This is the official blog of Northern Arizona slam poet Christopher Fox Graham. Begun in 2002, and transferred to blogspot in 2006, FoxTheBlog has recorded more than 670,000 hits since 2009. This blog cover's Graham's poetry, the Arizona poetry slam community and offers tips for slam poets from sources around the Internet. Read CFG's full biography here. Looking for just that one poem? You know the one ... click here to find it.
Showing posts with label ABQ Slam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ABQ Slam. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Remembering Danny Solis

Danny Solis was my first slam hero, a powerhouse of the Southwestern slam scenes. His poetry was awesome to behold. 

We bouted numerous times at Southwest Shootout, he sincerely complimented how I managed NPS bouts in Chicago and we slammed beers and spit poetry over his gloriously oversized bonfires in Albuquerque. Danny's group poems were legendary and he made ABQ the model for how to bring group poems to NPS. 

Slam poets nationally are sharing their stories of fights and fallouts, forgivenesses and friendships with Danny. He was tough and tough to love for many, stubborn and bold, instumental, influencial and unforgettable. If Danny was in the room, everyone knew it. 

At the National Poetry Slam in Seattle in 2001, I remember Danny Solis and Taylor Mali, two giants in slam and idols I had watched on DVDs before going to nationals, argue at the Slam Family meeting about a rule in the slam rulebook. There was a question whether a team had broken it or the spirit of the rule. Both were making good points in between other speakers. Then PSi President Mike Henry called on Bowerbird, who had his hand up for the longest time and was roughly between them along the back wall.

Bowerbird said, "I'm just happy to be here with all you poets." Danny and Taylor had the biggest laughs and it shattered the tension. I realized that even in disagreement, we slam poets argue because we want slam to be as fair as we can make it so everyone enjoys the stage.

One slammaster described to one of our rookies poets as half-Chicano, half-Klingon with his dreadlocks and bandana. He'd argue with you, slam with you and drink with you after.

We always had a good friendship. He always had a kind word in person or a sweet comment about my kids online. He enjoyed seeing me appear in ABQ or at NPS and I did him. Our slam scenes in Arizona and New Mexico have always been cultural and spiritual cousins; we were the same territory once after all. 
We modeled our budding Flagstaff Poetry Slam in 2001 on how he ran Albuquerque: full of support, respect and love for our poets, especially our newbies.

We are his echoes.


ROCHESTER — Danny Solis once wrote that “the body swims in the lake of the soul.”


Solis arrived in Rochester from Albuquerque, New Mexico, nearly 10 years ago to a snowstorm in May. He said in a 2016 interview it was the first time in his memory he didn’t go out for Cinco de Mayo.
Nonetheless, Solis remained in Rochester and shared his talent as a slam poet and his love of other creatives to encourage and amplify artists in his adopted community.


Solis was a champion slam poet, established an annual Day of the Dead celebration and received multiple awards for his contributions to the community including the 2020 Mayor’s Medal for artistic and cultural achievement.

His death while traveling to New York to speak and perform at a poetry event has shocked the local art community. However, artists who credit him with helping them find their voice, say his contributions will live on in the voices he helped amplify.


“Danny convened us into family, convened us into this rag-tag community of artists,” said Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara, an honored fiction author and writer who met Solis when she moved to Rochester about seven years ago.


“To watch him get youth to step into their own power was amazing,” Nfonoyim-Hara added. “He cultivated this safe, fertile ground particularly for marginalized youth.”

Nfonoyim-Hara took a writing workshop from Solis when she first moved to Rochester and immediately took to him, his writing and his advice, she said.


McKay Bram worked with Solis in curating events. His ability to perform poetry live paired with her art of improvised dance and artistic movement, she said.

“It was great to work with someone who had such faith in what I was doing because I don’t always have faith in what I’m doing,” Bram said.

Sometimes Solis’ words and music would inspire her movement which would in turn inspire him more.
“When we first talked, it felt like we’d known each other even though we’d just met,” Bram said.
That was a common reaction from people who met him, said Andrea Zoss, Solis’ ex-wife and mother of their son, Teagan.

“He was not afraid to talk to anyone,” Zoss said. “I can’t make my dad laugh, but Danny, this guy in a bandana dating his daughter, could make my dad laugh.

The two enjoyed spending time watching animals at the Albuquerque Zoo before they moved to Minnesota, she said.


It wasn’t in a salesman-like way, but an honest curiosity that drew Solis to other people, she added. Solis loved children and animals — especially dogs. It was a trait that took some getting used to.

“He had brilliant, nuanced thoughts about art, life and science but he would also point out, ‘Hey look at that doggo,’” she said. “Even if we were in deep conversation, if he saw a dog, he would interrupt and say, ‘Look, a dog.’”


Pointing out a dog would be about the only time Solis would appreciate being interrupted in a conversation, Zoss added.


That was just one side to a complex man, she added. Describing him is difficult, she said.

“It’s like showing you a grain of sand and saying this is a beach, you just have to imagine a lot more of these,” Zoss said.


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Sedona Poetry Slam, bout two

Total Scores

TeamRankScore
Neo-Soul, Austin, Texas1114.3
ABQ Slams, Albuquerque, N.M.2112.2
WU Slam, St. Louis, Mo.3106
Sedona Poetry Slam, Sedona, Ariz. 4104.6 (after 1.5 time penalty)
Rotation: 1
Team Performer Group Score
ABQ Slams Group 25.40
Sedona Poetry Slam Group 25.50 (0.5 time penalty)
Neo-Soul Danny Strack 27.00
WU Slam Sam Lai 26.80
Rotation: 2
Team Performer Group Score
Neo-Soul Korim 28.70
ABQ Slams Group 28.60
WU Slam Adam Segal 25.60
Sedona Poetry Slam Valence 26.30
Rotation: 3
Team Performer Group Score
Neo-Soul Group 29.30
Sedona Poetry Slam Spencer Troth 25.50 (1.0 time penalty)
ABQ Slams Group 29.90
WU Slam Tayler Geiger 24.90
Rotation: 4
Team Performer Group Score
Sedona Poetry Slam Evan Dissinger 27.30
WU Slam Freeman Word 28.70
ABQ Slams Group 28.30
Neo-Soul Group 29.30

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

2010 Southwest Shootout Poetry Slam


Group piece recorded live at The Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff on June 12, 2010, The poets are, from left, Christian Drake, Damien Flores, Joe Romero and Jessica Helen Lopez

Saturday, August 8, 2009

St. Paul wins 2009 National Poetry Slam

Host: The Mighty Mike McGee, one of the funniest poets in slam and one of the best people on the planet (he spent a week with me when he was touring around Northern Arizona about four years ago.)

Tavis Brunson sacrifice poet, 28.2

- - - Round 1 - - -

San Franciso: Matt, 27.4
St. Paul: Six is Nine, 28.4
Nuyorican: Faloo, 27.9
ABQ: Damien Flores, 28.0

St. Paul leads 28.4 at the end of the first round
(2) ABQ, 28.0
(3) Nuyorican, 27.9
(4) San Fran, 27.4

- - - Round 2 - - -

Nuyorican: group, 27.4
San Francisco: Denise, 28.3
ABQ: group, 27.9
St. Paul: Guante, 29.2

St. Paul leads 57.6 at the end of the second round
(2) ABQ, 55.9
(3) San Fran, 55.7
(4) Nuyorican, 55.3

- - - Round 3 - - -

ABQ: Christian Drake, 28.2 (after 0.5 penalty)
Nuyorican: group, 27.7
St. Paul: Sierra DeMulder, 29.7
San Francisco: D'Dra, 28.2

(1) St. Paul, 87.3
(2) ABQ, 84.1
(3) San Fran, 83.9
(4) Nuyorican, 83.0

- - - Round 4 - - -

St. Paul: Michael Mlekoday, 28.2
ABQ: group, 29.6
San Francisco: Chaz, 29.6
Nuyorican: Ion, 29.4

(1) St. Paul, 115.5
(2) ABQ, 113.7
(3) San Fran, 113.5
(4) Nuyorican 112.4

St. Paul wins with 115.5 | (2) ABQ 113.7 | (3) San Fran 113.5 | (4) Nuyorican 112.4

The championship team of Soap Boxing, St. Paul's Poetry Slam:
Khary J. (aka "6 is 9") likes bubbles, strawberry covered pancakes, and his future puppy. Oh yeah, he does poems too. You knew that.

Kyle “Guante” Myhre is an emcee, poet, activist and writer based in Minneapolis. He's shared the stage with Talib Kweli, Brother Ali, Sage Francis, Zion I and many others, and signed to Tru Ruts/Speakeasy Records in 2008. A three-time National Poetry Slam competitor, Guante has won Grand Slams in Madison, Minneapolis and St. Paul. He's currently working with the Minnesota Spoken-Word Association facilitating spoken-word and hip hop workshops for youth. For more information, see www.myspace.com/elguante or El Guante's blog.

Sierra DeMulder is a member of the Intangibles Spoken Word Collective out of upstate New York and competed with Oneonta at the 2007 National Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas, where her team proudly won the Spirit of the Slam award (what’s up, knoxeonta). She moved to Minneapolis on a whim because she thought it would be cool to freeze to death. Sierra has been trying not to trip since 1986.

Michael Mlekoday is the reincarnation of the first record DJ Jazzy Jeff ever used as scratch fodder. He is a pair of broken headphones and a pair of lungs being attacked by a freshly mowed lawn. In a simpler world, his hobbies might include fencing, playing harmonica, and using an abacus. For now, he makes poem-shaped objects. He will see you at the crossroads (so you won't be lonely). www.myspace.com/mlekoday

Photos from MinnesotaMicrophone.com
Bios from www.Soap-Boxing.com