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).

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!)