Slam Master's Journal

For all of you folks I don't have current email addresses for:

I JUST WANT TO SAY “THANK YOU” FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS AND WELL WISHES. 

As most of you know, my mom has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks now with symptoms of dementia. The doctors think she may have excess fluid on her brain caused by a mild stroke that went undetected for several months or years. They may be able to drain the fluid, which may help restore some of her cognitive function, but there are no guarantees. One way or the other she will likely be back home in a couple days. For years now I have known that these hard days were ahead, but I don’t know if anyone can ever be truly prepared for them. I just want you all to know how truly grateful I am for your friendship, and I hope that all of you, and those you love are well. 

OXOXO

Tracey

Well, it’s been just over a year since I’ve booked, promoted, hosted, or performed in any poetry related events, and it is with some reluctance and some relief that I’ve come to this conclusion: after a year, it’s not “a vacation” anymore, it’s retirement.

Sure there were some headaches and heartaches along the way. I’ve had to deal with more than my share of hacks, prima donnas, drunks and jack-offs during my tenure as slam master of the Kzoo Poetry Slam, but overall my experiences have been positive, affirming, dare I say even MIRACULOUS.

When I think of all the amazingly talented poets that have graced the various stages of the Kalamazoo Poetry Slam I am truly awestruck.  Here’s a short list of poets off the top of my head; if you have the opportunity to see any of these folks live, don’t miss it.  Marc Smith, Steve Marsh Deb Marsh, Momma Maria McCray, Reggie Gibson, Jason Carney, Tara Seth, Scott Olzman, Morris Stegosaurus, Becky Austin, Big Poppa E, Shawn Shea, C.R. Avery, Shane Koyzan, Eirean Bradley, Kat Sanford, Kim Coby, Jeffery Paul St.John, Kevin Coval, Lucy Anderton, Nick Fox, Shappy, Kristeen O’keef-Aptowitz, Selena Glen, Rogar Bonar Agard, Lynn Procol, Charlie Rossi, Marry Fonz, Ken Green, Patrick Sanchez, Marty Mconell, Buddy Wakefield, Billy Tuggle, Sonna Rene, Blair, Deryk Brown, Cynthia French, Danny Solis, Dasha Kelly, Jeff Kass, Katy Daley, Kate Makkai, Eton Kadosh, Laura Moran, Scott Woods, Alex Charalambides, Versiz, Krystal Ashe, Joel Shumara, Molly Meachumr, Jim Dwyer, Sue McMillan, Cassey Poe. . .(apologies for the spelling)

When I think about all the world class performance poets to emerge from the Kzoo Slam scene: Drachen Burch, Dawn Saylor, Christopher & Elizabeth Bullmer, Greg Bliss, Kirk Latimer, and Gabriel Giron. . . I am humbled and proud beyond my ability to articulate.

Tracey Smith

11/15/08

I can’t tell if it’s art or corporate culture that’s being subverted here, but either way it makes me a little bit nauseous.

CHECK IT OUT

http://www.powerpointslam.com/

While you're waiting for your next poetry fix. . .

check out some live theater.

Saturday, Nov. 10th

@ FIRE

( 1249 Portage Rd)

7 & 8:30pm

$10 ($8 students & seniors)

The Kalamazoo Poetry Slam is currently on hiatus- that means, after ten years of hosting and producing poetry shows, I’m taking a vacation. In the meantime you can get your poetry fix at FIRE on the 1^st Friday of each month.

Check out www.thisisfire.com for details.

Poetically Yours,

Tracey Smith

KZOO POETRY SLAM

FRIDAY, SEP 28th

@

FIRE

8:30PM

$3-$5

OPEN-MIC

SLAM

UNCLE DRAK'S HERETICAL POETICALS

MUSICAL GUEST:

THE BLASTED BROTHERS

http://www.myspace.com/theblastedbrothers

Hey Slam Fans,

There’s an informative article about poetry slam (including history of poetry slam, the Kzoo Poetry Slam and slam rules) by Jacquelyn Taylor in the current issue of Southwest Michigan Living.

The free magazine is available at these local businesses:

  Airway Lanes
  Blue Dolphin
  Brewsters
  Carlson Wagonlit Travel
  City News Agency
  Francois
  Goodwill -Milham
  Goodwill-Stadium Dr.
  Hardings (Centre)
  Hardings (Parchment)
  Hardings (Stadium Drive)
  Kalamazoo Library
  Kalamazoo Visitors Center
  Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Airport
  McGonigles
  Meijer M43
  Meijer Shaver Rd.
  Oshtemo Branch Library
  Pappy’s
  Parks Trade Center
  Pasta Pasta
  Radisson Plaza Hotel
  Rykse’s
  Stuart Ave Inn
  Supercuts- Stadium
  Sweetwaters
  Wild Birds & Beyond
  Wild Goose Chase

Or get it online at: www.swmichiganliving.com

Friday, Aug. 24th

@

FIRE

1249 Portage St.

Kzoo MI

 

 

KZOO SLAM’S POET IN RESIDENCE

 

EDGY, FUNNY, SATIRICAL, IRREVERENT & RUDE. . .

are only a few of the adjectives commonly used to describe the work of Drachen Birch, the Kzoo Poetry Slam’s new poet in residence. You can hear Uncle Drak’s in-your-face views on politics, religion, and a host of other touchy subjects every month at the Kzoo Poetry Slam beginning Friday July 27^th.

 

 

 

 

 

KZOO SLAM PUTS THE MUSE IN MUSIC

 

AUGUST’S MUSICAL GUEST

 

CHARLIE BURGESS

http://www.8notes.com/members/burgess_charlie/

 

 

 

 

 

 

KALAMAZOO POETRY SLAM (www.kzooslam.org)

@ FIRE

1249 PORTAGE ST.

4th Friday of the month

 

Open-mic

Slam Competition

Feature Artists

 

8:30pm

$3-$5 @ the door

 

For more info. contact Tracey Smith 269-330-0988

KZOO POETRY SLAM
Friday July 27th
@
FIRE

Featuring Our New Poet in Residence 

Drachen Birch



AND SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST
LLX
LoveLight eXchange

Last night Todd Bannon sent me a private email, even though he knows I don’t want to have any correspondences with him outside of a public forum.  He has expressly denied me permission to post it here so I wont.  But I will post my reply.

In the email Todd says that he doesn’t understand why I don’t trust him.

DEAR SWEATER-VEST,

Here are a few reasons I no longer trust you.

1. Because you’ve never trusted me.  You’ve always been hypercritical, dare I say suspicious, of my role as Slammaster of the Kzoo Poetry Slam ever since my falling out with Kevin back in 2000.
2. I believe that you have a deep resentment of me, which you will not admit even to yourself.  I believe that you felt marginalized from the slam community every time you failed to make the team.  I count five years in a row, though it may only have been four, since Kevin wouldn’t let anyone from GR compete in the Kzoo semi-finals the year he was GR’s Slammaster.
3. This is the BIG GIANT REASON, which I know you will deny. In 2003 you and Dan attempted to take over the Kzoo Slam by systematically trying to erode my standing in the slam community (not to mention my self esteem) by trying to convince former slam team members that I was doing a poor job as Slammaster.  You did this behind my back, while I was on the team with you, and you did it during a time when the Kzoo Slam was at the height of its success.  I’m sure you have some recollection of the conversation we had on the phone immediately following NPS 2003.  The one where you tacitly accused me of rigging the slam in Dawn Saylor’s favor.  I came home from NPS to an email from Dan telling me in so many words that the slam (the thing I had dedicated my life to) was an utter failure and that it was time for me to retire.  In that email he named all of my friends who supposedly agreed with the two of you.  I checked with all of those people and found that you had no support whatsoever.  For weeks after that I had other people coming up to me whose names were not listed in Dan’s email, telling me that the two of you had been talking shit behind my back all summer long. 
4. When I told Dan that there was no way in hell I was going to give him his own show to host or step down as Slammaster of the Kzoo Slam, y’all concocted this bullshit story about how the Kzoo Slam wasn’t reaching a big enough audience (even though Kraftbrau was full at nearly every show) so you were going to start your own show in search of a new and different audience.  And where did you go in search of this new audience?  All the way to the bar across the street, in the same time slot on the same night of the week.  That’s not a sound tactic if your looking for a new audience but it’s a great tactic if you’re trying to steal one.  Do you see the complete disparity between what you claim to be your goals and your actual actions?
5. Despite the backstabbing and the deliberate attempt to draw audience away from the Kzoo Slam, I managed to turn the other cheek until last summer, when you came to one show at the Stagecoach Barn, saw the lack of audience and within a few days began trying to promote your show as the K-zoo Poetry Slam.  Coincidence? I don’t think so.
6. And now that you’ve lost your fourth venue in as many years, where do you take your show?  Back to Kraftbrau, where the poets sit at the back of the bus, where the management has stated publicly that poetry sucks and the poetry crowd is a bunch of deadbeats.  You honestly expect people to believe that this is for the good of the poetry community and not just a way for you to feed your own ego?  Good luck convincing them.

As for the statement that you removed from your website:

“Every Kalamazoo slam poet since 1998 has been invited to return to Kraftbrau for a night of nostalgia and poetry.”

Not only is it factualy untrue, it implies that most, if not all, of the Kzoo Slam Team alumni support your discission to take your show to Kraftbrau.  I don’t believe that is true either.

Lastly, I have never asked anyone to avoid or boycott any of your shows or Kraftbrau.  I have never asked anyone to choose sides.  And for the record, I don’t go around spouting my opinions of you publicly except for the Kzoo Slam blogs, which very few people bother to read.  I am not out to “destroy” your show.  I think you’ve made another poor choice selecting a venue, and I don’t trust your motivations, and I’m entitled to my opinions. However, I think people should enjoy poetry wherever they can, whether it’s at your show, or my show, or both.  If people feel comfortable and welcome at Kraftbrau after the way the management treated us, I’m not going to tell them they shouldn’t hang out there. 

Sincerely,

Tracey Smith

Slammaster, Kzoo Poetry Slam

p.s.  If you send me anymore private emails I will post them!

p.p.s.  READ THE FUCKING P.S. THIS TIME!

It’s no secret that I am not a member of the Todd Bannon fan club.

I just don’t trust him, and therefore the ONLY dealings I will have with him are on public forums where our peers in the community can bare witness.

And the reason I don’t trust Todd is his constant misrepresentation (it’s not pc to call someone a liar these days) of his true intentions.

Case in point- on the Poets Anonymous website it says quote:

“Every Kalamazoo slam poet since 1998 has been invited to return to Kraftbrau for a night of nostalgia and poetry.”

That post has been up for weeks now.  I’ll cut Todd some slack for those slam poets who have moved away, Dawn, Jackie, Mike, and Jennifer.  But I was on the 2003 team with Todd; I haven’t received my invitation yet, nor has James Dixon (team 2001), Linsay Kelly (team1998), and Greg Bliss (2001, ’03, ’04) hadn’t heard anything about the show when I talked to him last.  I’m sure there are more poets whom Todd never bothered to invite as well. 

Maybe what he should have posted instead was:

“Every Kalamazoo slam poet since 1998 who is still a personal friend of mine [Todd Bannon] and won’t call me on my bullshit will be invited”

2. Poets will be paired off at random, they will each perform one poem, then 3 volunteer judges from the audience will vote on which performance they liked best.

3. The winners will advance to the next round and the process will repeat until only one poet remains.

4. Prize money varies depending on how many poets sign up to slam. 

5. NEW RULE: Poets must compete in at least 3 slams during the season (May-Nov for iWPS, May-March for NPS), and place 1^st or 2^nd in at least one of them in order to qualify for NPS or iWPS slam-offs.