Don't say I didn't keep you posted. J
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***** SPIEL *****
The monthly broadsheet of Slam! Productions
spoken word ~ written word ~ anywhere ~ everywhere
SLAM! PRODUCTIONS
Marcus Moore & Sara-Jane Arbury
20 Coxwell Street
Cirencester
Gloucestershire
GL7 2BH
Tel: 01285 640470
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web page: http://www.author.co.uk/slam/
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in edition 16:
* Thirty words
* The Definite Article
* The 8th Oxford Playhouse Slam!
* Slam! Separates
* February Frolics!
* Call My Bluff
* Forget-Slam-Nots
* Ripelines
* Proclamations
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THIRTY WORDS
Wine writer Mel Denne pulled out all her stops to become the fizziest
finalist at October's UK Allcomers Poetry Slam! Sample her distinctive
style in this month's Definite Article entitled.
ARTICULATION IN LATE THIRTIES
At three o'clock in the morning, on the day of the 7th UK Allcomers Poetry
Slam, I was wiping diarrhoea off the floor of my bathroom. A pale-faced
child, covered in the stuff from the waist down, sat shaking on the loo.
This wasn't the way the day was meant to start.
For the first time, I took friends to the slam and they had the best time
ever. None of them had been to a poetry slam before. I expect they'll all
go again. The word-crafting is astonishing. Sometimes you see a rhyme
coming, sometimes they pull the world from under you, leaving you open-
mouthed. When my turn came I couldn't feel my feet. The microphone slipped
in my wet hands. Then I started and it was suddenly all right. It's all
very well practising in the car but my dashboard doesn't laugh, the
steering wheel doesn't cheer and luckily my handbrake doesn't go "Woop,
Woop, Woop". I got through by one point.
In the next round the same small pale-faced child, who had started the day
off for me, left the competition standing. My initial inability to accept
his extra chromosome and subsequent celebration of it, hit a nerve. The
audience was silent. I knew I had plenty of spare time (a crucial factor),
so I squeezed out every pause I could make them hold. Through to the final.
I re-used a story about trying track down a Dutch cap in the right size
late on a Friday night and then the struggle to use the damn thing. It's a
poem I can do in my sleep and it makes people laugh. The audience shared
the whole slippery experience. And, to my astonishment, I won.
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THE 8th OXFORD PLAYHOUSE SLAM!
The opening Slam! of the year proved to be a real mixture of the old and
the new, as familiar faces and first-timers made up the twelve poets who
pitted their words and wits against each other in the theatre bar on 28th
January. A range of styles with a range of voices, from the sing-song
warblings of Vera Rich ("a young person who has lived a long time") to the
measured metres of mother of two Rachel Hartley ("making a change from
talking about nappies and sick"). The close-run semi-final saw the ably
motivated Aidan Moesby squeezed out from a place in the final by one point,
so ultimately, the charismatic hedonism of Chris Hicks succumbed in the
last round to the arresting zeal of Andrew Zadel. Andrew joins the growing
number of Slam! winners who automatically qualify for a place in the Oxford
Allstars Slam! in March. Thanks to all at the Playhouse for their continued
slamtastic support and salubrious surroundings.
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SLAM! SEPARATES
Although ideally suited to the Slam! Productions outfit, Sara-Jane and
Marcus head off in different directions at times to undertake individual
adventures. They promise to keep you (and each other) informed of the
people and places they encounter at creative crossroads, beginning with.
FEBRUARY FROLICS!
This month sees Sara-Jane making her mark in a primary school in Mark near
Weston-super-Mare, as she embarks on a mission to turn the head of every
child into a balloon complete with a word wig. Their poems, alongside a
photograph of the whole school displaying their latest poetic styles, will
be published in a book to mark their annual Book Week.
When her lungs have recovered from blowing up 120 balloons, Sara-Jane is
then off to spend a day at Lower Shaw Farm in Swindon, recycling words into
environmental verse as part of their splendid Children's Project. The fun
continues later in the month at Oxford Playhouse where she is working with
a group of 4-6 year old 'little monsters' in a wild wordshop to find the
creatures behind their features and make masks out of their poems.
Marcus, meanwhile, explores deeper mysteries at Archway School in Stroud,
with a series of drama workshops leading the students through the layers of
'Orpheus and the Underworld'. Marcus often goes back to Archway where he
used to teach and the school will be staging Offenbach's musical in April.
Finally, Tuesday 26th February sees Marcus emerging from the nether regions
for a day of light verse and warm word games at Brookfield Primary School
in Swindon, as he demonstrates that writing poems is child's play.
CALL MY BLUFF
Word lovers will be delighted to see the return of the television programme
Call My Bluff on BBC 1, weekdays from Monday 4th February to 28th March in
the 12/12.30pm slot. At present there are no firm plans for another series
after this one, but fans of the show might like to register support at the
BBC Duty Office on 08700-100222 or by email through
http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/contact/com_email.shtml
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FORGET-SLAM-NOTS
Reading gets ready for its first Slam!Fest based in and around 21 South
Street Arts Centre, as Sara-Jane and Marcus go into oral overdrive on
Wednesday 13th February with a Spontaneity Day of impromptu poetry
performances and impulsive inspiration sessions at The Oracle shopping
centre. The 1st South Street Slam! follows in the evening back at base at
8pm. All semi-finalists will automatically qualify for The Reading Grand
Slam! on Friday 14th June - get in touch with us for further details or if
you want to take part. The Slam!Fest jaunts along until June so we'll keep
you posted each month about forthcoming dates and activities.
The 2nd Oxford Slam!Fest, in association with Oxford Literary Festival and
the Playhouse Theatre, also kicks off in February, featuring a slamazing
series of school wordshops leading up to the 2nd Oxfordshire Youth Slam! on
Friday 15th March, 3pm, at the Oxford Playhouse. There are still places
available for schools to sign up and take part - contact us ASAP at the
Slam! Productions office if you're interested in this FREE opportunity to
discover the great and the good about slam poetry and work alongside
seasoned slammers. Who knows? Your school could become the county's Slam!
sensation of the year.
A Slam!Fest Wordshop, open to all writers who want to perform and
performers who want to write, takes place on Monday 25th February in the
Top Room of the Oxford Playhouse, 6-9pm. Places are limited so if you feel
the urge and want to enjoy the surge of slam poetry, then drop us a line
and we'll make sure you're hooked and booked.
Lastly, slammers would do well to remember that the Oxford Allstars Slam!
Qualifier takes place on Monday 25th March at the Playhouse bar, 8pm. This
is the last-minute chance to compete in the first-rate 2nd Oxford Allstars
Slam! on Thursday 11th April, 8pm, in the Oxford Playhouse main auditorium.
Usual rules apply - notch up the top score and you'll snatch up the encore
at this fabulous Slam!Fest finale.
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RIPELINES
Slam the Atom! is now firmly in the equation at Cheltenham's first Festival
of Science on Friday 24th May at the Town Hall. This event guarantees to
produce a reaction as fifteen slamological poets aim to become the prize
proton amongst the elementary electrons. The winner will also be invited to
perform at the sparkling Sci at Night Cabaret the following evening.
After receiving advice and encouragement from the Arts Council of England
and South West Arts, the Slam! Productions Coast Lines poetry tour along
beaches and promenades from Lands End to Dover is fjording ahead, with
Marcus and Sara-Jane busily putting their vision into more rock solid
forms. The outcome of this cliff-hanger will be known in due course.
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PROCLAMATIONS
We are happy to list details of other slams, open microphone events and
items of interest from promoters, hosts and organisations. We have received
the following notices from contacts:
* Dead Good Poets Society presents an Open Floor night, first Wednesday
each month (6th February etc) 8pm, at the Pilgrim Pub, Pilgrim Street,
Liverpool 1. Donations. Contact [log in to unmask]
* All sorts of goodies available at www.lit-net.org a "virtual literature
centre for the West Midlands and beyond"
* You can publish your poetry at groovy website www.ilovepoetry.com which
has many useful extras including an on-line rhyming dictionary
* For up-to-date information about poetry in Oxford
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/barataria/
* The next Pulsar 'Live Microphone' Poetry Evening will be held at the
Suffolk Arms, Brinkworth, Wiltshire on Tuesday 12th February 2002, 8pm.
Contact [log in to unmask]
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SPIEL is sent to everyone on the Slam! Productions e-mailing list of some
900+ poets, supporters and organisations. Back copies are available on
request.
We have sent you this broadsheet because at some point in the past you have
expressed an interest in slams or performance poetry. If you do not wish to
receive SPIEL monthly, please email a reply saying "No more thank you",
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inconvenience.
cheers
Sara-Jane & Marcus
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