"The HEAD, by way of the EAR, to the SYLLABLE
The HEART, by way of the BREATH, to the LINE”
- Charles Olson


Welcome to my poetry research blog! Here's a little background...

Poetry is, at its heart, a very acoustic phenomenon. Distinguished from prose through its emphasis on the use of sound, namely its distinctive rhythms, meters, and rhyme scheme, the earliest known poetry followed the oral tradition. Among the most famous examples of early poetry are Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” which were transmitted by word of mouth for centuries.

Following the spread of literacy, poetry increasingly became a written form. Though the play of sounds and rhythms were still very important, and though poets gained the ability to use the visual presentation of their poems to shape the meaning of their work, poetry lost much of its performance aspect. However, during the twentieth century, there was a poetic movement that began re-emphasizing the importance of sound and performance in poetry.

This blog will track my research into the developments in performance poetry in the modern United States. My principal focus will be on poetry slams, but I will be investigating all forms of performance poetry. I’m taking a multi-media approach to this research: not only will I be using articles and books, I will also be watching videos, youtube clips, and, most importantly, attending actual Slams. I’m especially excited for the National Poetry Slam in August.

Specifically, here you will find a record of the performance events that I have and intend to attend.

“Sometimes a good slam strategy is to give the audience something they didn’t know they needed until they’ve heard it. Sometimes it’s aesthetic deduction, sometimes it’s angelic inspiration, but it’s always being true to yourself, your teammates, your muse, and your art."
-- Daniel S. Solis

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

August 8, 2008 - SlamMasters' Meeting

Held in a conference room in the Concourse Hotel, the organizational center of the National Poetry Slam, the SlamMasters’ was packed with SlamMasters and team representatives from around the country. Slam is described as the democratization of poetry, and it was interesting to see the actual democratic process underlying the organization of American Slam Poetry.

Run under Parliamentary procedure, proposals were made to all parties gathered. Motions that were seconded would then be subjected to discussion, alternating pro’s and cons. Motions would then be voted on; though everyone had the right to participate in the discussion, only the SlamMasters actually were able to vote.

Topics discussed ranged from the order of the rotation within each bout to the order of the presentation of scores. Huge considerations in any decision was given to what would help maintain the integrity and quality of slam as a literary form as well as what would help keep the competitions fair. For instance, there was a proposal to return individual slam competition to the National Poetry Slam (currently, individuals compete separately at the Individual World Poetry Slam) in order to return a focus to the individual pieces themselves rather than on overall team performance. Additionally, there was a motion to revise the rules regarding alternates on the team in order to insure that teams with alternates didn’t receive an unfair advantage. Other motions included reforming the process by which judges are selected and moving the SlamMasters’ meeting to the Women of the World Poetry Slam in order to consolidate meetings while meeting the requirement of the by-laws that the Slam Masters meet in the spring, Finally, there was an almost unanimous movement to put a memorial page on the Poetry Slam, Inc. website for each slam poet who has passed away. This was motivated by the recent death of Shannon Leigh, who died on this past June due to a diving accident.

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