For better or verse - Going West's 2006 Poetry Slam

With Michael Rudd as MC, the Going West Festival holds its third annual Poetry Slam event from 7pm this Saturday 9th September at the Titirangi Memorial Hall, 500 South Titirangi Road (opposite Lopdell House). For better or verse - Going West's 2006 Poetry Slam

With Michael Rudd as MC, the Going West Festival holds its third annual Poetry Slam event from 7pm this Saturday 9th September at the Titirangi Memorial Hall, 500 South Titirangi Road (opposite Lopdell House).Poetry slamming is a competition with set rules that emphasizes the performance aspect of reading poetry as well as the content. People register at the beginning of the night to read, and must come with at least three original poems. Time limit per poem is three minutes.

The concept was originally conceived in a Chicago jazz bar and has grown into a hugely popular community-based poetry forum in the States. Performing on both sides of the Tasman himself, Michael has kept the flame burning here in New Zealand.

"Poetry slams are ideal for a new audience. They are perfect for breaking down the misconceptions and stereotypes around poetry. They show that poetry is like the FM band €” there's something for everyone. I'm happiest when the majority of people attending say they haven't been to a poetry gig before, and that they enjoyed themselves."

The Going West Poetry Slam features a $300 cash prize for the People's Choice award judged by the audience. The same amount goes to the overall winner as decided by a guest panel of judges: Michele A'Court, Cherie Barford, and Iain Sharp. If you are thinking of competing, come along early to register at the door as the number of registrations are limited to 30 and check out the rules at www.goingwest.co.nz
or phone (09) 836 8000, ext 8167.

Here's a snippet from a poetry slam site in the USA:
"By adhering to a structure that factors in the audience at such a basic and integral level, slams have emerged as the most vital and best-attended of many cities' regular poetry events.

Whereas many open mike events tend to serve either the poets who participate or a particular target community, slam's emphasis on addressing the audience has garnered slam a more inclusive, more diverse audience than the typical poetry reading. By marrying poetry with competition, slam has allowed non-traditional audiences a tangible and intriguing avenue for experiencing poetry in a live prime-time setting."

Read more at www.slampapi.com