It sounds terrific to me -but one surely would need to be there on the night get the atmosphere
All the best Patrick too old for slamming
-----Original Message-----
From: British & Irish poets [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of E. Sarezale
Sent: 17 June 2009 17:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: ('glam slam' actually) Re: grand slam wants you
Dear Tim Allen,
The name of the event is Glam Slam (not 'grand slam'). Relevant, I'd argue, because of its intended pop-rock references (Prince, Bowie,...), its nods to the urban gay-latino-black culture it originally comes from (i.e., "Vogue Balls" in NYC) and its attempt to appeal to a sexually, racially and culturally varied audience. (Also "literarily" and linguistically varied, incidentally).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glam_Slam
As you state, yes, it is "a bit of fun" - and that's what it mostly it aims for.
But it also very much welcomes:
"challenge and questioning, weather of genre, language or identity, that innovative and experimental poetry are known for".
(I chose to keep the literal quotation without correcting the typo)
I'd be delighted if self-denominated "innovative and experimental" poets joined in. In fact, some of the poets who have confirmed participation do experiment with language and genre (some even with gender -- in Spanish the same word is used for both concepts).
I'm confident that the crowd at the event will be able to cope with the challenge and the subversion that experimental poets will bring.
As a side note, there are serious (mostly sexual politics-related) issues motivating the event. Not just "fun". For many 'lesbian/gay/trans-gender' people community', events like the Glam Slam are important as a (participatory) alternative to other commercial or cultural activities that they may find either alienating or exclusive. These people (including writers and poets) can still feel ostracised and marginalised nowadays (see recent Amazon 'top-shelving' scandal), with limited outlets for self-expression. And I am not talking about Iran or Russia, no. Also about the UK and the rest of Western Europe, USA, Canada....
Conservative? Harmless? Safe? "so acceptable"? (the discussion here could go on for ever; and sadly I don't have the time)
Maybe not everybody will think this is a valid endeavour. But I'd rather it not be put in the same pigeon-hole as your average poetry slam competition. I may be fooling myself, of course...
Even if I agree that the "competing categories" are not terribly original or inventive (and most of the poets in the slam will be far from "innovative" and "experimental" as understood in this forum), I do wonder if the event deserves the derogatory and (sadly, I must say) snobbish tone used in your post.
Having said that, if you think that the bit of "harmless fun" represented by the Glam Slam should be kept away from this list, I apologise for being insensitive and posting it here; I'll be more thoughtful in the future before posting something to this list.
Regards,
_ernesto
p.s. "performance poetry" is indeed one of the most ill-defined categories I've ever come across.
http://sarezale.com
http://myspace.com/sarezale
http://youtube.com/sarezale
http://youtube.com/videopoems
----- Original Message ----
> From: Tim Allen <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wednesday, 17 June, 2009 11:56:19
> Subject: Re: grand slam wants you
>
> >"A poetry SLAM competition in two rounds.
>
> First Round: 4 Competing Categories:
>
> DARK poem - a sad poem wearing all black
> GLAD poem - a happy poem in colourful clothes
> SHAG poem - sexy words in lingerie, fetish, flesh
> DRAG poem - gender-bending words in drag"< etc
>
> Probably a bit of fun but sooooo cliched it makes you cry. Why is it that all
> this performance stuff is so predictable and conventional and does everything to
> reinforce stereotypes (aesthetic and otherwise)? The whole thing goes against
> the grain of challenge and questioning, weather of genre, language or identity,
> that innovative and experimental poetry are known for. This is why the
> performance scene, despite all its rhetoric about being about youth and energy
> etc, is ultimately so conservative and harmless and safe, and hence why it is so
> acceptable to the literary establishment.
>
> Tim A.
> Please excuse cross posting
http://sarezale.com
http://myspace.com/sarezale
http://youtube.com/sarezale
http://youtube.com/videopoems
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