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On January 9th, Van Slam held its 5th annual Women of the World Poetry Slam Playoffs. The top eight female-identifying poets took the stage to compete in three rounds of poetry: a one-minute round, a two-minute round, and a four-minute round.

Competing in this year’s playoffs were former two-time WOWPS champ Julie Peters, 2011 Grand Slam Champ Olivia B, 2011 Van Slam Team member Lisa B, BeDRoCC 2011 Grand Slam Champ Jillian Christmas, BeDRoCC 2011 Team member Sonya Littlejohn, Leah Horlick, Sho Wiley, and Maddie Gorman.

All of them turned in tremendous performances at yet another sold out show. After all the scores were added, Lisa B came out on top. She won a fully paid trip to compete in WOWPS in Denver, Colorado from March 7–10 as Van Slam’s representative.

Who is Lisa B and how did she get so awesome? We sat down with her (via the internets) to find out.

1. How long have you been performing spoken word?

My first gig was in November of 2001, a queer cabaret in Victoria called FLAUNT. I was wretchedly nervous.

2. How do you prepare for a big competition like the WOWPS playoffs?

Sometimes I get some coaching from one or two Chrises (Gilpin or Masson.) But it seems that I do best when I don’t really think I have a shot at winning, don’t focus much on preparation, and am just excited to participate.

3. How did the night of WOWPS playoffs at Café Deux Soleils feel to you? Were there any poems that struck you and stayed with you after? (ok, that’s a double question. I’m cheating a bit here.)

It was a gorgeous night. I thoroughly enjoyed the warmth and mutual supportiveness of all the women competing. And there was a lot of kickass poetry that night…Two pieces that come to mind right away are two of Leah Horlick’s. First she addressed white privilege, and then she critiqued nationalism. High-five, Leah.

4. You used to live in Manchester, UK and perform at their slams. What was that like?

Really different from North American slams. There’s a wide range of accents, of course, and an equally wide range of poetry styles. You’d hear limericks and sonnets alongside more slammy pieces. And for the most part it’s read off the page, there’s a lot less focus on memorization there.

5. If you could bring one aspect of the UK slam scene to Canada, what would it be?

My friends Michelle Green, Tony Walsh, Fergus Evans…

6. Sometimes you go by the nickname ‘goat’. How did you acquire that name?

It must have originally been an astrology reference which fit well. I have some goatlike qualities.

7. Meditation is a big part of your life. How does that influence your art? How does it influence my everything, you mean?

Shit man, I could take several pages to answer that one. But in the interests of brevity, I’ll tell you that I’m not really the type to write lots when I’m angsty or overwhelmed. I’m at my most prolific and expressive when I’m happy and grounded, and in the simplest terms, I sit everyday because it keeps me happy and grounded.

8. What is your favourite book and why?

ONE book?? Are you mad? No, I’m rewriting this question, really you wanted to know what themes appear in the pile on my nightstand, right? Ok, without cheating: trashy sci-fi – various materials on addressing violence within activist and marginalized communities/ some edgy American female poets/ a self-help book about surviving a borderline parent/ some slightly less trashy sci-fi/ an overdue Louise Erdrich novel/ some chapbooks/ Barbara Kingsolver’s take on the fragility of our food systems.

Find out more about Lisa B on her website: http://www.luckygoat.org

Wonderful poets and poetry enthusiasts,

This is just a tiny reminder about the 2nd Annual Vancouver International Poetry Festival and the 2nd Annual Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship this coming April 23rd through 28th 2012. Some of you may note that the festival is later on ion April. This is because we wish to align our schedule with the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival and the wonderful Banff Spoken Word Program so that we can collaborate in future years and so that potentially artists may attend both.

Attending poets, pass holders and tournament volunteers will receive a festival pass that will get poets into all events including the Vancouver Poetry Slam Team Finals on Monday April 23rd, Mashed Poetics on Tuesday April 24th and of course, the bouts, side events and workshops, and the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Finals on Saturday April 28th.

Team will needs to tell us whether they’re sending a rep to Indies by February 1st. The opening for Storm Poets registration will be March 1st 2012. As of right now we will still be offering the travel subsidies and prize money (please see below for exact details) but we are unsure what will have in store with regards to workshops. Because we did not receive a dime from the Canada Council this year for the festival we will be looking at creative options to make this festival even better than last year’s.

Charles Hamilton will be back as tournament director. We will still be having a Haiku Death Match, a late night Nerd Slam, an Erotica show and a return of the poets brunch courtesy of Johnny MacRae and Steve Miller. The schedule will be trimmed down due to the Canada Council short fall but it should still be crazy fun and I’m going to bust my hump on the fundraising between now and then.

Again, this year we will have 38 open slots and 1 reserved for the returning champion Open Secret (should he wish to defend his championship) and 1 reserved for the Last Chance Slam on Wednesday April 25th.

All the venues will be on or around Commercial Drive, including our weekly home to the Vancouver Poetry Slam, Cafe Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Drive) and our home away from home, The Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway at Commercial).

If you have specific questions that can’t wait, please shoot me an email at mcgarragle@gmail.com and include in the subject line either Canadian Indies or VIP.

I hope you’re all really well and hopefully we’ll see you soon or at least in April.

– Sean and the rest of the VIP team

1 Halifax Word Iz Bond $200.00

2 Montreal Throw Collective $150.00

3 Sherbrooke Poetry Slam $150.00

4 Ottawa Capital Slam $150.00

5 Ottawa Urban Legends $150.00

6 Lanark County Live Poets’ Society $150.00

7 Toronto Poetry Slam $150.00

8 Toronto Up From The Roots $150.00

9 London Poetry Slam $150.00

10 Kingston Poetry Slam $150.00

11 Burlington Slam Project $150.00

12 Peterborough Poetry Slam $150.00

13 Guelph Poetry Slam $150.00

14 Winnipeg Poetry Slam $100.00

15 Saskatoon Poetry Slam $100.00

16 Edmonton Poetry Slam $50.00

17 Calgary SLAM $50.00

18 Victoria Poetry Slam $25.00

19 Van Slam $25.00

20 Raw Canvas Slam $25.00

21 New West Slam $25.00

22 UBC Slam $25.00

Total $2,425

Prize Money

1st $1,000

2nd $500

3rd $400

4th $300

5th $250

Total $2,450.00

The Van Slam Family gathered at Brittania Community Centre on November 29th to elect the next Slammaster. Sean McGarragle has served as national Slammaster for the past four years, leading the community into an era of once-a-week slams. Duncan Shields has served for the past couple years as the international Slammaster, taking care of the logistics of sending poets to American tournaments and spearheading the Vancouver Poetry Slam’s Youtube channel.

Before the election, it was decided that the two roles would be combined into one and that the new single Slammaster would remain a volunteer position. Then the election took place. There were four excellent candidates and a runoff vote was required. In the end, Jessica Mason-Paull emerged as the Slammaster Elect. She will be working with Sean and Duncan for the rest of the winter season to learn the ins and outs of the job before taking the reins herself in May 2012.

We spoke on the phone with Jessica earlier this week to hear more about her perspective on the Vancouver Poetry Slam and her vision for it moving forward.

How did you originally discover Van Slam?

I remember hearing about poetry slam back in Bristol in the late nineties and sadly, I was still of the belief that I was the popular kid at high school, so I wouldn’t go to something like that. (laughs) When I moved to Vancouver, I happened to move to a block away from where the slam is. The first slam I came too though, I heard about on the radio from one of RC Weslowski’s announcements.

What were your first impressions of Van Slam?

I remember thinking it was one of the coolest arts communities I’ve ever walked in on. I think that’s because people get up and say whatever they want and everyone listens. That doesn’t happen anywhere else.

Who are some of your favourite poets and why?

My favourite poem is “Tourettes” by Patrick Swan. My favourite performers would be Buddy Wakefield because he stands up there and clearly has something to say. I don’t always agree with everything he says, but I love that he says it. Also, RC Weslowski and Chris Masson because they’re such wicked performers. They get onstage and they don’t even have say anything and everyone shuts up. They have things to share and I think the world needs to hear it.

There is a question that everyone wants to ask you–

Am I single? Yes.

(laughs) I’ll put that in too. Actually, I was going to ask: what is the secret to being a great heckler at the Vancouver Poetry Slam?

It’s a combination of speaking exactly what’s on your mind and a certain amount of English sarcasm and wit. And saying it very loudly.

Why did you want to become Slammaster?

Oh my god, I’ve always wanted to be Slammaster. Because I’m an organization freak. Because I love the community and I really want to serve it, as cheesy as that sounds. I would love to put all my efforts into making sure there are more people here, hearing what poets have to say.

How do you envision Van Slam changing over your two-year term as Slammaster?

Well, a hot English woman is going to be running the show. That will be the principal change. (laughs) I will be really focusing on the local talent that we’ve already developed and to really help them to become great and internationally known. I’d love to have a diversity of international – and by that I don’t mean just American – poets on our stage. I’d also like to keep sending our Van Slam ninjas around the world.

A common criticism of poetry slam is that its competitive nature does not encourage artistic excellence. How would you respond to this?

We’d all like to live in a hippie utopia, but if we’re honest, we’re judging each other all the time. The competition encourages poets to work within set limits and challenges them to push themselves and their art. So I’d completely disagree.

What are some ways that people can get involved in the Vancouver Poetry Slam?

Everything that happens at the poetry slam needs help from volunteers. You can send me an email at jessica@vancouverpoetryhouse.com telling me what you’re interested in and I’ll get right back to you. There are opportunities in everything from score-keeping to logistics to hosting. You can also email our volunteer coordinator, Kyle, through hello@vancouverpoetryhouse.com. Most of all though, we need performers. If you write poetry, but you’re too afraid to sign up, send me some of it. Then, I’ll bug you to get up and share it on stage.

When: November 15th, 2011, 7pm–10pm

Where: Brittania Community Centre, 1661 Napier Street, signs to the specific room will be in the main outside area

Who: Anyone can attend. You are required to have attended at least four slams in the last 12 months to be eligible to vote.

facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=228713283860218

discussion on VPH Forum: http://vancouverpoetryhouse.com/forum/smf/index.php/topic,1731.0.html

Below is a message from Co-Slammaster, Sean McGarragle. He can be reached at: mcgarragle@gmail.com

On Tuesday November 15th, the Vancouver Poetry Slam Family will be meeting to decide many things pertaining to the future of the poetry slam and who will be looking after it in the coming months, years,etc. If there is anything you’d like added to the agenda for the meeting, please feel free to shoot Duncan Shields or myself a message. Thus far the agenda will include

New Van Slam Agenda (as of November 4th)

Agenda
…
Reports
1) A financial report on the slam for the previous year by Sean.
2) Review of the current points system and presentation by the current Rules Committee.
3) A report on the 2011 Van Slam team (by a yet to be determined slam team member) and the outgoing slammasters.
4) A quick report on the Van Slam Team contract and whether it is necessary moving forward by the two outgoing slammasters.
5) An Update on the Awards Committe and the construction of the Van Slam Trophies by Sean
6) Report on PSI events/new by Duncan.
7) Report on Spocan events/news by Sean.
8 ) Report on Hullabaloo by Chris.
9) Information on Canadian Indies and VIP by Sean.
10) The Youth Slam by RC Weslowski
11) Information on VPH and how one can be part of VPH and the benefits therein.

Proposals
12) A proposal for a new show (non competitive) by Sean.
13) An idea/motion put forward by the VPH board as to its relationship with the Van Slam (to be fleshed out by the VPH board shortly).
There is a thread that Lisa Slater started on the VPH forum which fleshes out the VPH proposal along with the tasks and time spent for Duncan and myself in the previous year.

http://vancouverpoetryhouse.com/forum/smf/index.php/topic,1740.0.html

14) Elections of both slammaster positions (Duncan Shields and myself are not running for re-election but will be carrying on until after April 2012).
15) Elections of Rules Committee positions for the next two years.

New Business
16)

Again, there is no proxy voting at this event so if you wish to have a hand in making decisions or if you want to run for one of the positions, you must attend. Remember, Van Slam generates over $45,000.00 per year in revenue and those who attend this meeting decide on the direction the slam moves in the future. Whether we continue to attend NPS, CFSW, IWPS and Wowps or change how teams or individuals attend said festivals could be discussed at this meeting.

The meeting starts at 7 PM and I have booked time till 10 PM.

And if you are interested in running for either of the slammaster positions or one of the three Rules Committee positions (the other two are held by the slammasters) then please contact Duncan or myself no later than November 7th. Late notices will not be accepted and Duncan and I add job descriptions to all the positions shortly.

I hope you’re all well,

Sean

On Tuesday November 15th, the Vancouver Poetry Slam Family will be meeting to decide many things pertaining to the future of the poetry slam and who will be looking after it in the coming months, years,etc.

Where: Brittania community centre, 1661 Napier Street

Thus far the agenda will include

Agenda

Reports
1) A financial report on the slam for the previous year by Sean.
2) Review of the current points system and presentation by the current Rules Committee.
3) A report on the 2011 Van Slam team (by a yet to be determined slam team member) and the outgoing slammasters.
4) A quick report on the Van Slam Team contract and whether it is necessary moving forward by the two outgoing slammasters.
5) An Update on the Awards Committe and the construction of the Van Slam Trophies by Sean
6) Report on PSI events/new by Duncan.
7) Report on Spocan events/news by Sean.
8 ) Report on Hullabaloo by Chris.
9) Information on Canadian Indies and VIP by Sean.
10) Information on VPH and how one can be part of VPH and the benefits therein.

Proposals
11) A proposal for a new show (non competitive) by Sean.
12) An idea/motion put forward by the VPH board as to its relationship with the Van Slam (to be fleshed out by the VPH board shortly).
13) Elections of both slammaster positions (Duncan Shields and myself are not running for re-election but will be carrying on until after April 2012).
14) Elections of Rules Committee positions for the next two years.

New Business
15)

Again, there is no proxy voting at this event so if you wish to have a hand in making decisions or if you want to run for one of the positions, you must attend. Remember, Van Slam generates over $45,000.00 per year in revenue and those who attend this meeting decide on the direction the slam moves in the future. Whether we continue to attend NPS, CFSW, IWPS and Wowps or change how teams or individuals attend said festivals could be discussed at this meeting.

The meeting starts at 7 PM and I have booked time till 10 PM.

And if you are interested in running for either of the slammaster positions or one of the three Rules Committee positions (the other two are held by the slammasters) then please contact Duncan or myself no later than November 7th. Late notices will not be accepted and Duncan and I will add job descriptions to all the positions shortly.

I hope you’re all well,

Sean

On Monday September 12th, the highest-scoring poets of the Vancouver Poetry Slam’s summer season met and battled it out for the honour of representing Vancouver at the Individual World Poetry Slam in Cleveland Idaho in October. Similar competitions were taking place all over North America and the world. Over 70 poets will meet in Cleveland between October 12th to the 15th to decide who this year’s best poet is.

Vancouver’s poetry scene is a diverse one with an affinity for wit and comedy on top of the usual tropes found in most slams and Monday was no exception. It was a roller coaster ride of confessions, admissions, tongue-in-cheek lambasting, scathing rhetoric and metaphorical expression. From poet to poet the audience waited in anticipation, not knowing what was coming next. The judges worked hard to maintain even judging as style after style was thrown at their ears.

Starting with a ‘lightning’ round of one-minute poems, the two lowest-scoring poets were cut. After that, the three-minute round said goodbye to one poet because of a tie and then the six remaining poets entered the four-minute poem round. Three poets were cut after that and four poets went into the final round of two-minute poems. Newcomer Maddie Gorman, Fernando Raguero, Chris Gilpin and RC Weslowski duked it out and when the dust settled, Chris Gilpin was our champion.

The night was a literary show of fireworks as every poet brought their best work. Although ‘competitive poetry’ may seem like an oxymoron to some, there was no doubt in the minds of the cheering, laughing, crying audience that competition brought out the best in one of the most amazing poetry scenes in North America.

~ by Duncan Shields, International Slammaster of the Vancouver Poetry Slam

The first-ever Slam Camp for Youth will be held July 4 – 8, 2011 at Little Mountain Gallery in Vancouver. Little Mountain is a gallery that is also a black box theatre with a small stage and friendly atmosphere. The perfect space to exercise your poetic muscles, and stretch your creativity. We’ll also be spending plenty of time in nearby parks, writing and rehearsing and performing in the sun!

There are 15 spots available for poets from the ages of 14 – 19 years of age. To apply to be one of this year’s group, you simply need to send the applicant’s contact info, along with an example of their writing or performance to wordplaypoets@gmail.com. If selected, you’ll then pay the registration fee through our secure online system. The 15 selected youth poets will work with some of the very best spoken word artists in Vancouver, many of whom are on the WordPlay roster of workshop facilitators (along with a few slam poets visiting from the U.S.). If you’d like to apply for the two available bursaries for youth in financial need, simple indicate that in your application email.

The deadline to apply for Slam Camp is Wednesday, June 15th. That’s tomorrow! Wowzers! Remember all you need to do to apply is send an email with contact info and an example poem or performance video (ie. YouTube link) to show that the applicant has some prior experience with either writing or performance. If you have any questions, send them to Chris Gilpin, Program Coordinator, at wordplaypoets@gmail.com , the same email you can send your application to.

Hi folks,

It’s that time again – time for VPH’s Annual General Meeting! This is a meeting where we report back on the work that VPH does over the course of a year, nominate new directors to be stewards of the organization, and all of that awesome stuff.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday March 16, 2011 at 7:30pm at 1752 East 13th Avenue. (Main floor.)

So!

Here is the agenda:

AGM for VPH

1. Call to Order and Introductions

2. Approve Agenda

3. Approve AGM Minutes of March 7, 2010

4. Reports
- President’s Report (must be accepted/approved)
- Van Slam Report (not a voting item)
- WordPlay report (not a voting item)
- VIPF report (not a voting item)
- Treasurer’s Report and Financial Statements (must be accepted/approved)
- Nominations Committee Report (not a voting item)

5. Election of Directors

6. New Business

7. Adjournment

The Minutes for our last meeting areon the forum, and can be accessed at http://vancouverpoetryhouse.com/forum/smf/index.php/topic,1589.0.html. Please let me know if you have any questions, or would like to add anything to the agenda. I hope that you will be able to attend. PLEASE NOTE: in order to vote on voting items or in the elections, you must be a MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING of VPH. Membership costs $5 per year, and membership payments can be made anytime in advance of the AGM, including at the beginning of the meeting.

Thanks,
Lisa Slater
President, Vancouver Poetry House

The registration deadline for Hullabaloo, the BC Secondary School Poetry Slam tournament, has been extended one more month to February 28th, 2010. 10 spots are filled, only 2 remain. The two remaining spots in the tournament will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Here’s who has registered so far:

1. Cariboo Hill Secondary (Burnaby)
2. Windsor Secondary (North Vancouver)
3. R.A. McMath Secondary (Richmond)
4. Howe Sound Secondary (Squamish)
5. Terry Fox Secondary (Coquitlam)
6. Tamanawis Secondary (Surrey)
7. Delta South Secondary (Delta & Tsawwassen)
8. Shawnigan Lake School (Shawnigan Lake)
9. Brittania Secondary (Vancouver)
10. Wild Card team

You can register your school by completing this two step process:

1.) Send an email to wordplaypoets@gmail.com with the name of your school, the name of the teacher who is coaching the team, and their contact info.

2.) Send a cheque for $80 made out to “Vancouver Poetry House” to: WordPlay, c/o Chris Gilpin, 254 West 18th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 2A7. You are not registered until your cheque has been received (once we have it, we’ll send you a confirmation email).

Hullabaloo will be held in the final two weeks of April 2011. The top 4 school teams will advance to the finals bout, which will be held in conjunction with the IGNITE! festival on The Cultch’s mainstage.

More details on the main site: http://vancouverpoetryhouse.com/word-play/hullabaloo

Already eight schools have registered for Hullabaloo, the first-ever BC Secondary School Poetry Slam tournament. They are:

1. Cariboo Hill Secondary (Burnaby)
2. Windsor Secondary (North Vancouver)
3. R.A. McMath Secondary (Richmond)
4. Howe Sound Secondary (Squamish)
5. Terry Fox Secondary (Coquitlam)
6. Tamanawis Secondary (Surrey)
7. Delta South Secondary (Delta & Tsawwassen)
8. Shawnigan Lake School (Shawnigan Lake)

All of these 8 schools registered before the initial January 31st deadline. Their spot in the tournament is confirmed and reserved. We are dedicated to having a Wild Card team, which brings us up to 9 teams currently. We’ve decided we will take up to 12 in total, so we are extending the registration deadline to February 28th, 2011.

There are three spots left, which will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Basically, the next three schools to register will get in, the rest will have to wait until next year (when we plan to expand the tournament). Registration is simple. You can find out all the details on the website:

http://vancouverpoetryhouse.com/word-play/hullabaloo

Hey poetry fans, exciting news!

Vancouver Poetry House has founded the Vancouver International Poetry Festival, which will be coming to Commercial Drive from April 18th-25, 2011.

This new festival will feature literary poet showcases from the likes of bill bissett and Susan Musgrave, dub poetry from Lillian Allen, poetry workshops, youth poetry events, Mashed Poetics, late-night cabarets, and the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championships!

Festival passes are available on our new website. $60 for one, $100 for two. Reserve yours today!

http://vancouverpoetryfestival.com/

And for all the latest festival news, you can also join our dedicated facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vancouver-International-Poetry-Festival/140505002670161

WordPlay together with the Youth Poetry Slam is launching the first-ever BC Secondary School Poetry Slam tournament, aka HULLABALOO!

If you know a teacher or student who is interested in poetry slam, let them know.  It’s a great opportunity for high school youth to have their voice heard, and get excited about poetry in a festival atmosphere.

Already three schools have strongly expressed interested in participating in the tournament. If more than four schools register, then we will hold preliminary slams to determine the top four teams who will get a chance to perform on the main stage at The Cultch. Preliminary slams (if necessary!) would be held at Café Deux Soleils.

When: late April 2011
Where: The Cultch, main stage
How much: $80 to register a team, spectator prices TBD

http://vancouverpoetryhouse.com/word-play/hullabaloo

HULLABALOO is a new VPH project, organized through its WordPlay and Youth Slam programs. It will be part of the Cultch’s IGNITE! festival, co-sponsored by the Vancouver International Poetry Festival.

HULLABALOO will be the culmination of a wider initiative to foster poetry slam clubs in schools. In the coming weeks, a Poetry Slam Club Starter Kit will be available through the VPH website. This kit will have everything you need to: 1.) understand the poetry slam movement, 2.) learn the basics of performance poetry, and 3.) run a proper poetry slam.

HULLABALOO will feature teams of students competing in standard four-round bouts for the title of provincial poetry slam champ.

HULLABALOO will be more fun than driving a clown car filled with your friends.

The lead organizer of HULLABALOO are Chris Gilpin and RC Weslowski, together with the IGNITE! Youth Panel. Send inquiries to:  hello@vancouverpoetryhouse.com