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Age, i.e., time and consequent influences, separate me from the >SLAM movement in the USA, nursery of the idea. <Frank: As one who has participated in Slams and been slammed (it is a youth movement, and when I stand up before the judges, grey haired, bearded, sometimes in a coat and tie it is like waving a red flag in front of them, and they promptly reward me with 2's and 3's (out of possible l0's, which scores I suspect I would get even if I was reading Eminem's "Stan") but I still support the movement because of your following sentiments> But I am fascinated by the >youthful energy that is breathing new life into poetry and keeping poetry >in >the fore front here during the current dull gray state of politics and >education in the US. > >. David is appalled that almost all of these students meet poetry >with blank stares. <In part I believe it is because not enough attention and resources are put into it to make it exciting to them. When I re read Poe, Whitman and even Longfellow and Tennyson after leaving school, I was astounded at what good stuff was there. In another part I believe it has to do with something Erminia and Camille Paglia have discussed; the stultifying, boring education system--most students are introduced to poetry seriously in high school, which is an institution more geared toward training people to show up and be places on time and sit still for extended periods doing dull things--in fact what most people's lives will be. Thus, almost is formed a knee jerk reaction : Poetry = dull= bad. > >Even though I think SLAM's are an extension of the MTV mentality I am happy >that there is something networking people across the country with poetry. <I think a lot of Slam artists grew up on Rap and outgrew it, and that they will soon see the limits of Slam (the 3 minute limit, the impossibility of "grading" poets, the mistake of pitting poets against each other in a competition, the absurdity of having non-poets grade real ones, the segregation of the Slam community from the larger poet community, the creation of a situation where the outcome can be rigged, the limitation of subject matter) and graduate out into Poetry per se.> CH _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com