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

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

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

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 

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

[Applause]

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

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

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

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?"

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 

Cass King: "It's Not Easy Being a Victim in the '90s", National Poetry Slam 2000

 Paula Friedrich introduces Cass King performing "It's Not Easy Being a Victim in the '90s."

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

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  

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)