The Worcester Youth Poetry Slam

Hey Everybody!
The regular season for the Clark / Worcester Youth Poetry Slam has come to an end! 7 teen poets are qualified for our March 26th Grand Slam Youth Finals.
We’ve decided to offer 2 more teens a shot at competing to be on this years team. We’re going to have a special “Last Chance” poetry slam. 2 rounds for teens who’d like to compete, top two scoring poets over 2 rounds makes it into the finals list. Poets who have already earned points this season will not be allowed to slam. This competition is open to those who’ve not yet qualified.

MARCH 2nd, 7-9:30pm

WCUW FM Front Room, 910 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610

Open Mic, Last Chance Slam, Musical Performance &

Another added bonus for this evening!

2 amazing traveling poets are going to be in town and we want to welcome them to a Worcester Stage! Ken Arkind coordinates the Denver Youth Poetry Slam. One of the teen poets he works with has been given permission by his school to go on a week long vacation tour, and then write about his experience for a class project. The 3-0-3 area code is very close to the 5-0-8′s hearts, so we’re sponsoring this special event to welcome them and see how they do in Colorado. KEN ARKIND is a National Poetry Slam Champion and full time touring artist who has performed his work in almost all of the Lower 48, Hawaii and Canada. With Panama Soweto he is one half of The Dynamic Duo, The nations most highly booked Spoken Word act for the past 2 years. He has been featured in The Documentaries SPIT!, Slamplanet, CBS, NBC and Borders.com’s Open Door Poetry series alongside U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. He was a member of the highly influential Spilljoy Ensemble tour, a collection of The country’s premiere young Spoken Word Artists including Danny Sherrard, Jon Sands and Shira Erlichman and is currently the Project Coordinator for The Denver Minor Disturbance Youth Poetry Slam, a workshop and reading series that works with Denver youth poets between the ages of 13 and 19 throughout the Metro area. A regular fixture in The Denver Music Scene he has opened for acts like The Flobots, Gil Scott Heron, Devotchka, Sage Francis, Cloud Cult, Pulitzer Prize Winner Yusef Komunyaka and NPR’s Amy Goodman. His work has been published in numerous literary anthologies and Journals across the country and he has been arrested for being loud on several occasions. ELI LYNCH is a two time member of the Denver Minor Disturbance Youth Poetry Slam Team (’09, ’10), including the team that rocketed to finals stage at last year’s Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival. Eli’s powerful solo performance was instrumental in helping his team win their semi final match. He also won the Emcee Olympics Side Event at the Youth Tournament. He’s a student at Jefferson County Open High School and this is his first national tour!

PLUS!!!!

Greg McKillop aka Speaker for the Dead will be playing an acoustic music set. We’ll also offer an open mic for those who’d like to share their work.

Hosted by Youth Slam Director Alex Charalambides
$5 suggested donation at the door. (if money’s an issue, please contact me and maybe we can work some kind of volunteer exchange deal).

Please spread the word. Ken and Eli are amazing poets who don’t get a chance to visit all that often. They’re coming a long way, and we really want to hear them and show them our East Coast Hospitality.

This is the 6th and final Preliminary Poetry Slam for the Worcester Youth / Clark University UNIFIED Poetry Slam Season Series!
Clark University Higgins Student Center / The Grind Performance Space / 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610

7pm – Short Spoken Word Showcase
7:30 pm – Worcester Youth Poetry Slam #6 – 2 round poetry slam competition for area teens looking to qualify for the March Finals that selects the 2011 Worcester Youth Poetry Slam Team, traveling to Brave New Voices Festival in San Francisco this July.
8:30 pm – Guest Featured Performer – CARLOS WILLIAMS -

“There are very few people in spoken word who work as diligently on their poems as Carlos Williams… Every single word of Carlos’ narrative is essential, and every line is delivered with an almost surgical tenacity creating for his audience an incredibly controlled and specific experience that is nothing short of magnificent.“- Sean Conlon (Slammaster at Hampshire College, 2007-2009, 2008 CUPSI and NPS Best of the Rest)

CARLOS WILLIAMS writes and performs poems whenever and wherever he can. This practice has included such settings as:  auditoriums, theaters, basements and kitchens at house parties, art salons, high schools, colleges, bars, and the occasional parking lot cipher. A College Union Poetry Slam Invitational veteran, he has reached finals stage, had the honor of coaching (2010 Emerson College), and in 2009 was awarded Best Male Poet. The same year he made his way onto the Boston Cantab slam team and competed with the sharks at the National Poetry Slam. He’s been a garbage man, a line cook, a maintenance and demolition worker, and once spent 8 hours picking bullet shells out of the mud. In Fall of 2010 he went on the “Taste of the Atlantic!!! Tour!!” with the highly acclaimed Gringo Choir, gracing the stages of slam venues, colleges, universities, and high schools in places as close as Providence, Rhode Island and as far away as a living room show in Portland, Oregon. Currently, he teaches part time at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Community Center, slings sandwiches and coffees at the Kookoo Cafe, and is the lovable wacky-bar-backy and a co-host for the Cantab Lounge.
He sincerely wishes that you all come out to support his feature, the Poetry Project he had a hand in creating, and the idea that a story or a poem can bind us all in some small way. At the very least, maybe a couple of his poems can make you feel at least a little better for at least a little while.

“Carlos Williams has emerged as one the newest and brightest flints in the great tradition of bonfire that is New England performance poetry, all flailing arms and spark, a rich thick voice that is both dangerous and delicate in it’s honesty, a flame of consciousness that will only continue to grow with the breadth of his undeniable talent and ability.
This is one voice that cannot be stamped out.” Kenneth C. Arkind (Poet)
9pm – Final Clark University Poetry Slam – 2 rounds – open to Clark Students and Employees. Winner takes last spot on 2011 Clark University Poetry Slam Team, alongside, Sarah, Eric and Claire as they prepare to rep Worcester at the 2011 College Union Poetry Slam Invitational Tournament this April.

Hosted by Alex Charalambides
$5 suggested donation to help support poetry slam teams.

After keeping track of the storm, talking to folks at Clark University, we’ve decided that its wisest to reschedule Tonight’s Unified Poetry Slam Event.

The event will take place tomorrow evening, Saturday January 22nd. Same time, same place, same feature (many thanks to Brian Ellis for being flexible).

I would’ve loved to get the event in tonight, but I can’t guarantee road conditions will be alright (winds are blowing that snow around) and I can guarantee that parking around Clark will be messy to say the least.

So tomorrow. Higgins Student Center at Clark. We may even have the Grind Space. Please pass the word around! Thanks.

~ Alex Charalambides

JANUARY 21st, 2011 CLARK UNIVERSITY, “THE GRIND” Performance Space, Higgins Student Center, 950 Main Street, Worcester MA 01610

Our featured guess, BRIAN S. ELLIS is a writer and performer based out of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. He’s represented the Boston Cantab Lounge at both the National Poetry Slam  and the Individual World Poetry Slam; co-founded the Whitehaus Family Record, a venue and arts collective in Jamaica Plain; been published online and in print in Danse Macabe and Lunchbox Quarterly; has published Uncontrolled Experiments in Freedom in 2008 and Yesterday Won’t Goodbye in 2010 with Write Bloody Press.  He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three times and this will be one of his last area performances before embarking on a national tour with THE WHIRLWIND COMPANY, an amazing new ensemble assemblage of Write Bloody Author / Spoken Word Luminaries, joining JON SANDS, MINDY NETTIFEE and MIKE McGEE as they trail blaze their brand of lively, incredibly crafted verse missives throughout these here United States! A truly amazing talent, catch him before he launches into the stratosphere! Check out even more at: www.brianstephenellis.com

“Read these poems. You’ve never been so alive.” -Jeanann Verlee, “Racing Hummingbirds”

EVENT DETAILS –

7pm Sign-up & Brief Spoken Word Poetry Showcase

7:30pm – WORCESTER YOUTH POETRY SLAM #5 – next to last opportunity for local area teens (aged 13-19) to compete for a chance to earn points for the 2011 Worcester Youth Team Finals in March. Poets must sign up at 7pm, perform 2 original poems of their own creation. They have 3 and a half minutes to do so. No props, musical accompaniment or costumes. 5 judges will award scores. Highest three cumulative scores, earn points towards being invited to the finals event.

8:30pm – FEATURED PERFORMANCE by our guest poet Brian S. Ellis.

9pm – CLARK UNIVERSITY POETRY SLAM – 2 Rounds. Same rules apply, except for 3 minute time limit. Open to Clark University Students and Employees. * Clark Students who also fall under the age of 19 can participate in both poetry slams, but cannot repeat poems throughout the evening.

Hosted by Worcester Youth Poetry Slam Director Alex Charalambides.

THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED, in part, by THE WORCESTER ARTS COUNCIL, a local agency, which supported by the MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL, a state agency.

UNIFIED POETRY SLAM EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

HOWEVER, WE DO ASK FOR AND WILL DEEPLY APPRECIATE A $5 SUGGESTED DONATION TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR THE 2011 WORCESTER YOUTH POETRY SLAM TEAM, TRAVELING TO THE 2011 BRAVE NEW VOICES INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL THIS JULY. THE COMMUNITY CAN ALSO SUPPORT THE TEAM BY PURCHASING MERCHANDISE OR MAKING DIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS ON-LINE AND IN PERSON. (WE HAVE A CREDIT CARD MACHINE ON HAND AS WELL)

Poet Rachel McKibbens is an ex-punk rock chola with five children. Known for her astonishingly visceral stage presence and devotion to craft, McKibbens has become one of the most respected poets in the spoken word community. She is the 2009 Women of the World poetry slam champion, is an eight-time National Poetry Slam team member, a three-time NPS finalist, and a 2007 New York Foundation for the Arts poetry fellow and Pushcart nominee. For four years, she co-curated the award-winning louderARTS Project reading series in New York City, coaching their poetry slam team to three consecutive National Poetry Slam final stages. She teaches poetry and creative writing throughout the country, from housing projects and needle exchanges to high schools, hospitals and universities. McKibbens was a mentor for Urban Word NYC, teaching poetry at Bellevue Hospital through The Healing Arts Program, targeting at-risk youth. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including The Acentos Review, The November 3rd Club, Frigg Magazine, The Pedestal Magazine, Melusine, Wicked Alice, World Literature Today, Bowery Women: Poems, and So Luminous, the Wildflowers. She co-wrote the play-in-verse Eight Chamber Hunger Orchestra which premiered at the Bowery Poetry Club in Spring of 2007 to a capacity crowd. She has shared stages with Nikki Giovanni, Kanye West, Billy Collins, Martin Espada, Ellyn Maybe, Eve Ensler and Nick Flynn. She was featured in the slam documentary, Slam Planet: War of the Words which premiered at the 2006 SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas. She appeared twice on HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, has read at college campuses across the country, the Henry Miller Library, coffee houses, dive bars, homeless shelters and the Juilliard School of Fine Arts. She recently completed two full-length poetry manuscripts and is working on a collection of short stories. Her first book of poetry, Pink Elephant (Cypher Books) was released in December 2009. She lives in Rochester, NY. for more, please visit her website at www.rachelmckibbens.com

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE WORCESTER ARTS COUNCIL, A LOCAL AGENCY

WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL, A STATE AGENCY.

Hosted by Youth Slam Director Alex Charalambides

THIS EVENT IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – WE DO ASK A SUGGESTED DONATION OF $5 TO HELP TEAM RAISE FUNDS FOR ANNUAL TRIP TO BRAVE NEW VOICES INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL – YOUTH SLAM MERCHANDISE WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE, CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED.

At first blush, “ARTiculation” looks like a free-form poetry slam driven by some well-intentioned young performers. But don’t be fooled. “ARTiculation” is a sharp, smart, funny, and fearless evening of stories and comments told through spoken word and music, delivered by five powerhouse performers and one DJ, all of whom surprise and enchant with their unadorned honesty and lyric dexterity.

Boston Globe Arts & Performance Review

Worcester Youth Poetry Slam & Clark University Poetry Slam Club are proud to bring members of ARTiculation to the Bistro at Clark University for a featured performance as part of our Unified Poetry Slam Event. ARTiculation is “an autopsy of life, love, youth, religion and art” using spoken word poetry, theatre and a hard hitting hip hop beat. It originally premiered in August of 2005 at the Boston Center for the Arts- where Company One is the resident theater company- and has begun its fourth touring season. ARTiculation was concieved by Tory Bullock and written by the poets themselves. The ARTiculation crew consists of Danny Balel, Tory Bullock, Michael Cognata, Terri Deletetsky, Marvelyn McFarlane, DJ Reazon and Nik Walker. The poet-performers of “ARTiculation” embrace the complexity of life with passion, humor, and poetic flair for one of the most energizing and entertaining evenings seen in a long time.” We’re especially psyched to bring them to our stage, considering two cast members, Danny Balel and Terry Deletetsky were heavily involved with the Clark University Poetry Slam Team during their time on campus.

SHOW DETAILS - Saturday Night – November 20th – Clark University, Higgins Student Center, “The Bistro” – 950 Main Street, Worcester MA

7pm – slam sign-up and short poetry showcase

7:30 – 3nd Preliminary Youth Slam, for local area teen writers to perform. Bring 2 poems. Top 3 scoring poets will receive points towards making it to 2011 Youth Team Selection Slam in March, 2011.

8:30 – Featured Poetry Presentation

*********************************

9pm – 2nd Clark University Poetry SlamQualifier – 2 rounds, open to Clark Students and Employees. Winner earns automatic bid onto the 2011 Clark University Poetry Slam Team, that will represent the school at the College Union Poetry Slam Invitational Tournament.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE WORCESTER ARTS COUNCIL, A LOCAL AGENCY

WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL, A STATE AGENCY.

Hosted by Youth Slam Director Alex Charalambides

THIS EVENT IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – WE DO ASK A SUGGESTED DONATION OF $5 TO HELP TEAM RAISE FUNDS FOR ANNUAL TRIP TO BRAVE NEW VOICES INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL – YOUTH SLAM MERCHANDISE WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE, CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED.

  “If you’ve been praying for a poet who can combine the lightning strokes of page poetry with all the panache of the kind of performance that takes absolute possession of a room, your long wait is over: Jon Sands is the answer to your prayers!“
– Jack McCarthy – EM Press Author & Stand-Up Poetry Legend

THIS MONTH, THE WORCESTER YOUTH POETRY SLAM & CLARK UNIVERSITY POETRY SLAM CLUB ARE PROUD TO PRESENT ONE OF THE RISING SUPERSTARS OF THE NATIONAL POETRY SCENE:

JON SANDS is a full-time independent teaching & performing artist, as well as a recipient of the 2009 New York City-LouderARTS fellowship grant. He has represented New York City multiple times at the National Poetry Slam, subsequently becoming an NPS finalist. Jon has performed and facilitated workshops with university and arts organizations throughout North America, and is currently the Director of Poetry and Arts Education Programming at the Positive Health Project, a needle exchange center located in Midtown Manhattan, as well as a Youth Poetry Mentor with Urban Word NYC. He is also one-fourth of the nationally acclaimed electricity-fest, The SpillJoy Ensemble. Jon lives in New York City, where he makes better tuna salad than anyone you know. He’s one of Write Bloody Press‘ Newest Authors, with a full length book release due later this year!

Jon’s an amazing workshop facilitator and has offered his services as part of his visit to Worcester. We’re currently working out the location and time at Clark University a couple hours before the show. I highly recommend youth writers take advantage of this opportunity. Please R.S.V.P. worcesteryouthslam2004@yahoo.com if you’re interested. (Suggested donation of $5 to help cover our guest’s travel expenses is appreciated).

SHOW DETAILS - Saturday Night – October 23rd – Clark University, Higgins Student Center, “The Bistro” – 950 Main Street, Worcester MA

7pm – slam sign-up and short poetry showcase

7:30 – 2nd Preliminary Youth Slam, for local area teen writers to perform. Bring 2 poems. Top 3 scoring poets will receive points towards making it to 2011 Youth Team Selection Slam in March.

8:30 – Featured Poet Jon Sands

9pm – 2nd Clark University Poetry Slam Qualifier – 2 rounds, open to Clark Students and Employees. Winner earns automatic bid onto Clark University Poetry Slam Team.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE WORCESTER ARTS COUNCIL, A LOCAL AGENCY

WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL, A STATE AGENCY.

Hosted by Alex Charalambides

Music By DJ MUSE

THIS EVENT IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – WE DO ASK A SUGGESTED DONATION OF $5 TO HELP TEAM RAISE FUNDS FOR ANNUAL TRIP TO BRAVE NEW VOICES INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL – YOUTH SLAM MERCHANDISE WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE, CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED.

WORCESTER YOUTH / CLARK UNIVERSITY “UNIFIED” POETRY SLAM is proud to welcome LAUREN WHITEHEAD to our stage as our special featured guest as we kick off a new season!

LAUREN WHITEHEAD, a native of Chicago, Illinois, is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan. She is a vocalist, poet and budding playwright who has had the opportunity to perform at venues across the United States including the Sundance Film Festival (2009 and 2010) and The Kennedy Center in Washington DC (2009, 2010). She recently appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation with Neal Conan and Robert Redford and was featured in the HBO documentary, Russell Simmons Presents: Brave New Voices. Her most recent project, is the work in progress, “Written in Blues,” a one woman performance piece that has been shown in the Afro Solo Festival 2009, The Left Coast Leaning Festival 2009 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and at DiverseWorks in Houston, Tx. Lauren has recently moved to Boston to work at an independent bookstore, read more and practice her piano. Check out more video of her HERE!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th – 7-10pm

CLARK UNIVERSITY, “The Bistro” - first floor, HIGGINS STUDENT CENTER  - 950 Main Street, Worcester, 01610

Evening begins with Worcester Spoken Word Showcase, followed by 2 round preliminary poetry slam competition for the 2011 Worcester Youth Slam Team. Top 3 scoring poets receive points towards making the Grand Slam Finals next year. Area teens, aged 13 to 19 are eligible to compete.

After our feature. The 2010/2011 Clark Univeristy Slam Team will be selecting their first team member via 2 round poetry slam competition. Clark Students, Faculty and Employees are eligible to compete.

This series is supported, in part, by a grant from the Worcester Arts Council, a local agency, supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a stage agency.

Hosted by Alex Charalambides and Kate “Tak” Mogel

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – we do ask for a suggested $5 donation for those who can support the Youth Slam as they attempt to raise money for their trip to the 2011 Brave New Voices Teen Festival.

Many many thanks to our chaperon extraordinaire Theresa Liljegren for bringing a video camera to Los Angeles and documenting the multi-voice group work of our 2010 Worcester Youth Poetry Slam Team, capturing performances from this years Brave New Voices Festival. You can see first hand, that the team handled themselves with grace, integrity and spirit! The Worcester Youth Poetry Slam Team wrote and coordinated SEVEN group poems this year, by far a Worcester Record.

Just Click on the poem title and it’ll open the video right on this screen.

PETER & WENDY by Taylor Liljegren & Kendel Joseph

CALVIN & HOBBES by Eric Devenney & Anna Meehan

CHILDREN AT WAR by Devin Samuels & Alice Beecher

GATSBY by Taylor Liljegren, Anna Meehan & Alice Beecher

FACADE by Eric Devenney & Devin Samuels

We hope to have more up soon, stay tuned!

Hey there! Thought I’d get a chance to update everyday, but time flies at Brave New Voices. Yesterday, the team got up early to run their poems one last time after breakfast before catching a bus at 9am to make it to our bout match-ups at Theater Row on Santa Monica Boulevard. We knew our first bout would be tough. Hawaii’s reigning youth champs two years running. Fort Lauderdale’s a perennial semi-finalist with a lot of returning team members. Silver City New Mexico and Sacramento are relative newcomers, but we found out quick that they were all prepared. We drew the B slot which meant we had to go secod in the first round which can be tough, especially when facing top teams. We decided to throw up Alice and Devin’s “Children at War” duet and they nailed it, but the judges were not yet feeling generous and we fell behind close to 2 points. Slam’s really hard to play catch-up. We followed with Anna & Eric’s “Calvin & Hobbes” Duet which played really well and scored fine, but by then the bout was getting pretty automatic. Every team brought their A game, so we just settled in and enjoyed this show that we were a part of. Third round, we chose Devin & Kendel’s “Click” duet, which got memorized a couple days before. I really wanted this poem to hit the stage, poignant, heartfelt and another opportunity to present our team first approach. We closed with the triumvirate of Taylor, Anna and Alice performing Gatsby. Again, flawless presentation and a good response, but at the end of the day, we took 5th place against these teams. Upstart Sacramento pulled the upset and it was off to lunch where we shrugged off the pressure of competition while snacking on boxed lunches in the park. Our second bout was in the Elephant Theater, matched up against teams from Host City Los Angeles, Houston, Kansas City and Madison Wisconsin. We had pre-selected to not strategise and simply showcase our remaining team pieces, including a repeat (we’re allowed two) of one of our early bout poems. We drew the D slot which put us 4th in the first round. We opened with Eric & Devin’s “Facade” duet and were withing half a point of first place after the first round. Second round, LA’s poet had a Peter Pan reference in her poem, so we all kind of looked at each other and thought it’d be cool to use Taylor and Kendel’s “Peter Pan”duet in that round instead of last as originally planned. Another great performance, but the scores just didn’t seem to go our way. Third round was Anna’s choice (between Calvin and Gatsby, seeing as how that’d be the only poem she’d do in the second bout. She chose Gatsby and they rocked it even better than the first bout. We closed with “Virginia Wolf” tribute w/ Taylor and Alice wowing the crowd with their performance. After the dust settled, the home town team took the bout, followed by Madison, Houston, us (4th place) and Kansas City. Tons of hugs and congratulations followed. We re-hydrated and found our bus to get to the Staples Center (where them rascally Lakers play) to grab dinner before the evening’s festivities at Club Nokia. The Annual Brave New Voices “Speak Green” Event, showcases 12 pre-qualified poems about the environment, with top performing poets winning trips to the Sundance Film Festival to perform for the Robert Redford Foundation and other events. The show opened with performances by Lauren Whitehead, Beau Sia (who had complimented Team Worcester’s Originality at our second bout where he was rooting his hometown LA squad) Buddy Wakefield, Mayda De Valle. The kids really set the room ablaze however, with amazing performances, including an open letter to BP, a backyard tribute to Stockton CA’s farm industry and several other calls to action that rallied the enthusiastic crowd. Emcee George Watsky closed with one of the most hilarious, off kilter performances I’ve ever seen, trying to implore humanity to find real “creative” ways to plug the gulf coast oil spill, culminating in him drawing a goatee on his face with s sharpee so he could stroke a goatee. “Ya gotta get up pretty early in the morning to put one over on humanity!” Brilliant. Got back to Occidental College around 11pm, with most folks catching some well deserved rest after such a long day. Some kids kept the party going with late night writing, cyphers and conversations in the hall.

Today found us back on a 10am bus to catch a semi-final match-up of our choosing. We arrived at the Los Angeles Theater Company and decided to support our friends from Denver. We didn’t realize until we got to the bout that, we’d also be cheering on our friends from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Florida and Madison, Wisconsin. Some absolutely amazing poetry today. Denver took the lead in the third with sophomore team memeber Eli destroying the crowd with an anti-HBO rant that earned the first (and I believe only 30) of the slam. Denver overcame a heavy onslaught by Chapel Hill to earn the win. Chapel Hill has developed so quickly (we faced them for their first bout back in ’08), it was inspiring to see how much they’ve grown as writers and performers. I texted representatives from Brave New Voices to recommend the inclusion of one of their team pieces as a warm-up poem for tomorrow night’s grandslam. After semi-finals let out, we learned that San Francisco, New York and Albuquerque would be joining them for finals (yeah Kenn!) and we all made out way for some de-compressing at the pier and beach in Santa Monica. A crew of us ate at an Italian Bistro and saw some of the sights anf characters trolling the pier. Unfortunately, the bus ride back through LA rush hour traffic proved very long indeed. We’re back, I’m updating, about to gocheck out some of the late night events. The team is really positive, inspired and having a blast. Tomorrow, Brave New Voices will be attending a special advanced screening of “Waiting for Superman” at Paramount Studios, a documentary about education by the crew that did “An Inconvenient Truth.” afterwards, the teens will participate in a town hall meeting before we make our way to the Saban Theater to watch the finals! See ya’ll when we get home!