New Word Series and bEASTfest.
Background on "Slam" (top)
Each year, spoken word artists from all over the
country compete in "Poetry Slams". The best of
these poets earn spots on teams that compete against teams
from other venues and locations nationwide. Bragging rights,
audience love, and cash are all on the line in this high
stakes art form that combines elements of sport, literary
arts, stand-up comedy, and theatrical performance. Poetry
Slams are a nationwide phenomenon. At a slam, poets articulate
within a three-minute time limit and are scored from 0-10
based on performance and content. Judges are picked at
random from the audience, thereby adding an automatic interactive
element to a Slam that many open mics lack. Around the
country, poets gather week after week to compete for applause,
cash, and points towards a Team slot in the National Competition.
What is slam
(according to those that know)? (top)
"The poetry slam is a gimmick. Slams are a device
used to draw in an audience of 'normal folk,' (meaning
you, me, and the cabby that drove us here) and encourage
them to actively participate in the performance of poetry,
either as a vocal audience member, or actually sharing
their heart and mind on stage. Slams have the useful benefit
of rewarding poets who connect with their audience by performing
energetically, speaking clearly, and writing brief, potent,
easy to grasp poems. Slams help give creative people incentive
to find and hone the voice needed to express their ideas
forcefully in front of a live audience."
—Charles
Ellik (Slammmaster, Berkeley Slam, Tournament Director,
New Word series)
"I have been involved with poetry slams since 1997.
I have had a lot of time to see slam and how it affects
poets,
poetry, and their work. In short, I think it is an amazingly
positive way for any performance poet to improve her/his
craft. Sure, slam is a poetry competition that allows people
in the audience to judge- a gimmick to get the audiences
in the door. Slam gets the audience numbers there (and
gets them participating- not sitting like lumps!), and
that could be construed as a gimmick. But from the poets'
angle, it's more of a tool. A slam hones the fine art of
performance poetry more than any other poetry event I've
ever encountered. Unlike an open mic, there are rules in
slam about length. This makes the fine art of editing really
keen in a slammer. How many poets have you seen that really
have a few great ideas floating around in a mire of mediocre
prose? Did you think to yourself- "Agh! Learn to edit!" Slam
does that for a poet. Unlike an open mic, there are rules
in slam against about props and background music. This
rule makes a poet rely only on the strength and impact
of their words, not a toy, a rhythm, or backbeat. They
have to give of themselves. They have to work! It makes
for a truly personal presentation that I feel connects
the poet to the audience in a way that I have seen very
few other poetry events do. Moreover, slams are a nationwide
phenomenon. Slams occur regularly in most towns and cities
across the US. It gets an eager audience there for the
poet, no matter where they are. This means once you are
a great slammer, you can slam your way across the USA and
meet great poets. And unlike open mics, most slam features
are paying gigs! Making a living as an artist is a good
thing."
— dani eurynome (Slammmaster, Berkeley
Slam, Agent of spoken word artists (daniland
talent),
spoken word event producer)
"Spoken word is a mutated hybrid of hip-hop, stand-up
blitzkrieg comedy, performance art, and fucked-up theater.
There is
such a raw, immediate, visceral power to someone simply
standing there naked and just ripping shit; bombing an
audience with nothing: no beats, no sets, no costumes,
no music."
—Jamie Kennedy (member of Team Berkeley
2002, 2003, National Slam Champion 1999 (Team SF/Berkeley),
one-third of the spoken word trio The Suicide Kings
"At many spoken word events, the word "diversity" is
code for racial diversity only. Often, other types of difference
(for example, with regards to sexuality or age) get overlooked.
As a queer woman, I find that the Berkeley Slam audience
is one of the few who enthusiastically embrace poets who
have views and life experiences that are different from
their own. Charles and Dani have done a great job creating
an atmosphere that is a safe space for poets who come from
all kinds of diverse backgrounds and walks of life."
—Julia Serano, Bay Area Slam poet, queer activist and organizer (GenderEnders),
and musician (The band Bitesize)
"Slam is, in my opinion, the most verbally and physically expressive form
of performance poetry. It is sport and art rolled in one. Sometimes it is chaotic,
sometimes
it is creative, but it is always exciting. Poetry slam is spoken word on crack."
— Mike McGee (2003 National Indie Slam Champion)
"There's a big difference between a poetry slam and an open-mic reading.
A poetry slam is like a lyrical boxing match that pits poets against other poets
in a
bout. Unlike theater or music performance, the poetry slam is a pared-down event
because poets aren't permitted to use props, costumes or music. Yet the slams
are able to offer the audience more."
— Shilanda Woolridge
Background on
Slam in the Bay Area: (top)
The Bay Area has a spoken word scene that is the envy
of the nation. There are regular slams in San Francisco,
San José, Sacramento, Oakland, Berkeley, Modesto,
Chico, Marin, and Monterey. While the Bay Area has a
long venerated tradition of open mics and poetry readings,
the Slams are something else: unlike poetry events of
the past, Slam engages the audience in a way that keeps
the audience coming back for more. What other performance
genre that is not yet a household name (and has no nationally
known superstars —yet) can draw 2200 people a month
in the Bay Area? Poets involved in Slam from other areas
of the country regularly tour (like one-person rock bands)
the Bay Area because of the abundance of venues and the
size of the audience.
Unlike many regions of the country (which stress the competition over the community),
the Bay Area Teams have great affection for one another and cross-pollination
between teams happens from year to year. A poet may earn a slot on San Francisco
one year, San José the next. The Bay Area is known in the "Slam Family" for
its "Bay Area Love". This love has extended to other areas and teams,
making the Bay Area a popular destination for touring Slam poets. For the Western
Regionals, all the Slam teams camp overnight together, bonding and having fun
before and after competing against each other.
What are (Berkeley)
Slam rules?* (top)
1. Time Limits: A poet has 3 minutes with 10 second grace period to say what
s/he wants to say. After that, points are deducted. One tenth-of-a-point for
every 10 seconds over, rounding up.
2. Poetry alone: no props, no costumes, no music. Just the poet, the audience, & the
word.
Poets: Come with 3 poems that meet the above criteria.
Think you are up for the challenge? Come early! Sign ups are out at 7:30. Guaranteed
slots for the first 7 sign ups, then a lottery to make up the rest of the slots
(usually 12-15, depending on the length of our feature) from the remaining poets
signed up.
How does the
Judging work?(top)
5 judges are picked AT RANDOM from the audience to rate
the poems from 1-10, using tenths to helps break ties.
This brings the audience into the event. Slam
is not a passive activity - for poets or audience members!
*Berkeley Slam is a member of PSI.
We run our slam according to National rules. This helps
our finest poets prepare for the National competition.
What is PSI?
What do they do? (top)
To advocate, promote, support, witness, and/or perpetuate the art of performance
poetry. To enhance the perception of literary merit and legitimacy of performance
poetry as an art form. To manage the international affairs of the National
Poetry Slam community. To protect the artistic and financial interests of the
National Poetry Slam community. To promote and perpetuate the National Poetry
Slam...(every year in August!)
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