Poetry in Long Beach is alive and kicking some serious butt (pardon my French!).
On Sunday, May 27, 2001 the last of the monthly poetry slams for this season was held at the Blue Cafe under the wing of The Big Damn Poetry Slam. And, damn, was it a big slam!!!
The first part of the afternoon was devoted to the featured poets and open mic readers, as the tradition calls for at The Big Damn. Even though the day started sluggishly, audience was awakened by two open mic readers: Frankie who mused about sleeping in coral and dreaming in green, and Ian who found his muse in his music. Next, the features took the stage. The birthday girl, Lea Deschenes, was quietly persuasive as always, and Mindy Natifee raised temperature with her poetry and skillfully prepared everyone for what was to come: a REAL BIG damn poetry slam.
The competition started with quite an unexpected "sacrificial lamb" - Jaimes Palacio as calibration poet. And, if everyone thought this would be the highest point of the day, boy were they mistaken! Don't get me wrong: Jaimes was great as usual, but so were the three weekly slam winners who were competing against each other that day. It was almost like a day at the United Nations: Long Beach' own Precious Robinson in the first row, representing Africa; Mark Gonzales from Riverside in the right corner, representing Latin America; and Helen (the Bashful Dragon) from Los Angeles in the left corner, representing Eastern Europe. The "battle" lasted four rounds, with poets setting the stage on fire and raising the roof higher and higher as the competition progressed. All three of them were neck to neck up to the very last round, when Mark came out as the big winner. What a way to end a Sunday afternoon!
So, if you have some time next Sunday, stop by the Blue Cafe on the Long Beach Promenade around 3 PM, say 'hello' to the gracious host, Victor Infante, and stay for a poetry event you won't forget. Yes, you heard it right! On Sunday, June 3rd, Victor and his "posse" will be hosting the Grand Finale of The Big Damn Poetry Slam for this season, when 10 of the best and brightest will be competing for the 4 spots on the team to represent Long Beach in the National Poetry Slam in Seattle, WA later this summer. I bet you will find at least one of your favorites among the finalists: Ben Porter Lewis, Jaimes Palacio, R-A-C, Besskepp, Rachel Kann, Eitan Kadosh, Mark Gonzales, Daniel McGinn, Lea Deschenes, and Lauren Wheeler. Now, hop over to our links page, click on the Big Damn Poetry Slam link and e-mail Victor for directions. He'll be happy to see some new faces in the audience.
Slamming in Long Beach and raving for the LitRave,
Jelena (aka Helen the Bashful Dragon)
On Sunday, May 27, 2001 the last of the monthly poetry slams for this season was held at the Blue Cafe under the wing of The Big Damn Poetry Slam. And, damn, was it a big slam!!!
The first part of the afternoon was devoted to the featured poets and open mic readers, as the tradition calls for at The Big Damn. Even though the day started sluggishly, audience was awakened by two open mic readers: Frankie who mused about sleeping in coral and dreaming in green, and Ian who found his muse in his music. Next, the features took the stage. The birthday girl, Lea Deschenes, was quietly persuasive as always, and Mindy Natifee raised temperature with her poetry and skillfully prepared everyone for what was to come: a REAL BIG damn poetry slam.
The competition started with quite an unexpected "sacrificial lamb" - Jaimes Palacio as calibration poet. And, if everyone thought this would be the highest point of the day, boy were they mistaken! Don't get me wrong: Jaimes was great as usual, but so were the three weekly slam winners who were competing against each other that day. It was almost like a day at the United Nations: Long Beach' own Precious Robinson in the first row, representing Africa; Mark Gonzales from Riverside in the right corner, representing Latin America; and Helen (the Bashful Dragon) from Los Angeles in the left corner, representing Eastern Europe. The "battle" lasted four rounds, with poets setting the stage on fire and raising the roof higher and higher as the competition progressed. All three of them were neck to neck up to the very last round, when Mark came out as the big winner. What a way to end a Sunday afternoon!
So, if you have some time next Sunday, stop by the Blue Cafe on the Long Beach Promenade around 3 PM, say 'hello' to the gracious host, Victor Infante, and stay for a poetry event you won't forget. Yes, you heard it right! On Sunday, June 3rd, Victor and his "posse" will be hosting the Grand Finale of The Big Damn Poetry Slam for this season, when 10 of the best and brightest will be competing for the 4 spots on the team to represent Long Beach in the National Poetry Slam in Seattle, WA later this summer. I bet you will find at least one of your favorites among the finalists: Ben Porter Lewis, Jaimes Palacio, R-A-C, Besskepp, Rachel Kann, Eitan Kadosh, Mark Gonzales, Daniel McGinn, Lea Deschenes, and Lauren Wheeler. Now, hop over to our links page, click on the Big Damn Poetry Slam link and e-mail Victor for directions. He'll be happy to see some new faces in the audience.
Slamming in Long Beach and raving for the LitRave,
Jelena (aka Helen the Bashful Dragon)
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