Utah Arts Festival Team Poetry Slam, part two

Nick Shifrar Team 801 Underground, the Salt Lake City pickup team

Dominique Christina Ashaheed and Ayinde Russell from Denver's Slam NUBA with a poem about the use of music in fighting South African Apartheid.

DeAnn Emett, from the Salt City Slam, performing a poem about a murdered friend that only escalated in intensity as the poem went on. By the end, I thought her passion would burst a an artery.

My Tombstone Poets Slam Team captain, Lauren Perry, closing up our rotation as the first poet of the final round. Aaron Johnson, The Klute and I, having all been team captains before, came to Salt Lake with Lauren so she could have a go at calling the rotations and work on her slam team strategizing.

Tara Brenner, from team Boise, proclaiming her love of vampires, the real kind of Count Dracula/Court Orlok-type seducers, not pansy-ass Edward "Twilight" Cullen "I mourn my lost humanity and don't want to ravish you" vampires.

 

Host Dave McKnight

Jesse Parent and Cody Winger, from Salt City Slam.

Poet from 801 Underground, the Salt Lake City pickup team

Brando Chemtrails from team Slam NUBA

Round 1

Salt City Slam, Salt Lake City: Gray Brian, 29.0
801 Underground, Salt Lake City: Adam Love and Nick Shifrar, 28.5
Slam NUBA, Denver:
Tombstone Poets, Phoenix: Aaron Johnson, "Lightning" 29.4
Boise, Idaho: Cheryl Maddalena, 29.8

Round 2

801 Underground, Salt Lake City: 27.8
Slam NUBA, Denver: Brando Chemtrails, Ayinde Russell, Dominique Christina Ashaheed, Theo Wilson and Jovan Mays, 29.4
Tombstone Poets, Phoenix: Christopher Fox Graham, "Spinal Language" 28.6
Boise, Idaho: Brenda Ray, 29.3
Salt City Slam, Salt Lake City: Jesse Parent, Cody Winger, DeAnn Emett and Gary Brian, "I Am Legion," 30.0

Round 3

Slam NUBA, Denver: Ayinde Russell and Dominique Christina Ashaheed, 29.9
Tombstone Poets, Phoenix: The Klute, Aaron Johnson (beatboxing), Christopher Fox Graham, "Hip-Hop Republican," 30.0
Boise, Idaho: Leah Cronen, 28.5
Salt City Slam, Salt Lake City: DeAnn Emett, 29.6
801 Underground, Salt Lake City: Nick Shifrar, 29.5

Round 4

Tombstone Poets, Phoenix: Lauren Perry, 28.4
Boise, Idaho: Tara Brenner, 29.9
Salt City Slam, Salt Lake City: Jesse Parent and Cody Winger, 29.5
801 Underground, Salt Lake City: 28.5
Slam NUBA, Denver: Brando Chemtrails, 30.0

Final Scores

Slam NUBA, Denver: 119.3

Salt City Slam, Salt Lake City: 118.1

Boise, Idaho: 117.5

Tombstone Poets, Phoenix: 116.4

801 Underground: 114.3

Utah Arts Festival Team Poetry Slam, part one

The old Utah State House where the 2011 Utah Arts Festival tooks place.

The Big Mouth Cafe slam stage.

Brian Frandsen, the calibration poet.

Dave McShield, the shirtless host.

Gray Brian with the first poem of the first round, a beautiful poem about reversing time. Set the stage for the whole rest of the slam.

Adam Love, left, and Nick Shifrar Team 801 Underground, the Salt Lake City pickup team.

Cheryl Maddalena with her "MILF" poem. She is a beautiful human being. It clearly says so on her left arm in 200pt Times New Roman.

Brenda Ray, team Boise

Salt City Slam performing Jesse Parent's "I Am Legion" poem about his mother's multiple personality discover. This is the piece that fucked my ears with its brilliance. The poets are Parent, left, Cody Winger, DeAnn Emett and Gary Brian.

Slam NUBA, featuring Brando Chemtrails, left, Ayinde Russell (behind Brando), Dominique Christina Ashaheed, Theo Wilson and Jovan Mays.

Leah Cronen from Team Boise