After three slams this year, the Sedona Poetry Slam returns to the stage on Saturday, Dec. 10, starting at 7:30 p.m. Performance poets will bring high-energy, competitive spoken word to the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
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| Vo Vera, photo by David Jolkovski / Larson Newspapers |
A poetry slam is like a series of high-energy, three-minute one-person plays, judged by the audience. Anyone can sign up to compete in the slam for the $75 grand prize and $25 second-place prize.
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| Lydia Gates, photo by David Jolkovski / Larson Newspapers |
British-born Village of Oak Creek poet Roger Blakiston, a first-time slammer, out-scored some of the best slam poets in the state to win the top prize in September.
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| Roger Blakiston, photo by David Jolkovski / Larson Newspapers |
In October, Phoenix poets Joshua Wiss bested Stacy Eden by 0.1 points, 77.9 to 77.8, with Tyler “Valence” Sirvinskas a close third at 77.3.
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| Josh Wiss, photo by David Jolkovski / Larson Newspapers |
Flagstaff poet Tempest Juliet, co-host of the FlagSlam Poetry Slam, won the third slam in November.
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| Tempest Juliet, photo by David Jolkovski / Larson Newspapers |
To compete in the slam, poets will need three original poems, each lasting no longer than three minutes. No props, costumes nor musical accompaniment are permitted. The poets are judged Olympics-style by five members of the audience selected at random at the beginning of the slam.
Slam poetry is an art form that allows written page poets to share their work alongside theatrical performers, hip-hop artists and lyricists. Poets come from as far away as Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff, competing against adult poets from Sedona and Cottonwood, college poets from Northern Arizona University and youth poets from Sedona Red Rock High School. All types of poetry are welcome on the stage, from street-wise hip-hop and narrative performance poems, to political rants and introspective confessionals. Any poem is a “slam” poem if performed in a competition. All poets get three minutes per round to entertain and inspire the audience with their creativity.
Mary D. Fisher Theatre is located at 2030 W. SR 89A, Suite A-3, in West Sedona. Tickets are $12. For tickets, call 282-1177 or visit SedonaFilmFestival.org.
The upcoming poetry slams of the season will be held Saturdays, Dec. 10, Jan. 28, April 1 and May 13.
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| MC Tristan Marshell, photo by David Jolkovski / Larson Newspapers |
The prize money is funded in part by a donation from Verde Valley poetry supporters Jeanne and Jim Freeland.
Email foxthepoet@yahoo.com to sign up early to compete or by the Friday before the slam or at the door the day of the slam. Poets who want to compete should purchase a ticket in case the roster is filled before they arrive.
For more information, visit sedonafilmfestival.com or foxthepoet.blogspot.com.
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| Christopher Fox Graham, photo by David Jolkovski / Larson Newspapers |
What is Poetry Slam?
Founded at the Green Mill Tavern in Chicago in 1984 by Marc Smith, poetry slam is a competitive artistic sport designed to get people who would otherwise never go to a poetry reading excited about the art form when it becomes a high-energy competition. Poetry slams are judged by five randomly chosen members of the audience who assign numerical value to individual poets’ contents and performances.
Poetry slam has become an international artistic sport, with more than 100 major poetry slams in the United States, Canada, Australia and Western Europe. Slam poets have opened at the Winter Olympics, performed at the White House and at the United Nations General Assembly and were featured on “Russell Simmon’s Def Poets” on HBO.
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| Ben Gardea, photo by David Jolkovski / Larson Newspapers |
Sedona has sent four-poet teams to represent the city at the National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, N.C., Boston, Cambridge, Mass., Oakland, Calif., Decatur, Ga., Denver and Chicago.
