Dear all,
Disclaimer: I serve as the Artistic Director for Shake the Dust!
Not wishing to revive an old (dead?) thread, but just wanted to chime in— as a poet who's worked with youth slams over the years, I view them as a way of engaging young and emerging writers. Not the ONLY way, of course, and admittedly, there's a sensitivity that needs to be borne in mind in the planning and delivery of a youth slam project, bearing in mind the issues raised by the original poster.
I'm keen to ensure that any youth slam project I'm involved with celebrates the diverse range of young poets involved. I'm keen to ensure that there's a balance between the inherently competitive nature of slams and a sense of collaboration and mutual celebration for all "teams" involved in these kinds of projects. I'm also keen to ensure that there's a balance between work on performance and work on the crafting/writing of the poem that will ultimately be performed. We've developed ways of working and guidelines for the poets and venues who support and deliver the project with all of these issues (and more) in mind.
There's work with youth slam poetry projects being done in many regions around the country. The aspiration for a national youth poetry slam project that brings that activity together isn't new (there have been national youth slam intiatives lead by Leeds Young Authors, Colour Free Visions inb Birmingham and others, not forgetting the Poetry Society's Slambassador's project). However, it's a scheme of work that's growing in scope and momentum. I'd hope that it continues to grow in positive ways, and in that spirit, I think we all welcome constructive criticism that might help to improve what's offered.
For anyone that's unfamiliar with the project (beyond that the fact that it's a SLAM), feel free to contact me for further details or check the website for further information about the way the project is put together.
Best wishes to all.
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