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Show can you hear the word s that are coming out I "oflmyl mouth ? ! "Art is a step from what is obvious and toward what is arcane and concealed." Kahlil Gibran well-know- byjamiejgadettej p.m. on a Friday night and you're stuck in a ballroom reminiscent of prom, awards ceremonies and your second cousin's bat mitzvah. You're here to attend a (yawn) poetry reading, part of an ongoing Coffeehouse Series sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Utah. The origins of the reading go back to 1984: A year Orwell forecasted to be dominated by totalitarian rule. But in the streets of Chicago, 111., the spirit of individual creativity was about to unfold. Marc Smith, a construction worker and poet, began laying the framework for a type of poetry that left all notions of traditional spoken word behind. The success of Smith's open mic at the Get Me High jazz lounge gave local bar owner Dave Jemilo enough reason to take a chance on experimental art. On July 25, 1986, Jemilo's club, the Green Mill, became the stomping grounds for Smith's poetry competitions. Drawing on baseball and bridge metaphors, Smith adopted the term 'slam' to represent the lively weekly readings. A typical show places a poet and his or her work on trial before judges selected from the audience. Scores are based on a number of factors including whether or not the poem is of the performer's own construction. Props are not allowed, and failure to keep a poem's length under three minutes will lead to a point deduction from the final score. Rules may vary depending on the venue, but most competitions strictly adhere to standards set by Poetry Slam, Inc., a organization responsible for the international coalition of overseeing poetry slams. PSI organizes the National Poetry Slam, the movement's largest competition. The 2003 tournament will serve as a homecoming for slam when it returns to Chicago in early August. It's I 11 iTAMIfly.AMl lff?f 7:15 non-prof- it R$ I January 16, 2003 I RED Magazine n |
