Official IWPS 2009 Events A - Z

For an easy-to-read calendar, please go to Schedule.

Venues:
LAP = La Peña Cultural Center Main Hall • LNH = Long Haul Info Shop • STP = Starry Plough Pub • VAL = Cafe Valparaíso at La Peña

12 Tribes Open Mic — Fri (12:00p - 12:45p, STP)

hosted by Denver's Paulie Lipman. A reading for all of the Chosen People and their meshpukah (family), blood and otherwise. No worries about your poem not being "Jewish enough" or being a goyim (non-jew) with a Jewish-themed poem. All are welcome here.

After Party — Sat (10:30p - 3:00a, Shattuck Plaza Hotel ballroom)

Tickets will NOT be available at the door for this exclusive party! You must have a VIP, Volunteer, Staff, or Festival Pass. We will also offer a limited number of tickets online, and at the Finals venue immediately after competition. It’s a party. There will be a great DJ, full bar, much dancing, and plenty of rowdy behavior!

APIA Open Mic — Thurs (1:00p - 1:45p, VAL)

hosted by Youth Speaks' Mush and New York's Regie Cabico. A showcase for poetry related to the Asian and Pacific Islander experience.

Bad Poetry Slam — Fri (1:00p - 1:45p, STP)

hosted by Berkeley Slam emcee Joshua Walters and Team San Francisco's Chas.  High-school love poems, badly rhyming poems, drunken rants, any poem that deserves a groan.  This popular theme slam has a long history in Berkeley, is often gut-bustingly funny, and is surprisingly hard to win!   Winner gets a giant block of cheese!

Comedy & Poetry Panel — Thurs (3:00p - 4:45p, LNH)

with San Francisco's Bucky Sinister, world slam champ Mike McGee, and Minneapolis' Thadra Sheridan. Where does poetry end and comedy begin?  How to make the career jump from poetry slams to comedy clubs?  For folks who take their humor seriously!

Comedy Showcase — Thurs (2:00p - 2:45p, STP)

hosted by 2009 Berkeley Grand Slam Champion Lucky 7. Funny poets performing funny poems.

Cover Slam — Thurs  (12:00p - 12:45p, STP)

hosted by Oakland's Stephen Meads and Rob "Ratpack Slim" Sturma. Song lyrics, classical poetry, contemporary poetry and more are welcome, as long as they aren't performed by the original author.

Diaspora Open Mic — Thurs (3:00p - 4:45p, STP)

hosted by 2007 IWPS Champ Ed Mabrey and Life Sentnece's GO. Diaspora: the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland. An open showcase for poetry from various American diasporas.

Erotic Open Mic — Fri (11:00p - 1:45a, STP)

hosted by Minnesota's Cynthia French, New York's Mahogany Browne, and Sexxy Sundays' Stretch, led by XXX Haiku Battle hosted by Tourettes Without Regrets' Jamie DeWolf. This legendary side event often has poets waiting HOURS to read their work.  From romantic to raunchy, most anything goes here; not for the faint of heart or easily offended!

FINALS! — Sat (8:00p - 10:30p, Wheeler Hall, UC Berkeley)

Doors open at 7:30. This is it!  After a year of local competitions around the world, two days of lyrical combat in Prelims, the top poets of 2009 face off in a 3-round battle for the title of World Champion!  Winner takes home bragging rights, hundreds in prizes, and a free trip to Paris to participate the European Championship!  This will be one for the history books!

Head-to-Head Haiku — Fri (3:00p - 4:45p, STP)

hosted by Chico's Tazuo Yamaguchi.  One of the most popular and competitive of all slam “Side Events,” this storied competition is simultaneously reverent and whimsical.  Arrive early if you want a seat!

Higher Ground Open Mic — Fri (1:00p - 1:45p, VAL)

hosted by Berkeley slammaster Ekabhumi and Boston's Iyeoka Okoawo. Orishas, Ancestors, Devis, Angels, Spirits, Saints, and the poets who write about them are all welcome to this reading! Anyone can sign up to read poems on themes of spirituality, realization, or unusual experiences.

Hip Hop Open Mic — Fri (3:00p - 4:45p, VAL)

hosted by Oakland's Scorpio Blues and the High Decibels' Dre. This perennially popular event is for poets and poetry flavored by all things Hip Hop.  Arrive early to sign up or get a seat!

Immigration/Migration Open Mic — Thurs  (12:00p - 12:45p, VAL)

Albuquerque's Kenn Rodriguez and CalSlam's Matt Blesse host an open showcase for poems about immigration, emigration, and other movements of people from one country or locality to another.

Karaoke — Thurs (11:00p - 1:45a, STP)

hosted by Nazelah Jeffries and Rob "Ratpack Slim" Sturma. This wacky event IS both your basic Karaoke night, AND a zany opportunity for poets to unleash their rock star fantasies.

Labor Open Mic — Fri (2:00p - 2:45p, VAL)

We know most of you don't pay the rent off poetry.  We want to hear about it.  How's that office job?  Where do you wait tables?  When was the last time the man got you down?  At the labor reading, we'll talk about work; what drives us crazy, what mundane tasks we did all day, who treated us like a cog in some great big wheel, or even how much we like it.  Hey, anything's possible.  And anything goes, as long as it's about work.  The only catch is, poetry doesn't count as work.  Hosted by two slaves to the restaurant industry, Thadra Sheridan and Jaylee Alde.

Last Chance(s) Slam — Wed (8:30p - 11:30p, STP)

Though not part of the actual tournament, this fun event has become an annual tradition.  Not one but two talented poets will win free spots in the IWPS 09 main competition in this fierce battle for procrastinators.  Out-of-town poets will be given priority on sign ups.

Making a Chapbook Workshop — Fri (3:00p - 4:45p, LNH)

with Long Haul Infoshop Staff.

Masquerade Slam — Thurs (1:00p - 1:45p, STP)

hosted by 2008 Berkeley Grand Slam Champion Christian Drake. The Masquerade Slam will be devoted to persona poems, so in addition to the regular rules of competition, all poems must be written entirely in the voice of someone or something else.

Nerd Slam — Thurs (3:00p - 4:45p, VAL)

hosted by Mental Graffiti founder Krystal Asche. Anyone can sign up --but be forewarned, if you bring a love poem it best be something like how much you love the X-Men or Xena or Vampire Hunter D, and if you do a political piece it best be something like the war between the Red Wizards of Thay and the Witches of Rasherman or the Green Lantern's forays in to social issues. There will be a bit of trivia with prizes, but our goal is to get as many NERD poems on stage as possible, and people will roll d20 for position-you can bring your own, or we will have a nice selection on hand for you to borrow.

Opening Ceremonies — Wed (1:00p - 3:00p, STP)

 An introductory showcase of poets who have already arrived, plus speeches from organizers and supporters of IWPS 09.  Plus, free pizza!  This is your chance to meet everyone in an informal setting.  We will also have early registration for Poets.

Performance Workshop — Thurs & Fri  (12:00p - 12:45p, LNH)

with Minneapolis' Thadra Sheridan, IWPS Champ Ed Mabrey, Seattle's Daemond Arrindell, and San Francisco's Mona Webb. Come and accept performance critiques from a panel of veteran slam coaches.

PoetCD.com Showcase — Fri (2:00p - 2:45p, STP)

hosted by New York's Mohagany Browne.

Poetry & Activism Panel — Thurs (1:00p - 1:45p, LNH)

with San Diego's Ant Black, Chicago's Tristan Silverman, Kenyan activist poet Shailja Patel, Seattle's Tara Hardy, and UC Santa Cruz's Jack Rusk. What is the place of poetry in activist practices? What is the place of political activism in performance poetry?

Poetry & Touring Panel — Fri (2:00p - 2:45p, LNH)

with San Francisco's Denise Jolly, Seattle's Tara Hardy, Chicago's Tristan Silverman, New York's Bryonn Bain and Washington D.C.'s Sonya Renee. Ever thought about hitting the road, performing your poetry at colleges and poetry slams like a one-person-band?  It takes courage, contacts, and lots of preparation to pull it off while remaining healthy, sane, and solvent.  Tips from the pros!

Poet's BBQ — Sat (11:00a - 5:00p, DeFremery Park)

Free, all ages.  We’re excited to team up with the Living Word Festival for our annual Poets’ BBQ!  IWPS will provide food and drink for poets, staff, and IWPS Festival Ticket holders.  LWF’s annual “red, black, and GREEN” event will provide a world-famous Hip Hop artist, thousands of fans, graffiti battles, low-rider bicycle displays, green architecture displays, and much more! Check out the LIFE is Living website for more information.

• • •

DeFremery Park (AKA Little Bobby Hutton Park): 1651 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94607.  From 19th St BART station in downtown Oakland: Walk West on 19th Street.  Cross San Pablo Avenue, continue West on 18th Street, cross over the freeway, and continue for about 7 blocks.  Park will be on your left.
Living Word Project and Festival:
http://livingwordproject.org

Preliminary Bouts — Thurs & Fri (12:00p - 12:45p, LAP STP LNH VAL)

First night is make-it-or-break-it time for poets in the main IWPS competition! This is when newcomers hope to establish themselves, and the veterans seek to squash rivals. Four-minute and one-minute poems. Not to be missed!

Second night is when the poets who’ve established a lead must fend off rivals, while trying to keep something “in their pocket” for Finals.  Those who are “mathed out” due to low scores the first night unleash their very best, hoping to redeem themselves.  Two-minute and three-minute poems.  Also not to be missed!

Publishing Panel — Fri (1:00p - 1:45p, LNH)

with San Francisco's Daphne Gottlieb, Manic D Press’ Jen Joseph, and Poetry Flash editor Joyce Jenkins.  Want to get your word read, published, or anthologized?  Thought of starting a zine or a literary press?  Tips from three successful, well-connected, and award-winning poets with extensive experience in the poetry publishing world.

Queer Open Mic — Thurs (2:00p - 2:45p, VAL)

hosted by San Francisco's Daphne Gottlieb and Baruch Porras-Hernandez. Queers of all orientations and genders are welcome to come seize the mic with all their beauty, fury and brilliance.

Slam & The Academy — Thurs (2:00p - 2:45p, LNH)

with Stanford's Matthew Siegel and Oakland 's Liz Green. It has been over a decade since literary critic Harold Bloom declared slam to be the "death of art" and that statement has never been more irrelevant.  This talk hopes to focus on some of the myths about slam and the academy as well as the false dichotomy between page and stage.  MFA programs will also be a major point of discussion, as a some poets who compete in the slam are choosing this route to further their craft.

Women's Open Mic — Fri (12:00p - 12:45p, VAL)

hosted by Oakland's Kat Sanford and Boise's Cheryl Maddalena. Women of all shapes, sizes, colors, and sexes are welcome at this open mic!

Youth Slam — Thurs (5:00p - 7:00p, STP)

hosted by Josh Healy of Youth Speaks. Open to all poets between the ages of 13 and 20. Winner of this slam performs a poem on the IWPS Finals Stage Saturday night! NOTE: $5 cover for this event only.  Youth under 21 may stay after the Youth Slam and enjoy the Prelim Bout (this venue only) for no extra charge!