MATRIXMAG.COM - WHAT'S A SLAM?

Imagine your high school debate team with an attitude at the crossroads where high art gets a folk spotlight. That's the flavor of the MATRIX SLAM!

If you've never been to one, a poetry slam is a fast-paced,
performance-oriented poetry competition that originated at TheGreen Mill, a bar in Chicago, in the mid 1970s.

It's all in good fun, all for the sake of the craft, and emotions can run high...honestly, we're not sure what to expect other than a poetry experience never before seen in Bloomington!

"we're not sure what to expect other than a poetry experience never before seen in Bloomington!"

Poets can register to enter the SLAM starting at 6:30pm at the Cellar. Registration is $1 with the night's winner taking all. Register early because space is limited. There's plenty of seating for watching, listening, and heckling however!

After much research and kibitzing, we've decided to go with the "official" slam rules (here's a condensed version of our rules.)

The authority says...

"A competition that pits poem against poem, poet against poet. Poems are judged...by a panel of judges picked from the audience. Equal parts poetry, performance, delivery and verve. And, occasionally, theater, stand-up comedy and strip tease."

---from www.austinslam.com/therules.htm

We hope that some day we will form a Bloomington slam team that will travel to Chicago or elsewhere to compete in long-established slams, and maybe even national slam competitions.

It is our hope that this event will catch on, become a monthly or even bi-monthly event, incorporate local business sponsorship, and even become a fund raiser for local charities and arts organizations. Interested in sponsoring the Slam? Contact us.

Tell your friends, fans, and fellow poets. Anyone interested in watching, listening, performing, or judging is encouraged to attend!