poethouse art
Providing Creativity Empowerment and Arts Education for Central Oregon. A Studio and Gallery: Est. 2008
| The Bend Poetry Slam |
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The next Bend Poetry Slam will be on: Wednesday, November 24th 8pm at the PoetHouse All ages, $5 admission, $3 for students
The PoetHouse is very proud to host its first poetry slam, this Thursday, September 23rd. This monthly slam will act as a union of Townsend’s all-age, and Silvermoon’s adults-only poetry slams, still hosted by Bend’s poet-laureate, Jason Graham. For those not familiar, a poetry slam is a 3-round competition consisting of poems presented in less than 3 minutes. Audience members will vote on the best slam poetry piece, and at the end of the evening a champion will emerge. What makes this poetry slam so exciting is the union of two different groups of poets and audiences. Jason Graham , also known as MOsley WOtta, has been the slam’s host for a while now, as well as champion slam poet throughout the state. Graham speaks proudly of the history of Bend’s poetry slam, “the slam has evolved since the days of the Grove. It has changed hands numerous times, and has done a really good job at staying vibrant and alive in a small town.” Recently, with the introduction of cada|casa’s SPIT (Spoken Poetry is Transformational) class and Townsend’s Tea House’s all-age poetry slam, middle school, high school, and college students have been an important aspect to the scene. Graham explains, “it’s self evident that the artistic movement in this community has recently been embraced by the younger crowds” PoetHouse’s Slam will act as a union between Townsend’s and Silvermoon’s poetry slams. Graham continues, “The only problem with the emergence of younger talent, is that they have been isolated from the rest of Bend’s poetic community. By combining the two groups, not only will the poets be exposed to more influences, but also the audiences will have a better show. Let’s share the creativity in the area.” Graham and the PoetHouse, are excited about the future potential the new slam will bring. cada|casa Founder and PoetHouse Educational Director, Tymon Emch, explains “the audience and students of the SPIT class will be exposed to such a broader pool of influence, which will hopefully foster mentorship’s, collaborative pieces, and a higher lever of art.” Emch, and the PoetHouse, has goals not only for the slam, but also for the poetry scene in Bend. “We hope to feature and bring in poets from other parts of the region and country,” Emch continues, “not to mention put together slam teams for both adults and youth national competitions.”
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