The Klute wins the fourth Sedona Poetry Slam of 2014

Round 1
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Verbal Kensingon	19.1	1:30	0.0	19.1
James Gould	20.4	2:48	0.0	18.4
Doc	19.5	2:23	0.0	19.5
Maple Dewleaf	22.6	3:13	-0.5	22.1
Tara	21.5	2:09	0.0	21.5
Gabbi Jue	23.0	2:47	0.0	23.0
Lauren Remy	20.0	2:42	0.0	20.0
Joe Griffin	20.1	1:23	0.0	20.1
Joy Young	25.8	2:55	0.0	25.8
Dave Belkiewitz	22.8	2:13	0.0	22.8
The Klute	24.4	2:53	0.0	24.4
Lauren Perry	25.1	2:57	0.0	25.1
Claire Pearson	23.5	1:55	0.0	23.5
Josh Wiss	25.5	2:40	0.0	25.5
Aleya Annaton	21.3	1:21	0.0	21.3
Kaylan Rosa	21.6	3:05	0.0	21.6
Valnce	24.5	3:13	-0.5	24.0
Round 2
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Valence	25.1	3:20	-1.0	24.1
Kaylan Rosa	23.8	1:56	0.0	23.8
Aleya Annaton	22.2	1:46	0.0	22.2
Josh Wiss	23.4	2:39	0.0	23.4
Claire Pearson	24.9	2:51	0.0	24.9
Lauren Perry	24.7	1:42	0.0	24.7
The Klute	26.0	2:45	0.0	26.0
Dave Belkiewitz	22.0	1:07	0.0	22.0
Joy Young	25.5	1:34	0.0	25.5
Joe Griffin	22.7	1:20	0.0	22.7
Lauren Remy	24.2	2:35	0.0	24.2
Gabbi Jue	24.4	2:34	0.0	24.4
Tara	25.4	2:18	0.0	25.4
Maple Dewleaf	24.6	1:50	0.0	24.6
Doc	23.8	1:56	0.0	23.8
James Gould	24.3	1:52	0.0	24.3
Verbal Kensingon	26.6	2:36	0.0	26.6
Round 3
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Joy Young	25.3	2:57	0.0	25.3
The Klute	26.7	3:03	0.0	26.7
Josh Wiss	25.3	2:22	0.0	25.3
Lauren Perry	25.3	3:00	0.0	25.3
Claire Pearson	25.2	2:22	0.0	25.2
Final
Poet	Score
The Klute	77.1
Joy Young	76.6
Lauren Perry	75.1
Josh Wiss	74.2
Claire Pearson	73.6
Valence	48.1
Gabbi Jue	47.4
Tara	46.9
Maple Dewleaf	46.7
Verbal Kensingon	45.7
Kaylan Rosa	45.4
Dave Belkiewitz	44.8
Lauren Remy	44.2
Aleya Annaton	43.5
Doc	43.3
Joe Griffin	42.8
James Gould	42.7

Canadian slam poet R.C. Weslowski features at the Sedona Poetry Slam Saturday, March 29, at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre

One of Canada's best known performance poets, R.C. Weslowski, features at the fourth Sedona Poetry Slam of 2014, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, 2030 W. State Route 89A, Suite A-3.

Weslowski was the 2012 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion and has represented English Canada twice at the World Cup of Poetry in Paris, France, finishing second and fifth overall.

Weslowski has recently being performing his own one person shows "The Wet Dream Catcher" and "The Cruelest Phone Book in the World" at various Canadian Fringe Theatre Festivals. Weslowski has also been published in Quills, One Cool Word and most recently CV2. Weslowski also organizes youth poetry events inn Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and has co-hosted the poetry radio show Wax Poetic for the past 13 years.

As a performer R.C. Weslowski is a five-time member of the Vancouver Poetry Slam Team and has performed at Festival across Canada, including: The Calgary International Poetry Festival, The Winnipeg Writer's Festival, The Saskatchewan Festival of Words, The Vancouver Folk Festival, The Vancouver Storytelling Fesival, Music West, The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

As an event organizer R.C. Weslowski was the artistic director for the 2005 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word and the publicity coordinator for the 2007 Individual World Poetry Slam.

Weslowski has also performed his poetry on the Eiffel Tower while snorting the remains of Orson Welles and along the Rhine River in Germany while debating Schopenhauer with a schnauser. But aside from all that he will literally blow your brain apart and put it back together again using nothing but his voice. Seriously

All Canadian nationals and expatriates living in and visiting Sedona and the Verde Valley are specially encouraged to attend.

All poets are welcome to compete for the $75 grand prize and $25 second-place prize. The prize is funded in part by a donation from Verde Valley poetry supporter Jeanne and Jim Freeland.

The slam is the fourth the 2014 season, which will culminate in selection of Sedona's third National Poetry Slam Team, the foursome and alternate who will represent the city at the National Poetry Slam in Oakland, Calif., in August. Poets in the slam come from as far away as Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff, competing against adult poets from Sedona and Cottonwood and youth poets from Sedona Red Rock High School's Young Voices Be Heard slam group.

Future slams take place Saturday, April 26, and Saturday, May 17. The final Grand Poetry Slam takes place Saturday, June 7, to determine the team.

Slam poets will need three original poems, each lasting no longer than three minutes. No props, costumes nor musical accompaniment are permitted.

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 their audience with their creativity.

The poets will be judged Olympics-style by five members of the audience selected at random at the beginning of the slam.

Poets who want to compete should purchase a ticket in case the roster is filled before they arrive.

The local poets will share the stage with 300 of the top poets in the United States, Canada and Europe, pouring out their words in a weeklong explosion of expression. Sedona sent its five-poet first team to the 2012 National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, N.C., and its second to the 2013 NPS in Boston and Cambridge, Mass.

The slam will be hosted by Sedona poet Christopher Fox Graham, who represented Northern Arizona on seven FlagSlam National Poetry Slams in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Graham has hosted the Sedona Poetry Slam since 2009.

Tickets are $12.

Contact Graham at foxthepoet@yahoo.com to sign up to slam.

What is Poetry Slam?

Founded in Chicago in 1984 by construction worker Marc Smith, poetry slam is a competitive artistic sport. 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.

Verbal Kensington wins the third Sedona Poetry Slam of 2014

Round 1
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
The Klute	23.4	2:46	0.0	23.4
Evan Dissinger	23.5	2:50	0.0	23.5
Molly Shaheen	24.2	2:44	0.0	24.2
Lauren Remy	21.8	2:07	0.0	21.8
Jesus	26.9	2:03	0.0	26.9
Kaylan	24.8	2:54	0.0	24.8
James Gould	23.1	2:14	0.0	23.1
Verbal Kensington	29.5	2:36	0.0	29.5
Claire Pearson	26.8	2:30	0.0	26.8
Round 2
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Claire Pearson	27.4	2:25	0.0	27.4
Verbal Kensington	29.1	3:15	-0.5	28.6
James Gould	26.0	2:14	0.0	26.0
Kaylan	22.5	3:01	0.0	22.5
Jesus	25.3	2:01	0.0	25.3
Lauren Remy	24.4	2:38	0.0	24.4
Molly Shaheen	26.2	1:43	0.0	26.2
Evan Dissinger	28.2	2:50	0.0	28.2
The Klute	26.2	3:13	-0.5	25.7
Round 3
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Verbal Kensington	29.5	3:14	-0.5	29.0
Claire Pearson	26.8	2:14	0.0	26.8
Jesus	27.4	2:31	0.0	27.4
Evan Dissinger	28.0	2:33	0.0	28.0
Molly Shaheen	27.9	1:40	0.0	27.9
Final
Poet	Score
Verbal Kensington	87.1
Claire Pearson	81.0
Evan Dissinger	79.7
Jesus	79.6
Molly Shaheen	78.3
James Gould	49.1
The Klute	49.1
Kaylan	47.3
Lauren Remy	46.2

Poet Zachary Kluckman features at the third Sedona Poetry Slam on March 8

Poet Zachary Kluckman features at the third Sedona Poetry Slam of 2014, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, March 8, at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, 2030 W. State Route 89A, Suite A-3.

Zachary Kluckman

A performance poet since 2006, Kluckman is a two-time member of the Albuquerque, N.M., national poetry slam team, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and recipient of the Red Mountain Press National Poetry Prize.

When he is not amusing himself trying to untangle string cheese, Kluckman publishes poetry in anthologies and publications like the New York Quarterly, Cutthroat and Red Fez. Featured on more than 500 radio stations, with appearances on many of the nation's most notorious stages, he is an accomplished spoken word artist, as well as the Spoken Word Editor for the Pedestal. An activist, youth advocate and organizer, he has been recognized twice for making world history as the creator of the world's only Slam Poet Laureate Program and an organizer for the 100 Thousand Poets for Change program, the largest poetry reading in history.

As a youth advocate, Kluckman donates hundreds of hours a year to working with and empowering the youth. His first full-length collection, "Animals in Our Flesh," has received warm reviews from Jimmy Santiago Baca among others and his second collection, "Some of it is Muscle" has just been released by Swimming with Elephants Publications.

All poets are welcome to compete for the $75 grand prize and $25 second-place prize. The prize is funded in part by a donation from Verde Valley poetry supporter Jeanne Freeland.

The slam is the third the 2014 season, which will culminate in selection of Sedona's third National Poetry Slam Team, the foursome and alternate who will represent the city at the National Poetry Slam in Oakland, Calif., in August.

Future slams take place Saturday, March 29, Saturday, April 26, and Saturday, May 17. The final Grand Poetry Slam takes place Saturday, June 7, to determine the team.

Slam poets will need three original poems, each lasting no longer than three minutes. No props, costumes nor musical accompaniment are permitted.

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 their audience with their creativity.

The poets will be judged Olympics-style by five members of the audience selected at random at the beginning of the slam.

Poets who want to compete should purchase a ticket in case the roster is filled before they arrive.

The local poets will share the stage with 300 of the top poets in the United States, Canada and Europe, pouring out their words in a weeklong explosion of expression. Sedona sent its five-poet first team to the 2012 National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, N.C., and its second to the 2013 NPS in Boston and Cambridge, Mass.

The slam will be hosted by Sedona poet Christopher Fox Graham, who represented Northern Arizona on seven FlagSlam National Poetry Slams in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Graham has hosted the Sedona Poetry Slam since 2009.

Tickets are $12.

Contact Graham at foxthepoet@yahoo.com to sign up to slam.

What is Poetry Slam?

Founded in Chicago in 1984 by construction worker Marc Smith, poetry slam is a competitive artistic sport. 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.

Sedona on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"

Sedona made it on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
... While Stewart was slamming Arizona about SB 1062 ... but hey, we got on TV.

Danny Strack and Ruff Draft feature at FlagSlam on Wednesday, Feb. 12

Danny Strack:

Danny Strack has won individual and group slam championships at the national, regional and city levels.

Most recently, Danny was a member of the 2012 Austin Neo-Soul team, which won the National Group Poem finals.

He's the current Slammaster and executive director of the Austin Poetry Slam, and has written 10 books of poetry and two full length plays, both of which were presented in 2012 and 2013 by Austin's Sky Candy Aerial Circus Arts Collective.

Danny is also a juggler with Sky Candy, likes balloons, walking, and is happy to be alive.

Ruff Draft:

Thomas, son of Stephen, son of Richard, son of Stephen, son of George, son of Henry, son of William, grew up in Rhode Island. Ruff attended his first slam in 2000 in Burlington, Vt., and it changed his life.

From these humble beginnings, Ruff went on to become a member of the PDX 2003 National Slam.

Ten years ago, he was inspired to move to Austin by the APS Team's final's stage performance at NPS 2003 in Chicago.

He became a beloved poet and host at the Austin Poetry Slam, and now he's moving back to PDX after 10 years.

Josh Wiss wins the second Sedona Poetry Slam of 2014

Round 1
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Spencer Troth	15.0	3:37	-1.5	13.5
Emily Aitken	16.7	1:08	0.0	16.7
Ella Featherstone	20.2	1:02	0.0	20.2
Claire Pearson	24.4	2:21	0.0	24.4
James Gould	23.4	2:42	0.0	23.4
Josh Wish	25.7	2:30	0.0	25.7
Ryan Smalley	20.6	2:23	0.0	20.6
Lauren Remy	24.5	3:05	0.0	24.5
Evan Dissinger	23.8	2:54	0.0	23.8
Verbal Kensington	26.9	2:41	0.0	26.9
Stoney	18.8	7:26	-13.0	5.8
Round 2
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Stoney	19.0	4:06	-3.0	16.0
Verbal Kensington	26.7	3:00	0.0	26.7
Evan Dissinger	27.1	3:15	-0.5	26.6
Lauren Remy	25.6	2:04	0.0	25.6
Ryan Smalley	23.3	1:56	0.0	23.3
Josh Wish	27.7	2:05	0.0	27.7
James Gould	26.4	2:12	0.0	26.4
Claire Pearson	25.4	2:34	0.0	25.4
Ella Featherstone	26.2	2:19	0.0	26.2
Emily Aitken	22.1	1:10	0.0	22.1
Spencer Troth	23.5	3:22	-1.0	22.5
Round 3
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Verbal Kensington	27.5	3:08	0.0	27.5
Josh Wish	28.4	2:10	0.0	28.4
Evan Dissinger	27.1	2:11	0.0	27.1
Lauren Remy	27.8	2:27	0.0	27.8
Claire Pearson	27.4	2:24	0.0	27.4
James Gould	26.0	2:40	0.0	26.0
Final
Poet	Score
Josh Wish	81.8
Verbal Kensington	81.1
Lauren	77.9
Evan Dissinger	77.5
Claire Pearson	77.2
James Gould	75.8
Ella Featherstone	46.4
Ryan Smalley	43.9
Emily	38.8
Spencer Troth	36.0
Stoney	21.8

The Klute wins the first Sedona Poetry Slam of 2014

Round 1
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Ryan Smalley	21.5	2:44	0.0	21.5
Evan Dissinger	24.5	2:48	0.0	24.5
Taylor Hayes	20.6	2:08	0.0	20.6
Tara Aitken	20.2	3:08	0.0	20.2
Claire Pearson	24.4	2:27	0.0	24.4
Josh Wiss	26.1	2:25	0.0	26.1
Spencer	24.2	2:22	0.0	24.2
Joy Young	27.8	2:21	0.0	27.8
Ella Featherstone	22.9	1:20	0.0	22.9
Anthony Johnson	29.4	2:15	0.0	29.4
Kimber	21.5	2:46	0.0	21.5
Klute	28.8	2:26	0.0	28.8
James	27.3	2:40	0.0	27.3
Mikel	23.6	2:46	0.0	23.6
Lauren Perry	25.4	2:23	0.0	25.4
Jackson	27.9	2:39	0.0	27.9
Lauren Remy	26.8	2:13	0.0	26.8
Valence	27.8	2:53	0.0	27.8
Round 2
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Valence	26.8	3:07	0.0	26.8
Lauren Remy	28.2	2:14	0.0	28.2
Jackson	28.0	2:43	0.0	28.0
Lauren Perry	27.1	2:53	0.0	27.1
Mikel	24.8	3:30	-1.5	23.3
James	24.9	2:21	0.0	24.9
Klute	29.4	3:13	-0.5	28.9
Kimber	24.3	1:11	0.0	24.3
Anthony Johnson	27.5	2:24	0.0	27.5
Ella Featherstone	26.8	1:07	0.0	26.8
Joy Young	25.9	1:21	0.0	25.9
Spencer	24.2	3:24	-1.0	23.2
Josh Wiss	28.4	2:51	0.0	28.4
Claire Pearson	28.3	2:45	0.0	28.3
Tara Aitken	27.1	1:07	0.0	27.1
Taylor Hayes	27.2	2:41	0.0	27.2
Evan Dissinger	28.5	2:16	0.0	28.5
Ryan Smalley	28.5	2:20	0.0	28.5
Round 3
Poet	Score	Time	Penalty	Net Score
Klute	29.0	2:46	0.0	29.0
Anthony Johnson	28.7	1:42	0.0	28.7
Jackson	29.9	2:53	0.0	29.9
Lauren Remy	29.5	2:43	0.0	29.5
Valence	29.1	2:40	0.0	29.1
Final
Poet	Score
Klute	86.7
Jackson	85.8
Anthony Johnson	85.6
Lauren Remy	84.5
Valence	83.7
Josh Wiss	54.5
Joy Young	53.7
Evan Dissinger	53.0
Claire Pearson	52.7
Lauren Perry	52.5
James	52.2
Ryan Smalley	50.0
Ella Featherstone	49.7
Taylor Hayes	47.8
Spencer	47.4
Tara Aitken	47.3
Mikel	46.9
Kimber	45.8

First Sedona Poetry Slam of 2014 is this Saturday, Jan. 11

The first Sedona Poetry Slam of 2014 kicks off at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, 2030 W. State Route 89A, Suite A-3.

All poets are welcome to compete for the $75 grand prize and $25 second-place prize. The prize is funded in part by a donation from Verde Valley poetry supporter Jeanne Freeland.

The slam is the first the 2014 season, which will culminate in selection of Sedona's third National Poetry Slam Team, the foursome and alternate who will represent the city at the National Poetry Slam in Oakland, Calif., in August.

Future slams take place:

• Saturday, Feb. 1
• Saturday, March 8
• Saturday, March 29
• Saturday, April 26
• Saturday, May 17
• The final Grand Poetry Slam takes place Saturday, June 7, to determine the team.

Slam poets will need three original poems, each lasting no longer than three minutes. No props, costumes nor musical accompaniment are permitted.

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 their audience with their creativity.

The poets will be judged Olympics-style by five members of the audience selected at random at the beginning of the slam.

Poets who want to compete should purchase a ticket in case the roster is filled before they arrive.

The local poets will share the stage with 300 of the top poets in the United States, Canada and Europe, pouring out their words in a weeklong explosion of expression. Sedona sent its five-poet first team to the 2012 National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, N.C., and its second to the 2013 NPS in Boston and Cambridge, Mass.

The slam will be hosted by Sedona poet Christopher Fox Graham, who represented Northern Arizona on seven FlagSlam National Poetry Slams in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Graham has hosted the Sedona Poetry Slam since 2009.

Tickets are $12.

Contact Graham at foxthepoet@yahoo.com to sign up to slam.

What is Poetry Slam?

Founded in Chicago in 1984 by construction worker Marc Smith, poetry slam is a competitive artistic sport. 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.

"Earthrise" taken 45 years ago

“Midgley” by Christopher Fox Graham

we met on a bridge outside town
one-time nearly neighbors
his story ended 200 feet below

we were introduced by a sheriff's deputy
who stood between us
making sure no secrets could pass
between two men in the dark

beneath us both
this bridge of steel of iron
was riveted by men who now
all lay under the dirt
or in cemetery urns
this bridge holds 80 years of stories secret

each rivet and bolt
tells a separate story:
a birth in a foundry
a journey to this place
a final, spasmodic twist into steel
they are buried under fingerprints
of dead men
still hear the echoing voices
from the last time they were touched
their function is not move
if they surrender their purpose
give up on existence
yield their life to hold this bridge
this roadway will crumble into the canyon
but we don't learn from them
how to hold on

for us, this man
and me beside him
we have no bridge to weld ourselves into
the will to move will robs us of reasons to hold fast
we forget we have whole cities who will mourn our absence

I contemplate this for us
because he longer can:
he is silence and weight
waiting for men to carry him
in a zippered bag

a few hours ago
he stood a few feet from here
leaned forward
and let the laws of gravity
judge his weight too heavy to fly

did the rivets in this bridge hear him cry out
did he ever utter a sound
as he jumped from the edge
fell past the steel bolts and iron bars
diving like the birds
did they cry out,
wait! stop!
we have seen how this ends!

the rivets tried to unbolt themselves
creak and bend the iron to reach out and catch him
but decades ago men's tools drove them deep into steel
and they cannot move
they cannot let go
or this bridge will fall
and they will have no purpose
5 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet, 40 feet, 80 feet, 160 feet

some watched him strike the rocks below
but most tried to avert their gaze
twist toward the sky and hope at the last moment
the earth would fall away
and catch him soft

but hours later, they watched in the same silence
as more men carried him a basket to where he last stood
where I had arrived to meet him

to me the journalist
to these men, rescuers turned pallbearers
he is a late-night call
a recovery, a press release, an obituary

but the rivets
the steel beneath us
can't forget him
they have nowhere to go
no new places or stories to replace these nights
he is with them
deeper than fingerprints
and with every passing car
this bridge shudders
wondering
who may be next

For the family of the man whose body was recovered Oct. 9, 2013.