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 Frank O'Brien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frank O'Brien. Show all posts

Sunday, June 2, 2013

2013 Sedona National Poetry Slam Team: Verbal Kensington, Frank O'Brien, Josh Wiss, Valence and Ryan Brown

2013 Sedona National Poetry Slam Team: from left, Verbal Kensington, Frank O'Brien, Josh Wiss, Valence and Ryan Brown

Sedona Grand Poetry Slam, held Saturday, June 1, at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, Sedona, ending the 2012-13 National Poetry Slam Season, hosted by Sedona Slammaster Christopher Fox Graham

Round 1
Draw based on points accumulated over the 2012-13 slam season

Sorbet: Christopher Fox Graham, seven-time member of the Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team

Calibration: Zachary Bryant Hansen, of Flagstaff

Calibration: Jackson Morris, two-time member of the Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team

Taylor Hayes, of Phoenix, 21.7 (after -1.0 time penalty), 3:27, -7.2 under, 10th place
Gary Every, of Sedona, 23.5, 2:43, -5.4 under, 9th place
Verbal Kensington, of Flagstaff, 27.0, 3:01, -1.9 under, 4th place
Ashley Swazey, of Flagstaff, 25.3, 1:41, -3.6 under, 8th place
Josh Floyd, of Flagstaff, 26.7, 2:03, -2.2 under, tie 5th place
Valence, of Phoenix, 26.3, (after -0.5 time penalty), 3:13, -2.6 under, 7th place
Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 28.0, 2:38, -0.9 under, 3rd place
Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 26.7, 2:41, -2.2 under, tie 5th place
Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff, 28.9 (with one 10.0), highest score of the round, 2:57, 1st place
Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 28.1, 1:52, -0.8 under, 2nd place

Sorbet: The Klute, eight-time member of the Mesa and Phoenix National Poetry Slam Teams

Intermission

Sorbet: Jackson Morris, two-time member of the Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team

Round 2
Reverse Order

Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 27.1, 55.2, 1:49, -1.4 under, 3rd place
Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff, 26.9, 55.8, 2:54, -0.8 under, 2nd place
Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 25.5, 52.2, 2:50, -4.4 under, 8th place
Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 26.5, 54.5, 2:21, -2.1 under, 4th place
Valence, of Phoenix, 28.1, 54.4, 2:24, -2.2 under, 5th place
Josh Floyd, of Flagstaff, 27.2, 53.9, 2:04, -2.7 under, 6th place
Ashley Swazey, of Flagstaff, 28.3, 53.6, 2:44, -3.0 under, 7th place
Verbal Kensington, of Flagstaff, 29.6 (with two 10.0s), highest score of the round; highest score of the night, 56.6, 1:58, 1st place
Gary Every, of Sedona, 23.3, (after -4.0 time penalty), 46.8, 4:26, -9.8 under, 10th place
Taylor Hayes, of Phoenix, 26.8, 48.5, 2:22, -8.1 under, 9th place

Sorbet: Christopher Fox Graham, seven-time member of the Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team

Sorbet: The Klute, eight-time member of the Mesa and Phoenix National Poetry Slam Teams


Round 3
High to Low

Verbal Kensington, of Flagstaff, 27.0, 83.6, 1:43, tie 1st place
Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff, 27.8, 83.6, 2:34, tie 1st place
Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 28.2, 83.4, 1:42, -0.2 under, 3rd place
Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 27.9, 82.4, 1:57, -1.2 under, 5th place
Valence, of Phoenix, 28.1, 82.5, 3:08, -1.1 under, 4th place
Josh Floyd, of Flagstaff, 28.0 (with one 10.0), 81.9, 2:06, -1.7 under, 7th place
Ashley Swazey, of Flagstaff, 28.6 (with one 10.0), 82.2, 2:56, -1.4 under, 6th place
Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 27.1 (after -1.5 time penalty), 79.3, 3:30, -4.3 under, 8th place
Taylor Hayes, of Phoenix, 28. 9 (with one 10.0), highest score of the round,77.4, 1:58, -6.2 under, 9th place
Gary Every, of Sedona, 24.3 (after -2.5 time penalty), 71.1, 3:59, -12.5 under, 10th place

Sorbet: Christopher Fox Graham, seven-time member of the Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team

Haiku Death Match
Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff, 4 votes - Verbal Kensington, of Flagstaff, 1 vote

Final Scores
2013 Sedona National Poetry Slam Team:
Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff, 83.6 +Haiku Death Match, 1st place
Verbal Kensington, of Flagstaff, 83.6, 2nd place
Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 83.4, 3rd place
Valence, of Phoenix, 82.5, 4th place
Alternate:
Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 82.4, 5th place

Ashley Swazey, of Flagstaff, 82:2, 6th place
Josh Floyd, of Flagstaff, 81.9, 7th place
Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 79.3, 8th place
Taylor Hayes, of Phoenix, 77.4, 9th place
Gary Every, of Sedona, 71.1, 10th place

Scorekeeper: Azami

Thursday, January 17, 2013

O'Brien, Dissinger, Cassady and Kerouac

Frank O'Brien and Evan Dissinger, 2012

Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac, 1952

An unintentional homage.

Just sayin' ....

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

Sedona Poetry Slam, bout one

Total Scores

TeamRankScore
Portland Poetry Slam, Portland Ore.1111.1
Red Dirt Poetry Slam, Oklahoma, Okla.2109
Sedona Poetry Slam, Sedona, Ariz.3108.3
MO Poetry Slam Springfield, Springfield, Mo.4106.1
Rotation: 1
Team Performer Group Score
Red Dirt Poetry Slam Michael Pearce 25.80
MO Poetry Slam Springfield Gretchen Teague 25.50
Portland Poetry Slam Doc Luben 28.20
Sedona Poetry Slam Valence 27.30
Rotation: 2
Team Performer Group Score
Portland Poetry Slam Group 27.20
Red Dirt Poetry Slam Grae Rose 26.70
Sedona Poetry Slam Josh Wiss 26.00
MO Poetry Slam Springfield Amber Culbertson-Faegre 26.70
Rotation: 3
Team Performer Group Score
Red Dirt Poetry Slam Rob Sturma 27.80
Sedona Poetry Slam Evan Dissinger 26.80
Portland Poetry Slam Will Stanford 27.80
MO Poetry Slam Springfield Group 27.30
Rotation: 4
Team Performer Group Score
MO Poetry Slam Springfield Michelle Nimmo 26.60
Sedona Poetry Slam Frank O'Brien 28.20
Red Dirt Poetry Slam Melissa May 28.70
Portland Poetry Slam Samantha Peterson 27.90

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

National Poetry Slam scores; Sedona ranked 30 of 48 thus far

Scores from night No.1
Sedona did well, but slipped from 2nd place to third by 0.7. Next bout is Thursday.
FlagSlam slams for the first time tonight.
Sedona is top-ranked Arizona team right now.

http://scores.poetryslam.com/node/4179/scores

PlaceTeamBout 1 RankBout 1 ScoreBout 2 RankBout 2 ScoreTotal RankStrengthTotal Score
1Boston Poetry Slam @ the Cantab Lounge1117.6

1
117.6
2Salt City Slam1115.2

1
115.2
3Beltway Poetry Slam1112.6

1
112.6
4Da Poetry Lounge1111.6

1
111.6
5SlamRichmond1111.5

1
111.5
6Portland Poetry Slam1111.1

1
111.1
7Slam New Orleans1110.9

1
110.9
8Soap Boxing1110

1
110
9Respect Da Mic1109.5

1
109.5
10Urbana1108.3

1
108.3
11Killeen Poetry Slam1104.3

1
104.3
12Golden State Slam1101.4

1
101.4
13SF BayArea Unified2117.1

2
117.1
14Java Monkey Slam2113.9

2
113.9
15Writing Wrongs2112.2

2
112.2
16Green Mill2111

2
111
17Slam Free or Die2109.1

2
109.1
18Red Dirt Poetry Slam2109

2
109
19Bull City Slam2108.5

2
108.5
20Vancouver Poetry Slam2107.8

2
107.8
21Dallas Poetry Slam2107.5

2
107.5
22Verbal Slap2106.4

2
106.4
23Intangible Slam2100.7

2
100.7
24Inkwell Poetry Slam298.8

2
98.8
25Piedmont Poetry Slam3114.9

3
114.9
26Houston Poetry Slam3112.4

3
112.4
27SlamCharlotte3111

3
111
28Writer's Block3109.7

3
109.7
29Burlington Slam Project3108.4

3
108.4
30Sedona Poetry Slam3108.3

3
108.3
31ABQ Slams3107

3
107
32WU Slam3106.6

3
106.6
33Lizard Lounge3104.1

3
104.1
34Steel City Slam3101.3

3
101.3
35Providence Poetry Slam398.3

3
98.3
36OM Center Poetry Slam393.8

3
93.8
37Lawn Gnome Poetry Slam (Phoenix)4112.7

4
112.7
38Neo-Soul4110.7

4
110.7
39Rocktown Slam4109.6

4
109.6
40White Plains Library Slam4107.8

4
107.8
41Fort Worth Poetry Slam4106.8

4
106.8
42MO Poetry Slam Springfield4106.1

4
106.1
43Sacred Sounds4106.1

4
106.1
44Boise Poetry Slam4103.9

4
103.9
45Las Vegas Slam4101.5

4
101.5
46Spoken Innovation Slam498.1

4
98.1
47Loser Slam493.1

4
93.1
48Ocotillo Poetry Slam (Tucson)492.7

4
92.7

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Valence wins the Sedona Poetry Grand Slam

Tyler "Valence" Sirvinskas wins the Sedona Poetry Grand Slam held Saturday, June 16, 2012, at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre in Sedona, Arizona.
Photo courtesy of MaryCae Vignolini
2012 Sedona Grand Slam Champion Tyler Sirvinskas, aka Valence, performs at the 2011 National Poetry Slam in Cambridge, Mass.
The 2012 Sedona National Poetry Slam Team members are:
Valence, Evan Dissinger, Josh Wiss, Frank O'Brien and Spenser Troth.


Benediction: Christopher Fox Graham, of Sedona, "Welcome to the Church of the Word"
Round 1
Draw based on season's point rankings

Calibration: Shaun "nodalone" Sristava, of Flagstaff
Calibration: Jackson Morris, of Flagstaff
Calibration: Christopher Fox Graham, of Sedona, "Spinal Language"
Lauren Hanss, of Flagstaff, 21.8, 1:32, 11th, -7.1
Gary Every, of Sedona, 23.7, 22.7 after 1.0-point time penalty, 3:24, 10th, -5.2
Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 28.3, 3:06, tie 3rd, -0.6
Spenser Troth, of Flagstaff, 28.3, 27.3 after 1.0-point time penalty, 3:21, tie 3rd, -0.6
Austin Reeves, of Flagstaff, 26.8, 2:41, 8th -2.1
Mikel Weisser, of Kingman, 26.4, 2:18, 9th, -2.5
Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 27.5, 2:59, tie 6th, -1.4
The Klute, of Phoenix, 28.3, 27.8 after 0.5-point time penalty, 3:15, tie 3rd, -0.6
Lauren Perry, of Phoenix, 27.5,  2:51, tie 6th, -1.4
Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 28.9, 2:18, 1st, 0.0
Tyler "Valence" Sirvinskas, of Flagstaff, 28.5, 2:54, 2nd, -0.4

Round 2
Reverse Order
Sorbet: Christopher Fox Graham, of Sedona, "Dear Pluto"

Tyler "Valence" Sirvinskas, of Flagstaff, 28.3, 2:26, 56.8, 4th, -0.5
Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 28.1, 2:39, 57.0, 3rd, -0.3

Lauren Perry, of Phoenix, 28.3, 2:32, 55.8, 5th, -1.5
The Klute, of Phoenix, 29.4, 2:50, 57.2, 2nd, -0.1
Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 27.8, 2:57, 55.3, 6th, -2.0
Mikel Weisser, of Kingman, 26.9, 2:46, 53.3, 9th, -4.0
Austin Reeves, of Flagstaff, 26.7, 2:59, 53.5, 8th, -3.8
Spenser Troth, of Flagstaff, 26.8, 2:33, 54.1, 7th, -3.2
Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 29.0, 2:14, 57.3, 1st, 0.0
Gary Every, of Sedona, 27.0, 2:50, 49.7, 10th, -7.6
Lauren Hanss, of Flagstaff, 25.8, 2:08, 47.6, 11th, -9.7

Round 3
High to Low
Sorbet: Christopher Fox Graham (poem) and Azami Ishihara (dance), of Sedona, "In the Corners of This Room."

Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 28.3, 1:33, 85.6, 2nd, -0.4
The Klute, of Phoenix, 28.3, 2:47, 85.5, 3rd, -0.5
Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 28.3, 2:26, 85.3, 4th, -0.7

Tyler "Valence" Sirvinskas, of Flagstaff, 29.2, 2:47, 86., 1st, 0.0
Lauren Perry, of Phoenix, 27.6, 27.1 after 0.5-point time penalty, 3:16, 82.9, 6th, -3.1
Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 28.8, 2:58, 84., 5th, -1.9
Spenser Troth, of Flagstaff, 28.3, 1:33, 82.4, 7th, -3.6
Austin Reeves, of Flagstaff, 28.6, 3:06, 82.1, 8th, -3.9
Mikel Weisser, of Kingman, 26.9, 2:28, 80.2, 9th, -5.8
Gary Every, of Sedona, 27.6, 1:54, 77.3, 10th, -8.7
Lauren Hanss, of Flagstaff, 27.3, 1:54, 74.9, -11.1

Final Scores
Tyler "Valence" Sirvinskas, of Flagstaff, 86.0
Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 85.6
The Klute, of Phoenix, 85.5
Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 85.3
Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 84.1
Lauren Perry, of Phoenix, 82.9
Spenser Troth, of Flagstaff, 82.4
Austin Reeves, of Flagstaff, 82.1
Mikel Weisser, of Kingman, 80.2
Gary Every, of Sedona, 77.3
Lauren Hanss, of Flagstaff, 74.9

(The Klute and Lauren Perry declined to join the team, bumping Frank O'Brien and Spencer Troth to the team as alternates).

Photo by Jonathan Weiskopf.
Tyler Sirvinskas aka Valence performs at the 2011 National Poetry Slam in Cambridge, Mass.
Tyler Sirvinskas aka Valence, was a member of the 2011 Flagstaff National Poetry Slam team. He is the top-ranked poet competing in the Sedona grand slam

Evan Dissinger. Photo by Kelly Watts.
Evan Dissinger is one of the preeminent voices in the Flagstaff poetry scene. A skateboard rat in Flagstaff, Dissinger is one of the most sincere poets in Arizona with a knack for making conventional experiences sublime.

Josh Wiss
Joshua Wiss’ infectious enthusiasm for life is evident in his energetic performances. A recent graduate of NAU with a degree in creative writing, Wiss performed at every Sedona Poetry Slam this season and was ranked No. 2 going into the grand slam.

Frank O'Brien
A poet’s poet, Frank O’Brien writes with a profound simplicity. O’Brien won the 2008 and 2009 Flagstaff Grand Slams, and competed at three national poetry slams from 2008 to 2010.

Spencer Troth
A political science student at NAU, Spencer Troth’s introspective work brings compassion to his views of current events, such as a poem touching on the double murder outside Sedona in January. Troth will be taking his poetic voice overseas as a political science student in France next year.

    Sunday, May 6, 2012

    A brief history of FlagSlam Nationals Teams


    December 2000, FlagSlam founded.


    In 2001, 12th National Poetry Slam in Seattle, Wash.:
    Grand Slam Champion: Josh Fleming
    Nick Fox
    Chris Lane
    Christopher Fox Graham
    Alternate: Eric “A-rek” Matthew Dye
    Coach: Andy “War” Wall
    After I graduated from Arizona State University and made the FlagSlam team, I moved to Flagstaff in June.

    I tried out for the FlagSlam team in 2002 but pulled the "1" and got clobbered. I had already been planning the Save the Male Tour with Josh Fleming, so that was my summer instead. 

    In 2002, 13th National Poetry Slam in Minneapolis, Minn.:
    Grand Slam Champion: Suzy La Follette
    Logan Phillips
    Andy “War” Hall
    Dom Flemons
    Alternate: Jarrod Masseud Karimi (quit before the National Poetry Slam)
    Coach and alternate: John Raymond Kofonow
    First tie at NPS: New York City-Urbana and Detroit

    In 2003, 14th National Poetry Slam in Chicago, Ill.:
    Grand Slam Champion: Suzy La Follette
    Logan Phillips
    Cass Hodges
    Dom Flemons
    Alternate: Julie Hudgens (quit before the National Poetry Slam)
    Coach and alternate: John Raymond Kofonow
    I was a volunteer bout manager at NPS in 2003.

    In 2004: 15th National Poetry Slam in St. Louis, Mo.:
    Grand Slam Champion: Christopher Fox Graham
    Eric Larson
    Logan Phillips
    Brent Heffron
    Coaches: Mary Guaraldi, and John Raymond Kofonow
    First time all four NPS finalist teams were from west of the Mississippi River (Hollywood's Da Poetry Lounge, Denver, Dallas and Berkeley). One of the worst organized NPSes due to the location of venues relative to each other and the venues in question.


    In 2005: 16th National Poetry Slam in Albuquerque, N.M.:
    Grand Slam Champion: Chris Lane
    Logan Phillips
    Christopher Fox Graham
    Meghan Jones
    Aaron Johnson
    Coaches: Mary Guaraldi and John Raymond Kofonow
    FlagSlam sent a crew of poets and supporters because Albuquerque was so close. I was also legal guardian for my ward, Sarrah Wile. One of the best organized NPSes. All venues were within walking distance of the Hotel Blue. The hotel manager lost his job for what he allowed us to do, but won the Spirit of the Slam Award.

    In 2006: 17th National Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas:
    Aaron Johnson
    Christopher Fox Graham (kicked off team before the National Poetry Slam)
    Meghan Jones (quit before the National Poetry Slam)
    Justin “Biskit” Powell
    Alternate: A.J. Moyer (Joined team)
    Coaches: Greg Nix (quit before the National Poetry Slam) and John Raymond Kofonow (quit before the National Poetry Slam)
    This year was a train wreck. Those who know why, know why. I'm glad A.J., Aaron Johnson and Biskit had a good time at NPS, though.


    In 2007: 18th National Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas:
    Grand Slam Champion: Joseph Nieves
    Aaron Johnson
    Troy Thurman
    J.J. Valentine
    Last year Individual Poetry Slam Championships were held at NPS. They would be held at a separate event, the Individual World Poetry Slam starting in 2008.


    In 2008: 19th National Poetry Slam in Madison, Wis.:
    Grand Slam Champion: Frank O'Brien
    Ryan Brown
    John Cartier
    Jessica Guadarrama
    Alternate: Kami Henderson
    Coach: Dana Sakowicz


    In 2009: 20th National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach, FL.
    Grand Slam Champion: Frank O'Brien
    Ryan Brown
    John Cartier
    Andrew “Antranormus” Wanner
    Jessica Guadarrama
    Coach: Dana Sakowicz

    In 2010: 21st National Poetry Slam in St. Paul, Minn:
    Grand Slam Champion: Ryan Brown
    Brian Towne
    Johnny P (quit before the National Poetry Slam)
    RahMahMercy (quit before the National Poetry Slam)
    Frank O'Brien (Joined team in Johnny P's slot)
    Christopher Fox Graham (Joined team in RahMahMercy's slot)
    Alternate: Christopher Harbster (quit before the National Poetry Slam)
    I was going to be a volunteer bout manager at NPS in 2010, but wound up on the team.

    In 2011: 22nd National Poetry Slam in Cambridge and Boston, Mass.:
    Grand Slam Champion: Shaun “nodalone” Srivastava
    Maple Dewleaf
    Taylor Marie “Tay” Kayonnie-Ehrlich
    Christopher Harbster (quit before the National Poetry Slam)
    Alternate: Tyler “Valence” Sirvinskas (Joined team)
    I was a volunteer venue manager at NPS in 2011.
    In 2012: 23rd National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, N.C.:
    Grand Slam Champion: Christopher Fox Graham
    Ryan Brown
    Tara Pollock (tied)
    Shaun “nodalone” Srivastava (tied)
    Alternate: Jackson Morris
    Photo by Tara Graeber
    The 2012 FlagSlam National Poetry Slam Team: Ryan Brown, left, Grand Slam Champion Christopher Fox Graham, Shaun "Nodalone" Srivastava and Tara Pollock. Jackson Morris won the alternate's slot.

    Sunday, January 22, 2012

    Rowie Shebala wins the January Sedona Poetry Slam

    Rowie Shebala won the second Sedona Poetry Slam on Saturday, Jan. 7.
    Rowie Shebala wins the second Sedona Poetry Slam of the 2011-12 National Poetry Slam Season.


    Benediction: Christopher Fox Graham, of Sedona
    Round 1
    Random Draw
    Calibration:
    Danielle Silver, of Sedona
    Ellenelizabeth, of Sedona, 18.6
    nodalone, of Flagstaff, 27.0
    Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 27.0
    Mikel Weisser, of Kingman, 29.0
    Gabbie Jue, of Winslow, 27.6
    Kendra Shebala, of Flagstaff, 25.5
    Tara Pollock, of Flagstaff, 29.7
    Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 29.3, after 0.5 time penalty
    Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 29.2
    Josh Goldberg, of Oak Creek Ranch School, 28.9
    Bert Cisneros, of Cottonwood, 29.0
    Christopher Harbster, , of Flagstaff, 29.0
    Rowie Shebala, of Phoenix, 30.0

    Sorbet: Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff

    Round 2
    Reverse Order
    Rowie Shebala, of Phoenix, 29.4, 59.4
    Christopher Harbster, of Flagstaff, 27.8, 56.8
    Bert Cisneros, of Cottonwood, 28.8, 57.8
    Josh Goldberg, of Oak Creek Ranch School, 27.6, 56.5
    Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 28.2, after 1.5 time penalty, 57.2
    Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 29.7, 59.0
    Tara Pollock, of Flagstaff, 28.7, after 1.0 time penalty, 58.4
    Kendra Shebala, of Flagstaff, 27.4, 52.9
    Gabbie Jue, of Winslow, 28.4, 56.0
    Mikel Weisser, of Kingman, 28.7, after 1.0 time penalty, 57.7
    Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 30.0, 57.0
    nodalone, of Flagstaff, 29.1, 56.1
    Ellenelizabeth, of Sedona, 25.3, 43.9

    Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff, featured at the
    Sedona Poetry Slam on Jan. 7.

    Feature: Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff

    Sorbet: Gary Bowers, of Phoenix

    Round 3
    High to Low (Top 7)
    Rowie Shebala, of Phoenix, 29.4, 88.8
    Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 29.5, 88.5
    Tara Pollock, of Flagstaff, 28.9, 87.3
    Bert Cisneros, of Cottonwood, 29.1, 86.9
    Mikel Weisser, of Kingman, 26.5, after 3.5 time penalty, 84.2
    Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 29.6, 86.8
    Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 29.8, 86.8

    Final Scores
    Rowie Shebala, of Phoenix, 88.8
    Frank O'Brien, of Prescott, 88.5
    Tara Pollock, of Flagstaff, 87.3
    Bert Cisneros, of Cottonwood, 86.9
    TIE: Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff, 86.8
    TIE: Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff, 86.8
    Mikel Weisser, of Kingman, 84.2


    Christopher Harbster, of Flagstaff, 56.8
    Josh Goldberg, of Oak Creek Ranch School, 56.5Kendra Shebala, of Flagstaff, 52.9
    Gabbie Jue, of Winslow, 56.0
    nodalone, of Flagstaff, 56.1Ellenelizabeth, of Sedona, 43.9

    Sedona National Poetry Slam Team
    Slamoff Point Standings
    4 points
    Ryan Brown, of Flagstaff
    The Klute, of Phoenix
    Rowie Shebala, of Phoenix
     3 points
    Frank O'Brien, of Prescott
    2 points
    Christopher Fox Graham, of Sedona
    Christopher Harbster, of Flagstaff
    Lauren Perry, of Phoenix
    Tara Pollock, of Flagstaff
    Mikel Weisser, of Kingman
    nodalone, of Flagstaff
    Josh Wiss, of Flagstaff
    1 point
    Bert Cisneros, of Cottonwood
    Ellenelizabeth, of Sedona
    Evan Dissinger, of Flagstaff
    Gabbi Jue, of Flagstaff
    Jack Egan, of Sedona
    Jahnilli Akbar, of New York City
    Josh Goldberg, of Oak Creek Ranch School
    Kendra Kenj Shebala, of Flagstaff
    Spencer Troth, of Flagstaff
    Valence, of Flagstaff
     0.5 points
    Danielle Silver, of Sedona
    Gary Bowers, of Phoenix
    Gary Every, of Sedona

    Saturday, November 19, 2011



    Triple Poetry Feature
    Faldwin J. Bard, 
    Frank O'Brien and 
    Christopher Fox Graham
    Sunday, Nov. 20, 6 to 8 p.m. at
    Sundara Boutique & Gallery
    22 East Route 66, Flagstaff, AZ 86001


    These three poets won the high stakes slam 2 weeks ago, for the right to perform in their own show.
    This is that show.
    For just $2 you can't NOT show up to hear some of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona's best voices, doing their best work.



    Faldwin J. Bard
    Faldwin J. Bard is a 21-year-old student who does poetry about everything from garden gnomes, to the trials and joys of being queer.
    There are probably other interesting things about Faldwin, but you'll have to talk to him to find out. Or go to this show. Preferably both.



    Christopher Fox Graham
    Christopher Fox Graham is a Montana-born boy raised in Arizona. A slam poet since 2001 and newspaper editor since 2004, he currently hosts the Sedona Poetry Slam and Sedona Poetry open mic.
    A member of the first FlagSlam poetry team in 2001, he toured the United States for three months in 2002, won the 2004 Northern Arizona Poetry Grand Slam, the 2005 Arizona All-Star Poetry Slam, and was a member of the 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2010 Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Teams, which competed around the Southwest and at Nationals. He was also a National Poetry Slam bout manager in 2003 and a venue manager in 2011. He has performed for MTV, on The Travel Channel, published four books of poetry, appeared in 10 spoken word anthologies and on 3 DVDs.
    Graham also runs FoxThePoet, a poetry blog.



    Frank O'Brien
    Frank O'Brien discovered slam poetry in Flagstaff in 2007, and has been a member of the ever growing FlagSlam family since. 
    He represented the town at the 2008, 2009 and 2010 National Poetry Slams, and even remembers most of what happened. 
    His favorite pastimes are epic fantasy novels, video games, playing with blind dogs and discussing the intricate workings of the universe with his nemesis, Ryan Brown.

    Sunday, September 20, 2009

    Sedona Poetry Slam victory poem by Ryan Brown and Frank O'Brien


    Ryan Brown won the July 17 Sedona Poetry Slam. As a member of the 2009 Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team, he (left) invited teammate Frank O'Brien (right) on stage to perform a O'Brien's duo piece as his victory poem. The Flagstaff Team made semi-finals at the National Poetry Slam less than three weeks later.

    Brown is a kid from Phoenix who spends most of his time posing as a writer and poet. He now goes to school and lives in Flagstaff, where he is the SlamMaster of the FlagSlam Poetry Slam. Brown represented the Flagstaff Nationals Team at the National Poetry Slam.

    O'Brien is a 20-year-old student at Coconino Community College, focusing in the general studies and pre-nursing. Originally from Phoenix, O'Brien entered the slam poetry scene in fall 2007. He traveled to Madison, Wis., in 2008 and to Orlando, Fla., in 2009 as a member of the Flagstaff National Slam Team. O'Brien is now an active poet and administrator of the FlagSlam Poetry Slam in Flagstaff.

    Saturday, September 19, 2009

    Frank O'Brien video, Sedona Poetry Slam round 3


    Frank O'Brien is a 20-year-old student at Coconino Community College, focusing in the general studies and pre-nursing. Originally from Phoenix, O'Brien entered the slam poetry scene in fall 2007. He traveled to Madison, Wis., in 2008 and to Orlando, Fla., in 2009 as a member of the Flagstaff National Slam Team.
    O'Brien is now an active poet and administrator of the FlagSlam Poetry Slam in Flagstaff.
    Sedona Poetry Slam, Round #3, Poet #3.

    Photo courtesy of Jessica Guadarrama

    Friday, September 18, 2009

    Frank O'Brien video, Sedona Poetry Slam round 2


    Frank O'Brien is a 20-year-old student at Coconino Community College, focusing in the general studies and pre-nursing. Originally from Phoenix, O'Brien entered the slam poetry scene in fall 2007. He traveled to Madison, Wis., in 2008 and to Orlando, Fla., in 2009 as a member of the Flagstaff National Slam Team.
    O'Brien is now an active poet and administrator of the FlagSlam Poetry Slam in Flagstaff.
    Sedona Poetry Slam, Round #2, Poet #7.

    Photo courtesy of Jessica Guadarrama

    Monday, September 14, 2009

    Frank O'Brien video, Sedona Poetry Slam round 1


    Frank O'Brien is a 20-year-old student at Coconino Community College, focusing in the general studies and pre-nursing. Originally from Phoenix, O'Brien entered the slam poetry scene in fall 2007. He traveled to Madison, Wis., in 2008 and to Orlando, Fla., in 2009 as a member of the Flagstaff National Slam Team.
    O'Brien is now an active poet and administrator of the FlagSlam Poetry Slam in Flagstaff.
    Sedona Poetry Slam, Round #1, Poet #5.

    Photo courtesy of Jessica Guadarrama

    Friday, August 7, 2009

    Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team's Semi-Final Bout at NPS

    The Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team will compete in the semi-final bout at Monarchy in West Palm Beach, Fla., at 8 p.m., Eastern Time.

    The slam will open with the Rookie Showcase featuring Jamila Woods, from Young Chicago Authors, Jaco, from Paris, Adam Gottlieb, from Hampshire College, and Jude Fageas, from Slam Nuatl.

    Flagstaff National Poetry Slam team includes Frank O'Brien, left, Ryan Brown, Antranormus, John Cartier and Jessica Guadarrama. Break a leg.

    The Bout:
    Flagstaff's Flagslam (17th)

    Denver's Mercury Café (1st)
    Killeen (8th)
    Denver's Slam Nuba (8th)
    San Francisco (18th)

    The bout will be hosted by Robbie Q and bout managed by Corpus Cristi's Stefan Senserz and One Truth.

    Two Arizona Poetry Slam Teams Make Semis

    Two of Arizona's four teams are going to the National Poetry Slam's semi-finals.

    The Phoenix National Poetry Slam Team (NORAZ Poets alumnus Aaron Johnson, left, The Klute, Ed Mabrey and Myrlin Hepworth) came in at 16th place after winning their first bout Wednesday night and taking second place in their second bout on Thursday night.

    In similar fashion, the Flagstaff National Poetry Slam team of Frank O'Brien (left), Brown, Antranormus, John Cartier and Jessica Guadarrama came in at 17th place after winning their first bout Tuesday night and taking second place in their second bout on Wednesday night (Thursday was a bye-day).

    Flagstaff came in 0.9 points behind Phoenix in the competition in terms of total points scored.
    Mathematically, while two teams from the same state often make semi-finals but the chance of them coming in so close is a statistical improbably.

    As both three of the FlagSlam kids and Phoenix's Ed Mabrey competed in the last Sedona Slam on Friday, July 17, I would like to take complete credit for this highly unusual mathematical anomaly and dub it the "CFG Effect." Again, this is for no good reason whatsoever.

    In my previous blog post on 8/5/09, I stated: "I predict that by the end of tonight, FlagSlam will be between 12th and 18th place, but no lower and perhaps a little higher."

    In any case, the top 20 teams, which include both Phoenix and Flagstaff, are now headed to semi-finals. *This is the first time since 2005 that an Arizona team has made semi-finals (Mesa in 2000 and 2005, Tempe made it in 2007 but was disqualified before reaching the stage) and the first time ever that two Arizona teams have gone.*

    Arizona now has a 20% chance of seeing one of its teams on the finals stage and a 4% chance of seeing them both.

    Congratulations, good luck and break a leg to both teams. I want to see one of you on that stage on Saturday night.

    Place, Slam Team, First Bout, Second Bout, Final Score
    Rank 2 Teams:
    1st Denver's Mercury Café: 115.5 (1), 116.5 (1), 232.0
    2nd IAO Wayward Slam: 112.6 (1), 114.7 (1), 227.3
    3rd Minneapolis' Soapboxing: 115.1 (1), 111.5 (1), 226.6
    4th NYC's Nuyorican Poets Cafe: 107.8 (1), 116.2 (1), 224.0
    5th Hawaii Slam: 114.4 (1), 108.5 (1), 222.9
    6th Oakland Poetry Slam: 113.1 (1), 106.0 (1), 219.1


    Rank 3 Teams:
    7th Albuquerque's ABQ Slams: 114.9 (2), 115.8 (1), 230.7
    8th Killeen Poetry Slam: 113.7 (1), 115.0 (2), 228.7
    8th Slam Nuba: 111.1 (2), 117.6 (1), 228.7
    10th Java Monkey: 116.3 (1), 112.1 (2), 228.4
    11th Urbana: 114.8 (2), 110.8 (1), 225.6
    12th Austin Poetry Slam: 118.3 (1), 107.2 (2), 225.5
    13th LionLike MIndState Slam: 107.9 (2), 116.9 (1), 224.8
    14th Orlando Poetry Slam: 112.7 (1), 109.5 (2), 222.2
    15th New Jersey's Loser Slam: 113.1 (1), 107.8 (2), 220.9 (withdrew from semi-finals so they could compete in the Group Slam)

    16th Phoenix Downtown: 104.8 (1), 113.6 (2), 218.4
    17th Flagslam: 106.5 (1), 111.0 (2), 217.5


    Rank 4 Teams going onto semi-finals:
    18th San Francisco's The City Slam: 117.8 (1), 112.4 (3), 230.2
    19th The Fuze: 112.4 (2), 115.6 (2), 228.0
    20th Neo Soul: 116.4 (3), 111.3 (1), 227.7
    21st Milwaukee Poetry Slam: 107.3 (1), 116.0 (3), 223.3


    - - - - -

    Rank 4 Teams not going onto semi-finals:
    22nd Cantab: 105.1 (2), 116.5 (2), 221.6
    23rd SlamRichmond: 113.6 (1), 107.9 (3), 221.5
    24th Seattle Poetry Slam: 107.4 (2), 113.3 (2), 220.7
    25th San Diego Poetry Slam: 105.4 (3), 114.0 (1), 219.4
    26th Echoverse Poetry Slam: 106.3 (2), 110.7 (2), 217.0
    27th Writing Wrongs Poetry Slam: 105.0 (3), 108.0 (1), 213.0
    28th Lizzard Lounge Poetry Slam: 102.5 (2), 109.8 (2), 212.3
    29th Hampshire Co Slam Collective: 109.5 (1), 99.2 (3), 208.7


    Rank 5 Teams
    30th Forth Worth Poetry Slam: 111.4 (2), 117.2 (3), 228.6
    31st Berkeley: 111.4 (4), 116.3 (1), 227.7
    32nd SlamCharlotte: 112.8 (2), 112.5 (3), 225.3
    33rd Dallas Poetry Grind: 105.0 (3), 118.0 (2), 223.0
    34th Dallas Poetry Slam: 106.1 (2), 115.2 (3), 221.3
    35th Slam Free or Die: 107.6 (3), 112.0 (2), 219.6
    36th Life Sentence Slam: 111.3 (3), 107.0 (2), 218.3
    37th Providence: 106.0 (2), 110.4 (3), 216.4
    38th DCSlam: 111.6 (2), 104.5 (3), 216.1
    39th The Stage: 97.0 (4), 116.6 (1), 213.6
    40th Toronto Poetry Slam: 101.6 (4), 111.7 (1), 213.3
    41st Slam Nahuatl: 105.7 (3), 104.3 (2), 210.0
    42nd Young Chicago Authors: 109.5 (1), 91.1 (4), Disqualified


    Rank 6 Teams
    43rd Art Amok: 113.5 (2), 115.1 (4), 228.6 44th Writers Block: 110.9 (3), 114.5 (3), 225.4 45th Eclectic Truth Poetry SLam: 104.5 (4), 116.3 (2), 220.8 46th Mental Graffiti: 111.3 (2), 109.0 (4), 220.3 47th Durham-Bull City Slam: 105.3 (4), 113.1 (2), 218.4 48th Boise Poetry Slam: 108.9 (3), 109.1 (3), 218.0 49th Worcester Poets Asylum: 109.0 (3), 108.1 (3), 217.1 50th Omaha Healing Arts Poetry Slam: 105.4 (3), 110.9 (3), 216.3

    Rank 7 Teams
    51st Respect Da Mic: 109.1 (4), 110.0 (3), 219.1
    52nd Vancouver Poetry SLam: 109.5 (3), 108.6 (4), 218.1
    53rd Tucson's Ocotillo Poetry Slam: 110.8 (3), 107.1 (4), 217.9
    54th Paris: 107.1 (4), 109.8 (3), 216.9
    55th Salt City Slam: 109.5 (4), 105.3 (3), 214.8
    56th Slamarillo: 106.7 (3), 104.8 (4), 211.5
    57th Second Tuesday Slam: 104.6 (4), 106.3 (3), 210.9
    58th Houston Poetry Slam: 101.6 (3), 108.6 (4), 210.2
    59th Lincoln: 98.6 (3), 108.1 (4), 206.7
    60th Montevallo: 102.0 (4), 101.3 (3), 203.3


    Rank 8 Teams
    61st SlamMN: 116.7 (4), 106.0 (4), 222.7
    62nd San Jose Poetry Slam: 107.6 (4), 112.9 (4), 220.5
    63rd Puro Slam: 114.8 (4), 102.0 (4), 216.8
    64th Ozark Poetry SLam: 108.8 (4), 104.0 (4), 212.8
    65th St. Louis Poetry Slam: 106.6 (4), 103.1 (4), 209.7
    66th Mesa Slam: 101.9 (4), 100.1 (4), 202.0
    67th Madison Poetry Slam: 96.2 (4), 100.4 (4), 196.6
    68th Kalamazoo: 85.2 (4), 98.2 (4), 183.4


    *Correction as advised by The Klute. Thanks.