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 1.6 million views 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 Steve Marsh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Marsh. Show all posts

Monday, July 1, 2024

Buddy Wakefield, "Pretend", Individual World Poetry Slam, 2004

 

Buddy Wakefield performs "Pretend" in the final round of the 2004 iWPS in Greenville, SC.

Videographers: Gabrielle Bouliane and Tazuo Yamaguchi

Sunday, June 30, 2024

Corbet Dean, "Habit of Hate", Individual Wold Poetry Slam Finals 2004

 
Corbet Dean performs "Habit of Hate" on the stage of the Individual Wold Poetry Slam Finals in 2004. Videographers: Gabrielle Bouliane, Tazuo Yamaguchi

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Shane Koyczan: "Beethoven", Individual National Poetry Slam Championship, 2000

Shane Koyczan performs "Beethoven" in the Individual National Poetry Slam Championship 2000 in Providence, R.I.
Lead videographer: Tazuo Yamaguchi

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Ali Langston: "For What Are You Willing to Die?", Individual World Poetry Slam, 2004


Taylor Mali. MC, introduces Ali Langston, performing his poem "For What Are You Willing to Die? at Individual World Poetry Slam 2004 in Greenville, SC.

Videographers: Gabrielle Bouliane, Tazuo Yamaguchi 

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Jeremy Richards, Nathan Ramos "T.S. Elliot's Lost Hip-Hop Poem" 2002 National Poetry Slam

T.S. Elliot's Lost Hip-Hop Poem 

By Jeremy Richards

Performed by Jeremy Richards and Nathan Ramos at the 2002 National Poetry Slam's Team Championship

Let us roll then

you and I

the evening stretched out against the sky

like a punk ass I laid out with my fat rhymes

the eternal footman is no one to fuck with

alas he shall bring the ruckus

you think that you can step to this

and lo, I hear your steps like Lazarus

echoing through my soul

bring the bass

straight out of Missouri

Harvard University in your face

I’ve got ladies in waiting all over the place

hear them singing each to each

do I dare eat a peach

you’re damn right I

‘ll eat a peach

for who shall stop me with my

roof rock nonstop a clippity-clop a clippity-clop

I hear the horses carrying the wassailers

I’m ready to impale their ears with my verse

rolling off my parched tongue the way

trousers roll off my ankles

no other literati around

can confound

the post-Victorian quickness I bring

to the microphone

— though I shall die alone —

but not before I rock the house

watch me douse you in my eternal flame

of a freaky-ass style

my crew has the knowhow

with the European tangent

Кто твой папа сейчас (kto tvoy papa sejcas)

the Russian for “who’s your daddy now?”

for I will tell you that I have

scuttled across the floors of ancient clubs

and yay, knowing that you may never return

I will tell you this

that I have

been over to a friend’s house for dinner

and lo, the food was not any good

the macaroni soggy the

pees mushy and the

chicken tasted of wood

like the wooden coffin I created for myself

if this is going to be that sort of a party

I will stuff my desire into the mashed potatoes

I tell no lie

I will show you fear

and a handful of hip-hop

making your body rock

your soul shutter

your utter of disbelief

when the old school

the ancient school

returns from busty bookcovers

and scorned lovers

to reign again on

the open poetry mic

bring the pathos

bring the pathos

bring the pathos

you wannabe MC’s just can’t stop

till human voices

wake us

and we back the fuck up

into

eternity

At the National Poetry Slam 2002 Team Championship in Minneapolis, MN, on the stage at The Orpheum Theatre, Jeremy Richards (primary author) and Nathan Ramos of Seattle, WA perform "TS Elliot's Lost Hip Hop Poem" in Round 2 on August 13, 2002. 

Video Lead: Gabrielle Bouliane 
Cameras: Emil Churchin, Mike Cadela 
Video and Audio editing and production: Tazuo Yamaguchi 
PSi Executive Director: Steve Marsh Host City Chair: Cynthia French

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Aja, Uninvited, Tahami Salah: "Faith"

 Aja, Uninvited and Tahami Salah from Nuyorican, NY performs "Faith" during  NPS 2007 in Austin, TX as an unscored poem in compensation for a technical error that occurred earlier in the round.

Cameras: Aaron Trumm, Tazuo Yamaguchi, IQ and Jen

Video editing: Tazuo Yamaguchi

PSI ED: Steve Marsh

Host City Chair: Mike Henry

Friday, June 14, 2024

Gypsee Yo, "To My Daughter, Emma"

Gypsee Yo from Atlanta, Ga., performs "To My Daughter, Emma" during the finals night showcase of remarkable poems selected from prelim bouts at National Poetry Slam 2007 in Austin, Texas. 

Cameras: Aaron Trumm, Tazuo Yamaguchi, IQ and Jen

Video editing: Tazuo Yamaguchi

PSI ED: Steve Marsh

Host City Chair: Mike Henry

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Shappy Seasholtz: "Does She Like Me?"

Host Mike Henry introduces emcee Patricia Smith who introduces NPS contestant, Shappy with his poem "Does She Like Me?"

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Celena Glenn "Roach Motel", Individual World Poetry Slam, 2004

Taylor Mali, MC, introduces Celena Glenn who performs her poem, "Roach Motel" in Round 2 of iWPS 2004 in Greenville, SC.

Videographer: Gabrielle Bouliane 

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Monday, June 10, 2024

GNO: "Say 'WORD'" National Poetry Slam 2000

Patricia Smith introduces GNO at the National Poetry Slam in Providence, RI in August of 2000 where he performs, "Say, 'WORD'."
Videographer: Gabrielle Bouliane

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Taylor Mali: "What Teachers Make", National Poetry Slam 2009

At NPS 2009 in West Palm Beach, FL, Taylor Mali of New York, NY offers "What Teachers Make" at the PG Slam in a public library. This poem can be found elsewhere on this site in context as Slam Safe II    • Slam Safe II: A Whole PG rated Slam  

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

How I became the fourth poet on FlagSlam's nationals team


So here's how it went down: The original FlagSlam team was Ryan Brown, Brian Towne, RahMah Mercy, Johnny P. and alternate Chris Harbster.

Harbster drops. Team still OK.

Johnny P. drops, but Frank O'Brien, who only recently moved to Seattle, took his slot. Team still OK.

I volunteer to work NPS as a venue manager, so I'm set to travel to St. Paul, Minn.

Brian and Ryan fly to St. Paul, Frank takes the Greyhound. I get to the Phoenix airport.

RahMah bails. Team is now a poet short with no backup. They can compete, but receive an automatic disqualification. I competed at FlagSlams in Flagstaff and earned points toward the Grand Slam, but not enough to compete. But I am the only FlagSlam poet in St. Paul with any points not on the team.

So I have a conundrum: Do I come to rescue of my home team in their hour of need by filling the slot, and hope to do as well as them despite have not practiced for NPS? The three poets have come all this way but would effectively be dead in the water with 2 DQs no matter how strong they are.

Or do I keep my word to NPS volunteer coordinator Jenn Parks and serve as the venue coordinator, thereby serving the whole Poetry Slam Inc. community?

I asked for a lot of advice, but after speaking with Steve Marsh, PSI's executive director, I received a green light to join FlagSlam - he said PSI would rather lose a venue manager than lose a team. A venue manager is a lot easier to replace than a team, he said.

I was really excited to be a volunteer this year. I had a lot of fun as a bout manager at NPS 2003 in Chicago and I would have enjoyed working the venues all four nights. If there was another poet who was eligible, I would have preferred them to fill the slot. But as it stands, it's either me or the other three members of the team came to St. Paul essentially to perform an open mic.

Thus, I am the fourth member of Team FlagSlam. We have a shot at semi-finals now because Brian, Ryan and Frank are all strong solo poets.

Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Bout 16 - Wild Tymes
ABQSlams
(Albuquerque, NM)
FlagSlam
(Flagstaff, AZ)
San Jose Poetry Slam
(San Jose, CA)
Team Clevel

Thursday, 9 p.m.
Bout 35 - Wild Tymes
FlagSlam
(Flagstaff, AZ)
Life Sentence Slam
(Fairfield, CA)
Mental Graffitti
(Chicago, IL)
Tucson Ocotillo Slam
(Tucson, AZ)