Comments on: In Defense of Spoken Word – el Guante http://minnesotamicrophone.com MN to the Mic to the Max! Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:17:36 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: minnesotamicrophone http://minnesotamicrophone.com/in-defense-of-spoken-word-el-guante/#comment-125 minnesotamicrophone Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:23:33 +0000 http://minnesotamicrophone.com/?page_id=301#comment-125 Anonymous, I'm not sure exactly where you are, and/or what you've checked out, but I know The Deopt Coffeehouse does a lot of youth opportunities, including open mics. MNSWA would also be a good option to look into- what they're doing. I'm pretty sure some of the open mics around town are all ages- that's where to look. It won't be as focused on slam poetry, but they're good options to get some stage time, get some practice. Worse case scenario? You do some research into starting an event yourself. As someone who has personally done that whole "if there's nothing there that serves the purpose you need, create it yourself", I can tell you it's a lot of hard work, but more rewarding than you can imagine. -Cole Anonymous,

I’m not sure exactly where you are, and/or what you’ve checked out, but I know The Deopt Coffeehouse does a lot of youth opportunities, including open mics. MNSWA would also be a good option to look into- what they’re doing. I’m pretty sure some of the open mics around town are all ages- that’s where to look. It won’t be as focused on slam poetry, but they’re good options to get some stage time, get some practice.

Worse case scenario? You do some research into starting an event yourself. As someone who has personally done that whole “if there’s nothing there that serves the purpose you need, create it yourself”, I can tell you it’s a lot of hard work, but more rewarding than you can imagine.

-Cole

]]> By: Anonymous http://minnesotamicrophone.com/in-defense-of-spoken-word-el-guante/#comment-124 Anonymous Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:04:14 +0000 http://minnesotamicrophone.com/?page_id=301#comment-124 thank you, and no I'm not discouraged, it was just something that wasn't brought up completelly that always kindof bothered me. I do wish there were more opportunitys for youth slamming at non-competitive events, there proboblly are i just need to reserch thank you, and no I’m not discouraged, it was just something that wasn’t brought up completelly that always kindof bothered me. I do wish there were more opportunitys for youth slamming at non-competitive events, there proboblly are i just need to reserch

]]> By: minnesotamicrophone http://minnesotamicrophone.com/in-defense-of-spoken-word-el-guante/#comment-123 minnesotamicrophone Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:35:41 +0000 http://minnesotamicrophone.com/?page_id=301#comment-123 Hey Anonymous, Thanks for the comments. As Guante points out, slam is a democracy, when it comes to scoring. If you want things to change, you need to help us broaden our audience, and thereby our judges! I'm pretty sure things swing back and forth, between scenes and over time, what scores well. It is up to a handful of audience members, not the scene necessarily. And, slam is a sport. I'm pretty sure all poets have well-loved poems, that don't score so well, that they publish in their chapbooks, perform at non-competitive events, or compete with because it matters more to them that they get heard than that they win. It's something we all struggle with. I hope you do not get discouraged in your art. -Cole Hey Anonymous,

Thanks for the comments. As Guante points out, slam is a democracy, when it comes to scoring. If you want things to change, you need to help us broaden our audience, and thereby our judges! I’m pretty sure things swing back and forth, between scenes and over time, what scores well. It is up to a handful of audience members, not the scene necessarily. And, slam is a sport. I’m pretty sure all poets have well-loved poems, that don’t score so well, that they publish in their chapbooks, perform at non-competitive events, or compete with because it matters more to them that they get heard than that they win. It’s something we all struggle with. I hope you do not get discouraged in your art.

-Cole

]]> By: Anonymous http://minnesotamicrophone.com/in-defense-of-spoken-word-el-guante/#comment-120 Anonymous Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:24:01 +0000 http://minnesotamicrophone.com/?page_id=301#comment-120 I'm rely glad you wrote this, even though ive listened to singer songwritters sing about astronomy in 17/16 time signatures... i still feel what your saying, it deffinitlly gave me some new appreciation for some of the things i have beef with in the genre. Still my biggest issue (and dont get me wrong i love spoken word) is that i feel it can be "content-ist" like there could be a linguistically and poetically brilliant peice performed amazinglly and it wont score as high as a poem that might, poetically, be sub-par but if its a girl talking about being raped she'll score much higher, now im not hating on that at all. I'm seriouslly amazed at how people can get over something that horrible with poetry and its great, and maby its just a purelly human issue, like "how could i give this girl a 7?" it just makes it so sometimes the issue (and its not only that one, i feel the same about political poems that preech to the choir and a variety of issues that seem to dominate in slams) outways the poetry and performance. I don't know i guess its kindof a sensitive thing thats hard to adress, i just feel that if i want to perform for a bigger audiance i have to pick my more "slam appropriate" peices as appose to the ones i like more. Great article, sorry for rambling and misspelling oh and people that do, do that poetry im not hating on you at all its just a scoring issue I’m rely glad you wrote this, even though ive listened to singer songwritters sing about astronomy in 17/16 time signatures… i still feel what your saying, it deffinitlly gave me some new appreciation for some of the things i have beef with in the genre. Still my biggest issue (and dont get me wrong i love spoken word) is that i feel it can be “content-ist” like there could be a linguistically and poetically brilliant peice performed amazinglly and it wont score as high as a poem that might, poetically, be sub-par but if its a girl talking about being raped she’ll score much higher, now im not hating on that at all. I’m seriouslly amazed at how people can get over something that horrible with poetry and its great, and maby its just a purelly human issue, like “how could i give this girl a 7?” it just makes it so sometimes the issue (and its not only that one, i feel the same about political poems that preech to the choir and a variety of issues that seem to dominate in slams) outways the poetry and performance. I don’t know i guess its kindof a sensitive thing thats hard to adress, i just feel that if i want to perform for a bigger audiance i have to pick my more “slam appropriate” peices as appose to the ones i like more.
Great article,
sorry for rambling and misspelling
oh and people that do, do that poetry im not hating on you at all its just a scoring issue

]]> By: In Defense of Spoken Word « Minnesota Microphone http://minnesotamicrophone.com/in-defense-of-spoken-word-el-guante/#comment-115 In Defense of Spoken Word « Minnesota Microphone Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:31:52 +0000 http://minnesotamicrophone.com/?page_id=301#comment-115 [...] Link to Kyle’s article here. [...] [...] Link to Kyle’s article here. [...]

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