The Just Poetry Slam

Our Site Has MOVED! www.justpoetryslam.com

2006-02-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

The Just Poetry slam site, blog and gallery have moved!

You can now visit us @ www.justpoetryslam.com
and find out your latest Just Poetry News.

Come early, come often, come soon, come slam!

Now we return you to your regularly scheduled life.

Happy Holidays

2006-01-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Poets!!!!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful time with family and friends!! I know some you have been greatly inspired over the holidays. Just to catch everyone up.....The December 2005 Just Poetry winner is a man whose name is defined as "to recite the details of..." it's.......Naaaaarrrrraaaaatoooor. (Congrats) His poem was off the chain. I also would like to thank Eric for coming out. Eric......you had some deep words in your poetry. It was also great seeing Rasul "the nobody".

There was also a specil treat at this Slam. Two young girls were so inspired by the poets at the November Slam, that they decided to come out and slam at the December Slam. These girls are eight and six. It was such a joy to see poetry inspiring all ages.

Well, the January 2006 slam is comming up. Please sign up on line and be on time. We allow 12 poets to slam and the winner takes home $100 cash. If you sign up on line, please check in with TrayJay by 7:45pm. We also have allowed time for Open Mic. Open Mic anyone can sign up at the slam. You are not judged and you can read/recite another poets work. Please come on and enjoy.

Wordsmith's keep the pen/pencil flowing

TrayJay

Season Two

2005-12-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

The November 2005 Slam was a real treat. It was nice to see the new and familar faces. Our winner was TS. (Give that man a Hand) TS has been putting it down for almost a year. He has been working with some very good poets (Lyric Av). I was happy to announce TS as the winner of the Nov. 2005 Just Poetry Slam.

Then we had Open Mic.........that's when a different side of the Slam was exposed. Poets got on stage and verbal reminisced their poetry. Thank you for sharing your world with us.

The December 2005 Slam will be on 12/12/05. That's right we will not be at Cafe Guternberg. The last Monday of the month lands on the day after Christmas. So please come out.

Happy Holidays to All

TrayJay

Two Double 0 Six

2005-11-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

It is now time for our Next Season of the Just Poetry Slam!!!! DL and I had to take some time off to recollect and reflect. We had an incrediable Just Poetry 2005 season. We are very thankful for all of the positive energy that came from it. There were soooooo many good poets with different styles. It is awesome to know that Richmond has so much hidden talent.

So thanks again to the Poets, the audience, and the judges that came to our Just Poetry 2005 grand slam. Also special thanks to Yellow House for all your support. (Stephanie and Justin you are the best) Thank you FireHouse Theater for allowing us to express ourselves in your space. Thank you James River Writers for everything. Most of all thank you Switch for your sponsership. If I misssed anyone then I would like to take the time and say thank you.

Now on to the Two double 0 six season (2006).

I would like to thank T.S. for running the Poetry Jam at Cafe Gutenberg. I heard we had a great turn out. I hope to see all of the poets from the Poetry Jam at the Poetry Slam.

Please remember that if you want to Slam to register online. And we do have an Open Mic after the Slam. You can sign up in person for Open Mic.

So Wordsmiths keep the pen moving.

TrayJay
"DL's partner in Rhyme and Tyme"

Little Tidbits

2005-10-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

We had two winners of the regular slam, that were unable to partake in the Grand Slam. One was Taheem the other was Tina. Tina has moved to PA and could not take off from work. Below are two poems by Tina........We miss you.

Gender Poem

They say that this is no place for the bending of ingrained gendering.
they locked up eyes, chained down tongues to keep anyone from chanting
There is always room and space for bending.
A community, a crew, a gang, a gaggle of pride eyes;
we intertwined solidarity elbows because fighting your oppression
is still fighting our oppression. As far as we see one more voice shouting,
is one more voice heard and there is always room and space for bending.

They can pluck out our pride eyes; we’ll learn to feel this expression out,
make it come through our skins. If they can harvest our cells to study,
we’ll show them how to see our pasts without eyes –
how to take this voice box and make noise!
If they take our chords to string up, we’ll stamp our hands and feet
to wild-gut rhythms till they cut them off, displaying our digits as wall trophies.

Cuz they choose you your gender and they tell you your sex,
before they ever even see the color of your eyes;
and Lord help you if you’re born in some space between pink and blue.
They dress you up in fire truck sweaters and frilly lace dresses;
and may The Goddess look out for you if they put you in a dress
because it is surgically easier to dig a hole then to build a mound.
They take all our possible vastness as humyns, things innate unto ourselves,
and they stuff ‘em down two pigeon holes – like right and wrong, black or white,
boy or girl.

And they tell you that you gotta have the sheness or the heness,
and that those with the sheness gotta love those with the heness
so we can get into that quintessentialness of god’s divine plan.
Well, I ain’t down with that shit, and if their “god” can’t handle that,
then it ain’t a synthetic myth they’ve created that I’m gonna celebrate.
See, the molds of gender are broken cuz because we ain’t seen it
as a boy/girl thing in so many years.
And I reminded every day by those around me,
that biology is not a hard science,
that the soul is larger than the package it came in,
and that things like sex and gender are made of liquid –
and that’s the kind of vast fluidity to which
we will proudly stamp our hands and feet.

Voicemail

Y’know, sometimes I don’t get me,
and most times I don’t get you,
or why I take it to heart and you take that hurt
and put it in your heart; and then we perpetuate
this cycle of loving and hating the things we fight about –
because, at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter
if you had this or that tone, or I wanted this or that thing,
because at the end of the day the only thing I really want
is you.

And I must confess the thing I’m sure you know:
my emotions are always on overdrive.
They’re hard to hold and wrangle into rationale,
with the wild, wild horses of my heart
beating faster than I could have imagined when
I came into this world.

So I call, minutes after slamming the door,
because I take every word to heart and I expect the worst,
and that thought of you not being there when I get home
is more than I think my fragile heart can take.
and I thinkIbreakatinypieceofyou every time I slam that door,
like your heart is between the framework. I know mine is.
So, I break you, I break me and I break us,
and then stand in the school aisle of a craft store
wondering what I’m gonna do,
how I’m gonna craft a way in my mind
to get you into my head so you can see
all the things I can’t ever seem to show you right.

So I call, making friends with your machine, but what can I really say?
I don’t know how to form words through frayed lines of disconnection,
and then there is that daunting, ever looming, fear of you giving up,
pulling out, pulling up the stakes and traveling on,
leaving me with my transparent tape and glue stick
wanting to fix it all so easily.

So I call, listening to your voice on the machine
because that’s better than the echo of my over reaction,
better than you in your silence of uncertainty,
it’s better than my inability to hold you
as long as we need
in this moment.

And even in this poem I am talking circles,
because I am spinning in this wanting
to tell you that I make so many mistakes,
I forget to say so many things
like I love you and I’m sorry
And I don’t want you to mistake me
for unloving, uncaring, unconscious of
the space between us, but yes!
It scares me to give you my full weight
because then because then
then I am at your mercy!
My stomach is in my throat, my heart is in your hands –
squeezed between fingers gripped tightly;
and if I slam another door or take another thing the wrong way,
you’ll squeeze harder, feeling the energy of my pulsating snare drum –
and simply extend your hand flat; fingers spread Bob Fosse style,
and watch it plop to the floor gasping for recitation,
for reciprocation, for breath.

Grand Slam 2005

2005-10-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

On September 26, 2005 The Just Poetry Slam had their Grand Slam. We were blessed to have the top 10 poets from the monthly slams. The following poets particapted in the Grand Slam:

Joe "LMS" Greene (2nd Runner up)
Charles "CJ" Jones
Darlene Scott (3rd Runner up)
Preston
Kelly Lane
Iman Shabazz (4th Runner up)
Rasul "The Nobody"
Rachel
Narrator (1st Runner up)
Chances R Goode (Winner)

The competion was incredible. Each poet came with their game/poet face (whatever that really means). The winner of the Just Poetry Slam is Chances R. Goode. This poet stumbled accross us in August 2005. August was the first time he had ever Slam and he tied with another poet. So I guess his name speaks for itself.

I would like to take this time again to thank each of the poets for particapting in the Grand Slam. Each of you were wonderful. I know it is hard to stand on a stage, be judged on your words and creativity.

D.L. and I are going to take a break and regroup. There will be no Jam or Slam in October 2005. But, the words will began to pour again in November 2005. Please remember if you sign up on line your name is on the list. The list fills up quick. We are only accepting 12 poets to compete. This gives us an opportunity to hear the poets that would like to do Open Mic. You do not need to sign up on line for Open Mic.

Wordsmiths kept writing. Newcomers keep coming to the experience.

TrayJay

The Grand Slam

2005-09-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

The time is near. We are finally at the point were there can only be ONE. The Grand Slam is Sept. 26, 2005 at the FireHouse Theater at 8pm. Good Luck to all of the poets.

We did have two poets that were not able to compete. The first is a young man who came all the way from the Tidewater area. His words made me go back and rethink the way I was writing my poetry. His poem was about "What would you write...If you knew you were going to die tonight". His energy and words flowed through the crowd like lighting.

So...just to give you a sample of what you missed..... below is a poem by TAHEEM.

Peace TrayJay

"The Poet's Responsibility"

My responsibility as a poet is to use the stage like Bally’s, Gold’s Gym, Nordic Track, Flex squared: that’s

Solo and Bo,

In other words find some way to get my work out and leave an impact on my genre like Bob Marley,

that’s why the flow stays sharper than Steve Harvey with the intellect of Marcus Garvey,

the hustle of Tubman and the diction of Douglass,

Energy untapped like the cell phone number of Moses; unpublished and undiscovered, raw and uncut like the veins of a new born.

Do poems for the generations, I’m talking from

Atoms to Adam to Adam,

Atom being the particle that can not be broken down or reduced combined and used to form the molecules that define our very existence,

The second; slightly different, formed in God’s imaged and placed in the Garden of Eden to be tempted by the Nemesis of Michael the Archangel

but the third

Adam is much later, that’s A-D-A-M, After the Death of All Men,

when all righteousness and sin alike dissolve into an ultimate depth called Amen,

Amin, Ashe, so be it,

Elders need it, youth repeat it, so it’s time to bridge the gap between Hezekiah and Hendrix,

Methuselah and Mumia, the philosophy of Socrates and the lyrics of Kweli, and I wonder how Malcolm X would feel about black men calling their self State Property.

My responsibility is to sojourn with truth, in the midst of hypocrisy and hip hop monopolies

Because the crowd gets bored with poets that walk the coast of the Atlantic for cheap thrills like Baltic Ave,

So I say 1 for spoken word, 2 for intimate venues, 3 for dope artists that continue to reach the masses and encourage closet poets to join the ride,

But unfortunately every good thing has a negative flip side so it’s 1 for arrogant poets, 2 for disinterested hosts, 3 for people at the bar who talk while someone’s on the mic, and 4’s for second hand smoke,

5 for plagiarism, 6 for male bashing poems, 7 for the election in 2008 because too many non creative pieces about George W. Bush are killin’ the art form, even he’s like,

“Back then they didn’t want me, start a war they all on me”

These writers, basing their crafts on CNN headlines, but writing without reading is still illiteracy,

and so I stay on my grind like Sam Ralstein of the Tangiers minus the mafia ties,

so you won’t get caught up in the lies of someone who claims the revolution but has no involvement with the community,

Even Cab Calloway would shake his head at their buffoonery, walking pass the homeless yet prancing to the stage pretending to be an activist,

but I tell you: Garcia Vega is still a blunt, it just comes in clever packaging,

like Africans packed in ships during the middle passage, growing Tobacco on Jamestown settlements, and their descendants settling with being called anything but Africans, just as blasphemous as tracing the trail of tears with a wounded knee and not realizing that Apache’s and Cherokee’s were not savages, nor Indians, nor Native Americans because they cultivated this continent before Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci were ever here,

The spirit of fear pulls wool over your eyes like thick skull caps or Navajo quilts during a storm,

So let’s mourn for those chalk outlined poems, theatrics, and antics,

These semantics are designed to humble the middle class, keep determination alive in the hearts of blue collar workers, and encourage others to speak with credibility,

so this is far from a hobby, but this is my responsibility.

Another Tie

2005-09-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Once again we had another amazing Slam. There were lots of new faces and new poets. I would like to thank everyone for coming out to C3. If you did not get a chance to come out....YOU missed another Slam off. Yes there was a tie!!! What made this tie so special????? It was the first time they had competed in a Just Poetry Slam. As you know.....there can only be one winner. The winner of the August 2005 Just Poetry Slam....Chances.R.Good. With a name like that...you know you missed something HOT. I would like to give a special thanks to Todd Waldo (You are amazing). I also have an honorable mention...Nazdak- your poem touch my heart. Preston- I cried a tear and had a lump in my throat. Tanya- We want to see more of you.

The Grand Slam will be September 26, 2005 at the FireHouse Theater. Stay tune for more details.

remember "it's the poetry that counts, not the points"
TrayJay

Ironic but fun

2005-08-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

July 2005, Just Poetry Slam was another fun filled event with a splash or irony. For example, most of the poets were men and the judges were all women.....Never the less it was a great night. Our winner is an awesome poet who won at the Lyic Ave Poetry Slam and by defination is "to recite the details of as a story".....Narrator.

Please remember that the August 2005 Just Poetry Slam will be held at C3. It is located behind Have a Nice Day (the club). Also we have put a limit on the number of poets that can compete. This was done to allow time for Open Mic. So Open Mic Poets PLEASE come back out.

Special Thanks to Lora for coming out and supporting us. Your Block party was so Hot...I think Richmond went up 10 degrees.

Poets keep the pens moving.
TrayJay

Little tidbits

2005-07-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

We have received some feed back about having a little more interesting tidbits on the website. So this month we are featuring a very good Poet and excellent Actor.....Jeff Hendrickson

Waterford Dr.

Your died blond hair shows
that your platinum only goes

so far as the roots

you struggle to hide

The cookie haircut
a top plucked off
to peer inside, realize:

Your passion's gone stale
and the fear
you hold is brimming
controlling your life,

Reach up,
Waterford Dr
Reach up,
A lie is still a lie
even if it's kept inside,

Your husband comes home
but he can only groan,
it seems you've left
the potatoes from out
of his stew,
looking around,

that demeaning frown
he sees the only one to blame
is you. what are you gonna do?
'tis a pity his brand new BMW
ain't enough to console him.

You take that pot-top-off,
put it on his head,
ring his bell
ring it till
- he's dead -
or realizes:
the life you lead
ain't nothin but a living hell

Reach up
Waterford Drive,
Reach up,

Your highwater mark
is only the pass that surrounds you,

Mow your lawn
in a sweater vest,
feel your breasts
sinking down your chest
Babylon is singing
to unkept promises
swimming in your head
and ringing, to a past you'd love
to stuff in the closet,
Memory is sad remain,
it's got no use
but to disdain
these broken dreams,
empty shudders plastic beams
that once held dear
a life full of primal hope,

Reach up,
past the borderline,

deny the suburban confines

designed to keep your mind signed

to a contract you’ve never seen,

Remember, the mind can justify anything

but it can never prevent all the cracks from surfacing.

It’s no test,

just a funeral call

born of stone that chills

long before the grave,

And you’ll still shake your head

saying I’m not quite close enough

to being dead to possess something

pertinent to your life,

I can never be you

it just worries me to see you

and so many others losing their lives

in the lives of their children,

they came out of you like the pilgrims came out of Britain

soon to turn into the final separation of rebellion,

and what happens when they yell a “see ya!”

on their way to college

where you’re hoping they’ll

be a – this

make you proud

being a – that

well what happens when the kids

are smart enough to sidestep that trap?

Reach up,
Waterford Drive
Reach up
Your children were never
meant to be a consolation prize

What happens when you find

the perfumed note

penned in foreign hand

extolling love and sex

unknown to you

written in your husbands bed stand,

tragedy is breathing right next to you

not just in Afghanistan.

Tragedy lives its life on Waterford Dr,

the 50s, the American Dream,

the history of all humanity

has made it acceptable for you to live

life hidden on Waterford Dr

Society has made your bed

and it’s comfortable too,

warm enough to where

you don’t need to dig further

then that which is paraded

on Fox News

The explanations are simple, right?

Just like your life right?

Think about that

you were a human before you were a wife.

You may be content

I can only guess

but I think your spiritual rent

is too low

the price has got to be high

in matters of the soul,

But should you want,

here is an anthem to call to:

Reach up,

Waterford Dr

Reach up,

We’re all still children

in God’s eyes.

And now there are Eight

2005-07-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

The place was packed once again. There were virgins in the audience who came to sacrificed there ears at another Just Poetry Slam. June 2005 was hotter than the May 2005 Slam. There were poems about Sponge Bob, I am the Greatest Poet, and Love. And once again, Love won! Congrats to Rachel who wanted to do a poem about Love.

As we continue the Just Poetry Slam.......there have been a few changes.
1) The judges will now sit together.
2) NO more writing the score on a silver board. We now have flip cards.
3) We are limiting our list of How Many People can Slam. There are several people who would like to do the Open Mic. We want to give everyone a chance to participate. If you sign up on line(the internet)...your name will be on the list. Please check in with me TrayJay the night of the Slam.

Special thanks to TS for hosting the Just Poetry Jam at Cafe Gutenberg for the month of June. I appreciate your help doing this challenging time for me. People please come out to Cafe Gutenberg the 2nd Monday for every month. It is a great place to test your poem before a Slam. Or enjoy poetry in a nice warm environment. And the food is Great.

Thank you again Everyone for your support. Keep the pens and pencils Smoking.

We Are One (not in a "we are the world" way)

2005-06-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

It came and went without a whimper. Without notice, it was here and then gone. There was no celebration. No fan fair (not that anyone could afford that). It was simply business as usual. The Just Poetry Slam celebrated it’s First Year Anniversary in April (April eighth two thousand and five to be exact). I completely forgot about it. At the very least we should pause and reflect on the experience.

Just Poetry, or Jus as I like to call her, started as a conversation between Phaedra Hise (The President of James River Writers) and I at World Cup Coffee House. The then James River Writers Festival wanted to branch into the world of Spoken Word Poetry but didn’t know where to begin. I suggested a Slam because the open mike route may not yield the desired results. Phaedra said great do it. I said listen lady nobody talks to me that way. She quietly paid for the coffee and smiled one of those Revelations describes only a fraction of the torment I will bring upon you smiles and left. So after speaking with a Priest, I started organizing the Just Poetry Slam (no mike, no band, just poetry).

While eating at Café Gutenberg I ran into Gwendolyn Nixon and shared Phaedra and my idea. Gwendolyn said why don’t you do it here (I want it on record that it was her idea). She introduced me to the owners and Café Gutenberg agreed to host our maiden voyage. Steve and the good folks at Café Gutenberg have been our strongest supporters from the start. Believe me, we tested that friendship early on. Our initial slams packed the second floor of Café Gutenberg to capacity. Fearing the heat from the Fire Marshall (pun intended) it quickly became clear that we needed more space.

Enter the Firehouse. While enjoying a lovely evening dining with friends at Café Gutenberg, Harry Kollatz (Firehouse Theatre) was kidnapped and forced to Judge in our 2004 Grand Slam. No doubt suffering from the throws of Stockholm Syndrome, Harry soon proclaimed, “This must be held at the Firehouse, great do it”. Here we go again.

Realizing I was getting in way over my head, I decided to call in the Big Guns. Tracey Johnson. TrayJay and I had worked together on several projects and were good friends. The Just Poetry beast was becoming unwieldy. Tracy knew just how to tame it. And tame it she did. This partnership soon proved to be more of a blessing as she has pulled my fanny out of the fire on more than one occasion.

Once the slam changed locations a band of unlikely super heroes protected our collective interests. Yellowhouse. Justin, Stephanie and the Yellowhouse crew make all the magic happen at the Firehouse each month. Our signs don’t get hung by themselves, the music doesn’t just appear, the set up and breakdown are all thanks to the undying support of Yellowhouse. This is almost unimaginable when you look at all the other projects on their many plates.

We’ve grown, we’ve learned and we’ve shared. Along the way there have been a few poets who have been indispensable from the start; Lilly (the littlest poet with the biggest words), T.J Natole (tenacity and leadership), Loni Jonz (spirit and creativity), Alex Cena (energy), Mars One (inspiration and power), Joe Green (pure talent), Rasual (levity), Victoria Marinelli (life editor) and Gwendolyn Nixon (you really started it all). And to the countless others who share in the building of this beast – Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Last but not least there are two groups who need a round of applause (when you see them just clap). The James River Writers have single handedly renewed my faith in the artistic community. I would like to thank Phaedra and the Board for helping Tracey and I to take the slam from paper to production. And Switch Drinks, Bill Hargis saw our potential from day one and has been there faithfully. So DRINK, THINK, BUY, LIVE SWITCH!

On behalf of Tracey Johnson and myself thank you all. Each and every person who enjoys the slam, each judge who got boo’ed, each person turned away because we were at capacity. Thank you all. Just wait you ain’t seen nothing yet.

-Otherwise Hymn

Long time no Write

2005-05-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

I know....I know.....I know....I have been negelecting my Blogger duties. DL and I have been on the move!!!! We have so many poetcrimes to solve. Here are a few things to catch you up.

This month we will be back at the Firehouse Theater. The Firehouse had a show running on the last Monday of April 2005. The month of May 2005 is going to be a little tricky. We are going to have to change the date, because the last month of May 2005 is Memorial Day. WHO will be in town! Don't worry we will let everyone know the date to the May 2005 Slam.

April's Slam was at C4 a very fun, colorful, and trendy place. We had a basketball, trampoline and lots of Switch to drink. Iman is the Just Poetry Slam winner for April 2005. For all those who were not at the March 2005 Slam....He tied with Tina.

This month at Cafe Gutenberg, we had a little mix up with the dates. But, our new young Poethero TS came to the rescue. He did a GREAT job. Thank you TS. Last night at Cafe Gutenberg, we had more poets come back to share their words.

For people who would like to down load, the following link has pages and pages and pages of your favorite Poet and Poems. http://www.poemhunter.com/eBooks/

Thank you everyone for your support and creativity. Wordsmiths keep writing and creating.

TrayJay

Another Just Poetry Slam

2005-03-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

If you were not able to attend the Just Poetry Slam on Monday....You missed out on another incredible night. The house was packed and the words from the poets hit like a tsunami. There was a total of 16 people competing for the prize of $100.00. For the second time there was a tie and that results in a Slam off. The Slam off was between Iman and Tina. Both poets came to the stage with vivid profound visions of their words. Congratulations to Iman and Tina. But......there can be only one winner. Tina is the Just Poetry Slam winner for March 2005.

Thank you everyone for coming out and supporting the Poetry Slams. Please if you have a chance check us out on the 2nd Monday of every month at Cafe Gutenberg.

Wordsmiths keep writing and first timers keep coming.

TrayJay
"I thought I wanted a Career, But realized that I only wanted a Paycheck"

The Firehouse is burning

2005-03-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

Feburay's Slam was on FIRE!! Taheem Jamal won by a tenth of a point. He was very entergenic and shared a concept that I had not thought about. This young man is good!!!! We had some really good people who shared ideas, expressions, and concepts that you will not get on TV or the Radio. The thing I enjoy the most is the growth. You will leave the Slam with something that you did not have before. There are poets who come every month and each time I see them they are getting better and better and better. So poets keep reaching into the depths of self.

January's Slam was equally as good. Darlene Scott was our first female winner. She received 5 perfect scores of 10. Now it does not get any better than that!!! So ladies please come out. Trust me we are getting some women with deeeeep messages.

Also to the poet who wrote about the different colors, I loved it. And to the poet who compared the war to disney, I loved it.

Wordsmiths keep writing.

TrayJay
"I thought I wanted a Career, But realized that I only wanted a Paycheck"

The Slam vs. The Jam

2005-02-20T15:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is it! My server is choking with email. I hope this entry will clear everything up. There seems to be a little confusion when it comes to our SLAMs versus our JAMs. Alright, I can take a hint. Possibly I’ve been kind of vague (possibly). So here’s my version of clarity.

The SLAMs take place on the last Monday of every month at the Firehouse Theatre Project. The “Slam” is a serious competition. Poets register and compete for a one hundred dollar prize and the opportunity to be named “Grand Slam” Champion. Although we have been somewhat relaxed on the rules in the past, rest assure we will be enforcing them in the future. Poets have one opportunity to present their work. They are then judged on their performance on a ten point system. The victor then claims the prize. Again, the slam is a competition.

The JAMs usually take place on the second Monday of each month (check the site for dates and time) at Café Gutenberg. The JAM is just fun. Anyone is welcome. Think of it as a gym for spoken word artists. Poets have the opportunity to try out new work in front of an interested audience. As opposed to the D.M.V. or the doctor’s office where you might be met with a little night-stick English to thank you for your efforts. We are providing poets with a safe place to roam free as they choose. With the help of the fine people at Café Gutenberg, we have constructed an environment that resembles their own. These peculiar and timid creatures can frolic and play freely with out fear of persecution or poaching for their pelts (please pardon the alliteration). All are welcome, we ask only that you DO NOT FEED THE POETS. That’s all you need is some poet showing up at your door the same time everyday.

Hope this helps. And hope I see you at the JAM tomorrow.

Keep those pens to paper!

The January Slam; A complete Blast!

2005-02-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

If you weren't there, you missed something really special! Congrats to our new winner Darlene Scott with her powerful impressions on our youth, our future and her willingness to contribute to both.

Cafe Gutenberg Just Poetry Jam

2005-01-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

We had another wonderful night of poetry at Cafe Gutenberg on Monday. The air was filled with rich words of thought. Some poets delivered completed works....while others blessed the audience with a taste test of works in progress.

I would like to take a moment to explain the Just Poetry Jam. Cafe Gutenberg is intimate place that is filled with warm energy. Poets come to share their words in a non competitive atmosphere to get ready for the Just Poetry Slam. While other Poets Just come to share their work. Every other month we like to have a theme to keep things interesting. So please come out and enjoy a luke warm environment of verse every 2nd Monday of the Month @ 7:30pm.

In February, the date has been changed to the 21st. The 2nd Monday of February is Valentine's Day. As you know we cannot have poetry slam on Valentine's Day. WHY??????? Because....if you are at a poetry reading on V Day, then....

1) You may be a little depressed.
2) You may be a little corny.
3) You may be a little insensitive.
and last but not least
4) You may not have the most encouraging words of love to share with your insignificant other.

There was a mix up on the Just Poetry Slam date. Please come out to the Just Poetry Slam (FireHouse Theater) on January 24, 2005 at 8pm. The will be an admission of $3.00.

If there are any suggestions or improvements you would like to have considered for the night, give us a yell
justpoetry@gmail.com

TrayJay "Wordsmiths keep writing"

2005!

2005-01-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

I just got off of the phone with TrayJ discussing our plans for the coming year. As always, it has been hectic but, oh so worth it when the poets hit the stage at the end of each month. We have lots of surprises in store for the coming year but, you have got to be there to enjoy them. One thing that is currently in the works was announced at our last slam on December 27. Switch Beverages will be sponsoring a National Poetry Slam and our venue will be included in this 5 city competition (Los Angeles, Chicago, San Fransisco, New York, Richmond). The winner of this competition will be featured on HBO's DEF JAM POETRY. Details soon to follow! Stay tuned.

Congrats to Joseph Greene winner of our November slam and C.J. Jones winner of our December slam!

I am excitedly grateful to see so many new spoken wordsmiths out each month. Our next slam will be Monday, January 31 at the Firehouse. If there are any suggestions or improvements you would like to have considered for the night, give us a yell

justpoetry@gmail.com

Victoria, I suck when it comes to consistancy. I will make more substanative attempts at being a better blogging Netizen! See you all at the SLAM! Holla at me JUSTPOETRY.JRWF.ORG

The Last Debate!

2004-10-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Just a little shout to let you know I'm still around. Support T.J. and all of the poets this month and check them out October 28th @ Harrison Street Coffee Shop (7pm). If you have any questions hit T.J. @ poeticartifacts@yahoo.com.

Now I've been busy with Cyrano de Bergerac @ Barksdale but, I haven't been sleeping. We (the Just Poetry Slam Poets) will be performing November 1 at Firehouse Theatre 1609 W. Broad St., Richmond, Va. 23220. The name of this endeavor is the "The Last Debate: thoughts prior to the polls". We will be performing under the moniker "Project:Gutenberg". You've got to be there it will be bananaz!

Come and watch the words fly! Holla back justpoetry@gmail.com !

- d.l. Hopkins
E.M.S.O.O.S.

Oct. Slam info

2004-10-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

ok, so here we go. the final poetry slam before we settle into our new home at the firehouse theartre will be on Oct. 28th, its a thursday. It will be at the Harrison Street Coffee Shop, on Harrison street, a few blocks from VCU. this show starts a little earlier than the rest, it will be starting at 7pm. signups at 6:30. the seating is somewhat limited (standing room is good though), so you may want to get there early. i'll fill in the rest of the details later, but know that we are on, and spread the word.

Grand Slam a hit, moving forward

2004-09-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

well folks, this is TJ, d.l. will be taking the sidelines for a month or two, only to be returning to perform himself in nov.

the grand slam was a hit. props to joe green for taking home mr. franklin along with the 'richmond grand slam champion' honors. it was a dope competition once we got the p.a. problems taken care of. thankfully the weather held up after giving us a scare for most of the day. i was blown away by a barrage of poetic prowess from all angles, and felt completely drained afterward.
special thanks to steve from cafe gutenburg for loaning the chairs and support for our event, and the james river writers festival for their support, and supplying the prize $$.

so.... where do we go from here? winners from the monthly slams will be qualified for the next grand slam (tba) And starting this month there will be a few little changes. at least for the next 2 slam that i host, basically we will be running a show according to the poetryslam.com rules. if you are familiar with other slams, it should be just like them. some of the changes will be....

1) public scoring....... scorecards given to the judges will be displayed and read aloud after each poet, gettin the audiences reaction to the poems, and the scores as well. also the high and low scores for each poet will be dropped (for a maximum score of 30).

2) Time.......... the 3 minute time limit will be enforced. there is a 9 second grace period, and after that, deductions from the total score begin

feel free to check out more details for these rules at www.poetryslam.com

also......... its time to start looking at registering our venue with psi (poetry slam incorporated). some of the benefits are of course being able to compete at nationals (as no VA teams are currently registered, this would be big). also getting advertising, use of the official logo, and having our slam listed in psi's slam search database.

any questions or anything at all, holla at me........... poeticartifacts@yahoo.com
interested in helping out but not a poet? then give a holla as well.

and ill post the date of the next slam in a few days, as soon as i confirm the time and place.

Out out for now
TJ

Cafe Gutenberg

2004-08-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last night Richmond and surrounding counties sustained and impactful blow in the form of torrential rains. The Shockoe Bottom area bore the brunt of this unfortunate event. Our hearts and prayer are with not only our creative home, Cafe Gutenberg, but the other businesses and business owners in the bottom. Let's us all send all the positive energy we can muster in their direction as they struggle through the rebuilding process.

Stay safe.

whoa!

2004-08-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Thursday night's slam was well worth the wait. Far beyond my expectations. If you were not there, you really missed something. We had a lot of new readers, in such a vivid and fascinating array. Where else could you be exposed to such a variety of the intimacies of the human condition? This I feel, above all, is the draw to this very vital event. Shared experience. More reality than you could ever see on reality TV. It has become so well recieved that many were turned away at the door in an effort not to exceed the fire and capacity codes. Which is somewhat ironic because each poet was spitting fire. I feel very honored and blessed to be in the company of these poets, documentarians of this our generation.

In attendance on Thursday was a reporter from Style Weekly. I was contacted over the weekend and informed that they would like to do a story on our slam night. Ha, imagine that. As Grandma would say,"well well well". If the wave does swell, we'll ride it for a spell. I let some of the poets know. And hopefully we all can share in this blessing.

So everything is GOOD. I'd even go as far to say "All Good"! Stay safe and keep pushing your pens until we meet again.

- d.l.

It's that time again...

2004-08-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
Well, Thursday marks the third installment of our monthly slam. I’m seeing some new names submitted for registration. I’m really looking forward to hearing the new voices as well as the standards, of which we have pleasantly grown accustom. In keeping with our ever changing style, we will be choosing two winners this week. Both will be eligible to compete in the “Grand Slam” Thursday, September 30th 2 double”0” 4. It’s official, mark your calendars now. Lately, the performance portion of are poetic presentations has become paramount in persuading the judges (please pardon my alliteration). Hint, hint!

There are many more surprises to be revealed in the coming months, but why the leak spoilers here ;-) . So mums the word for now. Tracy Johnson, my partner in crime, took some pictures of the last slam. I'll post them here soon (technical diffs).

Hope to see you all Thursday @ Café Gutenberg for the slam! Until then, keep pushing that pen on paper.

forever endeavor,
- d.l.

Oops! The Postman doesn't knock at all...

2004-08-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

"Damn you internet server. Will you not cease in taunting me at every turn?"

Unfortunately, our registration form was down for a while. I've been slammed, slammed, slammed lately. With some duct tape and last minute coding, we now have a new and improved registration form (actually, it will be the same to you, but the back end is a BEAST). Thank yous to Victoria Marinelli for bringing this travesty to my attention. My apologies to those affected by this outage.

I can't wait for the next slam. I spoke with a few of the poets about possibly getting together some time during the month (to chat, read or whatever). I want to continue with that energy of the slam without the slam, so to speak. Just to have a bunch of people together for creative thought, dialog and exchange. Let me know if your interested (btw: I'm not a joiner so there will be no clubby - secret handshake crap and the first person who speaks of printing up T-shirts will get pimp-slapped). Either way, holler back.
Also, I spend a majority of my time yelling and schmoozing during the slam. If you have some ideas for improvement, please let me know. If you are even interested in hosting: LET ME KNOW! LET ME KNOW! I want to perform too! I don't want to just let you guys have all the fun. So that's that. I'm not really big on the four-page scroll bloggery rant. I'm more of the "hey here is some more junk I forgot to mention the last time" blogger. My entries will be short and sweet, unless I've got some mad, crazy antics to share. Stay safe and see you at the slam.

forever endeavor,
d.l.

2004-08-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

That's right the "Just Poetry Slam" has it's own blog.

Last Thursday's Slam was a complete blast! Many many thanks to all the poets who have made this event a success the last two months. Thank you, thank you and thank you always to the wonderful people at Cafe Gutenberg for allowing the imates to run the asylum, so to speak. Congrats to Dorothy Marie Rice and S. Ross Browne, our first two slam winners. Okay, one of the really jacked-up things about being the host is I continually forget to say something vitally important (it's pretty pathetic actually). In keeping with that tradition, I failed to mention on Thursday that past winners cannot compete. That's right, they can't compete because they are automatically registered as combatants in our Grand Slam (no, not the Denny's breakfast). Well, Dorothy read and wowed the crowd as usual. She wowed me some much that I blacked-out on the whole rule situation. So there you have it, my conscious is now clear. Keep pushing your pen on paper.

forever endeavor,
-d.l.