January 31 recap

The night was incredible! Keep reading...

OPEN MIC IN EFFECT

Over 20 people all wantd to get up and speak their piece with even more coming later and asking if they could still get on. Something must have been in the water because everyone really brought their 'a' game to the mic.
SLAM IN EFFECT

Had a BIG schedule conflict with the slam, but was able to work it out with the competitors who signed up. Congrats to all of them.

FEATURE IN EFFECT
Blair was, well, Blair. Meaning he rocked the spot like I knew he would. I haven't seen e cat in a wile and when we usually do run into one another it is on the road with one of us doing a show somewhere. This ws the first time I was able to, for the most part, sit back and enjoy his show. He did not dissapoint one bit. His new work is great, his singing and guitar playing was lovely to hear and he even threw in some retired classics I had begged him to share with the crowd. Another incredible feature who raised the bar for the next one and opened the minds of the audience a bit more. THAT part I like alot.

Overall slam info

If you are interested in trying out for the 2006 National Poetry Slam team from Black Pearl Poetry, then make sure to check the item listed under links on this site which says, "slam rules".
It will give you what you need to start your travels.

There are a total of 6 more slams to get in and go for yours.

Best of luck to you all.

I do not feel comfortable at this point listing some state of the union here about slamming or trying to make a team, but I will say a few things.

My wish is that if a team comes out of Black Pearl Poetry and goes on to slam anywhere outside of the venue, I hope that team is well informed, well prepared, confident, considerate, and willing to be competitive while still having a ton of fun. To force or expect friendships in the process is foolish and not the point of it anyway, but I do hope each person learns to respect, grow with, support, and genuinely show compassion for one another throughout the entire process. Doing slams on any level is a personal thing and that is fine. But you should come out on the far end a bit different than you came in.

enough.

January 24th-open mic was funny

The night was quite nice even with some folks not coming out due to the wind. Only in Columbus would people let air stop them from coming out. But hey, the house filled up again so no complaints, no worries, and alot of love to those who came out.
The open mic list swelled to over 20 people. Long night but apparently needed since these folks all had something to say.
Had a nice mixture of virgins, fairly new cats, some Black Pearl regulars, and some vets from other scenes and cities showing how they get down.
The night has become a spot where folks who work together come down en masse to the place. I like that.
Business comment- new sound system forthcoming. I..need..surround.

I passed out kisses (as in Hersheys) some time ago and people thought it was cute. Then the holidays came and I grabbed some small peppermint candy canes and soon had people complaining if they did not get one. Cute. This past Tuesday-?-I passed out candy canes since it was cold..then once things settled down a bit I reached into my bag and tossed out a few Pixie Sticks (remember those?)
You would have thought I was passing out glass pipes at a Marion Barry family reunion!
Folks were asking for more (hey Ed I dropped my stick can I get another?), asking for seconds (you got any blue ones?).
It was hillarious.
It does not take much to please people was the lesson I took away from this.
Some warm spot to chill, nice atmosphere, good poetry, a chance to be heard and grow and share, and apparently-a slight sugar rush along the way.
:)
Now I am thinking of all the things I ate as a kid that I can't stand now. (anyone who knows me there is only one thing I eat and it can only be loosely considered candy)
Next week I am going to get medieval Willy Wonka on them!