Board of Directors - Southern Fried Poetry Slam

Sponsorship Application
www.witsendpoetry.com
Name of event: Southern Fried Poetry Slam Festival. 864.357.7148
Event Representative:
Kimberly Simms Gibbs, Executive Director, [email protected]
Robert and Kimbi Mullins, Festival Directors, [email protected]
Administrative Mailing Address:
Checks can be written to Wits End Poetry, then remitted to address below.
Wits End Poetry
3 Hughes Creek Road
Marietta, SC 29661
Our EIN number is: 38-3685011
Date and time of event:
June 4th through June 7th, 2014
Location of event site: Downtown Greenville, SC including Coffee
Underground and The Peace Center, as well as other downtown venues.
Current Sponsors:
Our additional sponsors currently include The Peace Center, Coffee
Underground, The South East Arts Federation, & The Metropolitan Arts Council.
Describe the event: After the success of our weekly Sunday night series, as
well as two previous festivals in 1998 and 2004 – we would like to continue to
honor the creative genius of the south as a spiritual and creative home. We
have found that there is a desire by Greenville audiences to see spoken word
performers from across the region, and we would like to provide a vehicle for this
to take place with The Southern Fried Poetry Slam Festival. The purpose of this
four day poetry festival in downtown Greenville, SC is to celebrate and promote
this southern region's rich cultural literary heritage. The festival includes nightly
high energy performances by the top performance poets from the South East.
The culminating performance will take place at the Peace Center for the
Performing Arts on June 7th. During the festival, visiting poets will host free
daytime writing workshops, panel discussions, and performances. There will also
be special workshops and events designed for aspiring writers under 18.
What is the purpose and goal of this event?
One goal of the festival is to continue to build the name of Greenville, SC as a
highly recognized center for the arts and cultural activities. This event will also
attract and develop new audiences for literary events, as well as to build
excitement for the existing literary communities through exposure to regional,
professional artists. We will also be building buzz through online social media. In
addition, our website traffic will continue to grow (witsendpoetry.com and
southernfried2014.com). In addition, we believe that this event is a unique PR
opportunity for Greenville, SC as these traveling poets take their experiences
back to their home cities.
Publicity: Link magazine will be running a cover story on this event. We will run
ads on WNCW radio station and are currently seeking additional media
sponsors. Additional types of publicity include traditional print, community
calendars, fliers, posters, social media, and press releases.
Event beneficiary:
Wits End Poetry is a registered SC tax exempt charity non-profit with full
501(c)3 status. 100% of funds raised will go towards implementation of our
mission. Sponsorship will go to fund the four day festival, which includes several
events aimed at at-risk teens to help them express their identity and voice. Wits
End Poetry is offering 100 free tickets to this event to local teachers and literacy
programs.
Attendance and Demographics:
We anticipate an audience of 150 people per event individual reading plus one
thousand people at our culminating event at the Peace Center. In addition, we
anticipate to have 30 plus people attending each workshop and panel event, with
an additional 150 people attending our day time and late night open mic events.
Our core demographic is (43%) Male and (57%) Female with ages ranging from
(51%) 18-44, (26%) 45-64 & (23%) over 65. In addition, we have a large minority
audience appeal with close to 60% of our audiences being composed of
minorities at past events. Finally, we are developing daytime events specifically
targeting youth under 18 and seniors over 65.
How will the event benefit sponsors? Sponsors will be able to connect with an
extremely young, hip, professional – and elusive demographic. Performance
poetry and spoken word is emerging from the underground scene into the main
stream light. As Greenville Audiences are enthralled and infused with poetic
words, you can be the one who helped bring them this amazing experience.
Sponsorship Levels:
All sponsors will receive tickets to the Individual Finals of the Southern Fried
Poetry Slam, opportunities at the Opening Ceremonies, and invitations to VIP
events. All sponsors will receive a t-shirt. Preliminary event tickets are also
available upon request.
Bronze Sponsor ($100):
¼ page ad in program and linked logo on home page for 6 month.
Silver Sponsor ($250):
½ page ad in program, small ad on home page for 6 months.
Gold Sponsor ($500):
1 page ad in program, mention on stage, plus small ad on web for 1 year.
Platinum Sponsor ($1,000):
Logo on all advertising and t-shirts, plus ad in program and on web-site, as well
as on stage thanks at all events.
Titanium “Mic” Sponsor ($2,500):
Logo on all advertising and t-shirts, plus ad in program and on web-site, as well
as on stage thanks at all events, in addition to banner display.
Diamond “Mic” Sponsor ($5,000):
Logo on all advertising and t-shirts, plus ad in program and on web-site, as well
as on stage thanks at all events, in addition to banner display, plus product
placement and marketing team opportunity.
To become a sponsor:
For Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsors, you may simply fill out the attached form,
and remit payment to [Wits End Poetry, 3 Hughes Creek Road, Marietta, SC].
Also please email [email protected], your marketing contact email and
mailing address, so we can send the ad specifications, receive a logo, and link
details. We will also send you a hard copy of your receipt.
For Platinum Sponsors and above, please email your marketing or other
company contact information to [email protected]. Our representative will
send you a sponsorship contract for your approval. We will also work with your
contact on Logo placements, advertisements, banner pickup (you must provide
your own banner), and other marketing opportunities.
Company Name:
Company Contact:
Contact Phone:
Contact Email:
Company Address:
Marketing / Brand
Coordinator
Contact:
Coordinator Email:
Company Website:
Accounting
Department Address
and Contact:
(if applicable)
Additional
information:
(if applicable)
Circle Sponsorship Level:
Bronze
Silver
Gold
$100
$250
$500
Platinum
$1,000
Titanium
$2,500
Mailing address:
Wits End Poetry
3 Hughes Creek Road
Marietta, SC
29661
Phone: 864.357.7148 (Co- Director Mr. Rob Mullins)
Diamond
$5,0000
Our main goal of this event is to honor the creative genius of the south as a
spiritual and creative home. In addition to serving published writers and
amateur writers, this event will also build tourism for our city as it draws audience
members from the surrounding states of Georgia and North Carolina.
This four day festival fulfills our mission as it creates a space where the
professional can meet the aspiring poet; the seasoned can meet the youth; and
the audience member can meet the performer. Through workshops and panel
discussions, these performers will help us to serve the community through a
merging of educational, theatrical, and literary programs, while we nurture,
support and showcase regional writers.
Provide a brief history: Wits End Poetry is a registered SC charity non-profit
with IRS 501(c)(3) status since 2004. Wits End Poetry's core mission is to
advocate, promote, support, witness, and /or perpetuate the art of poetry; to
promote and encourage poetry events and those who organize them; to promote
literacy and creativity through poetry. Wits End Poetry continues to run the
longest running poetry series in South Carolina at Coffee Underground every
Sunday Night, which features an open mic as well as featured performers from
across the nation. We are currently also running an additional monthly open mic
at the Live-It Café, as well as a teen poetry workshop series at the Mt. Pleasant
Community Center.
Since its inception, The Southern Fried Poetry Slam Festival has become the
second largest poetry festival in the world as it moves annually from city to city.
The festival first began in Asheville, NC with the support of local poets such as
Allen Wolfe and Glenis Redmond. Heralded in The Huffington Post as "5 (More)
Slams You Should Know About" the festival has held collectively more than fifty
thousand attendees. Last year the festival was presented in New Orleans.
Glenis Redmond, current Peace Center Poet-in-Residence, initially brought the
art of performance poetry to Greenville, SC in 1996, and subsequently, brought
The Southern Fried Poetry Slam Festival to Greenville in 1998. The Greenville
Slam Team, under the direction of Glenis Redmond, won the Southern Fried
Poetry Slam with the first all women’s team that included Glenis Redmond,
Emrys Member Vera Gomez, and Wits End Founder, Kimberly Simms Gibbs.
www.witsendpoetry.com
2013 Annual Report
Our 2012 - 2013 Wits End Poetry Season ran from September 2012 until August
2013. Kimbi and Robert Mullins continue to manage Wits End events as Artistic
Directors for the fifth year. This year Coffee Underground sponsored our ninth
annual reading series, with nationally, regionally, and locally renowned poets in
50 events. Our events also included opportunities for local audiences to ask
questions of and get books signed by traveling poets, as well as opportunities for
locals to share their own poetry in our open mic. The Say What Open Mic is held
every Sunday from 7:30 - 8:30 and is open to the paying public ($5).
In September 2013, we held the Wits End Poetry Eleventh Year Anniversary
Extravaganza starring renowned local poets in a Tournament Style Slam. This
event also featured a brief open mic and over 15 slammers.
In March 2013, we held the ninth annual Southern Slam Queen individuals which
featured 15 women from fours states. This event was a very successful as
always, and we look forward to expanding it next year.
As part of our new youth outreach goal, we have a monthly teen open mic at the
Sterling Community Center.
Our goals for next year include audience development, youth outreach, and
recording some of our events on film.
Wits End Poetry Mission Statement
www.witsendpoetry.com
Wits End Poetry is working to make poetry as familiar to people in Greenville
County, as it is to people in New York, LA, and Chicago. The power of poetry lies
in its appeal and relevance to diverse audiences and youth. Wits End Poetry
encourages the use of performance poetry in education to produce more creative
and literate students.
We bring poets from across the country to Greenville county, as well as organize
live events across the state; provide resources to up-and-coming writers through
our website; and promote community building among writers both in Greenville
County and across the South East.
Wits End Poetry's core mission is to:
1. to advocate, promote, support, witness, and /or perpetuate the art of
poetry
2. to promote and encourage poetry events and those who organize them
3. to promote the use of performance poetry in education
These goals will be achieved through:
1. our online website which provides poetry information and resources
2. sponsoring and supporting performance poetry events across Greenville
County and beyond
3. sponsoring and promoting the Upstate Slam Team Project
4. developing education and community programs which utilize performance
poetry
Committee Members
As Executive Director of Wits End Poetry and Webmaster, Kimberly Simms Gibbs
is not only a published poet and performer in her own right, but she is an experienced
organizer. She organized her first large poetry festival in 2004, when a committee under
her direction, put on the first annual 2004 International World Poetry Slam festival, which
will be celebrating ten years this February. Mrs. Gibbs also served on the board of
directors as the literary advisor for the Travelers Rest Arts Mission from 2007 to 2010.
Mrs. Gibbs holds a BA from Furman University and a MA from Clemson University in
English. Mrs. Gibbs is also a certified ELA Middle School Teacher and is currently
employed by Greenville county schools.
Kimbi Mullins, RYT, LMT is the Co-Festival Director for the Southern Fried Poetry Slam
Festival. She has been the Co-Artistic Director of Wits End Poetry since 2009 and is a
talented spoken word artist. In this capacity, she manages the event planning for the
Sunday night series “Say What” Open Mic at Coffee Underground every Sunday night.
She also leads the organizing committee for the Southern Fried Poetry Slam Festival.
Kimbi Mullins has been a yogini since 1999 and is the founder of the weekly Gumbo
Yoga in Greenville, SC. She also currently works as Manager of LifeIt Café where she is
responsible for wellness counseling, book keeping, inventory, and marketing.
Robert Mullins is the Co-Festival Director for the Southern Fried Poetry Slam Festival.
He has been the Co-Artistic Director of Wits End Poetry since 2009 and is a talented
spoken word artist. He has been on the board of directors of Wits End Poetry since
2004. In this capacity, he manages the marketing, bookings, and youth events for Wits
End Poetry. He also leads the organizing committee for the Southern Fried Poetry Slam
Festival. Robert Mullins has been working with youth and seniors through his work with
recreation centers since 2000. Robert Mullins is currently a Senior Citizen Program
Coordinator and Recreation Leader for the Sterling Community Center in Greenville, SC.
He is the former Director, T.K. Gregg Recreation Center in Spartanburg, S.C. He studied
business and theater at University of South Carolina, Spartanburg.
Chauncey Beaty is the Sponsorship/Marketing Promotion Coordinator and is a
talented spoken word artist. Chauncey earned a Bachelor of Arts from Winthrop
University in Psychology and a Master of Arts in African American and African Studies
from The Ohio State University. She is a graduate of numerous leadership,
organizational development, and diversity training programs. In 2007, Chauncey was
honored by the state of Ohio and Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones for her
leadership, service, and participation in the prestigious Ray Miller Institute of Change
and Leadership. Chauncey is the Owner and Lead Consultant of Omnific Consulting and
Seminars, LLC, which provides transformative experiences for personal success,
leadership, artistic and organizational development.
Committee Members, continued
Marlanda Dekine is the Day Event Coordinator for the Southern Fried Poetry Slam
Festival and is a talented spoken word artist. Ms. Dekine is a licensed master social
worker and therapist who has an MA from University of SC, Columbia and a BA from
Furman University. She is currently Program Coordinator/Therapist at Children's
Advocacy Center of Spartanburg and the founder of ICreate Healing. iCreate Healing is
a non-profit organization that uses the expressive arts and traditional therapeutic
modality in helping individuals suffering from mental illness or other issues in reaching
their healing potential. Marlanda Dekine is also Co-Founder of Spoken Word
Spartanburg, as well as a Community Organizer and Activist.
Antonio Mack is the Late Night Event Coordinator for the Southern Fried Poetry Slam
and is a talented spoken word artist. He is also assisting with grass roots marketing. He
is the Co-Founder of Spoken Word Spartanburg, which brings spoken word poetry to at
risk populations through schools, justice systems, community centers, and community
events. Mr. Mack is the former director of Camp Croft Recreation Center. He is also an
experienced youth leader and has worked extensively with at-risk children through
Spartanburg’s alternative schools and South Carolina’s justice system.
Jenice Pleasant is the Community Coordinator for the Southern Fried Poetry
Slam. She is a graduate of Newberry College and works in the marketing and
retail industries. Jenice is also a talented Spoken Word Artist and a member of
the Upstate Slam Team.
Wits End Poetry: Board of Directors 2014
Founder Kimberly Simms. Kimberly Simms founded Wits End Poetry in Fall 2002. She is
an experienced grant writer and trained arts integration specialist. Kimberly is a published poet
and a first generation American who grew up in Greenville, South Carolina.
Scott Crichton. Scott Crichton is a native of Canada and a Residential Architect for Neal
Prince + Partners. Scott oversees design including our website, advertisements, and logo.
Jeremy Gibbs. Jeremy Gibbs is an amateur photographer and professional propmaker. He is
a long time supporter of Wits End Poetry.
Mariangela Mihai. Mariangela Mihai is a native of Romania and a graduate of Emory
University. She is also a performance poet that has traveled across North and South America with
her art.
Kimbi Mullins. Kimbi the Goddess is a yogini and wellness counselor who sees spoken word
as an additional avenue to health and wellness.
Robert E. Mullins, Jr. Moodyblack dedicates himself to spoken word and helping local area
youth through his work with Greenville County Recreation.
State of South Carolina
Office of the Secretary of State
The Honorable Mark Hammond
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Press Archive
w w w . p oe t r y slam.com
individual World Poetry Slam 2004
Article on About.com
http://poetry.about.com/b/a/054774.htm
The first ever Individual
World
Poetry
Slam
Championship
Poetry Blog
«Our envoys to the first InterBoard
Poetry Competition of the new
year | Main | 21st century found
poetry: It’s in the spam! »
January 03, 2004
The first ever Individual World
Poetry Slam Championship
from Kimberly Simms of Wits
End Poetry in Greenville, South
Carolina:
Poetry Slam Inc., organizers of
the National Poetry Slam, will be
holding the first annual Individual
World Poetry Slam (iWPS) this
February 5th - 7th in Greenville,
South Carolina. More than 60
contenders from cities across
North America and beyond will slug
it out in two days of preliminaries,
culminating in a final clash of the
top twelve on the main stage
at the Handlebar. As in all slam
events, the final champion will
be chosen by five judges picked
randomly from the audience.
If you’re not able to get to South
Carolina next month to see the
iWPS for yourself, come on back
to About Poetry afterwards to
read Kimberly’s on-scene report &
a sampling of the poems done in
the competition.
Poetry Slam Inc. and Wits End
Poetry have partnered to bring
this amazing project to Greenville.
In large cities such as Chicago and
New York, performance poetry is an
integrated part of the arts scene.
This event will expose Carolina
audiences to performance poets of
worldwide acclaim – it’s the only
event of this kind to come to the
Carolinas, ever. Ticket prices will
be in the $5-$15 range to make
attendance accessible to all. We
will also be having workshops
and open day events for teens
and adults so that everyone
can have direct exposure to the
artists. The goal of this event is
to revolutionize the exposure of
citizens to performance poetry in
the Carolinas. Marc Smith, poetry
slam founder, will be coming to
Greenville in February to host the
event.
In May 2003, on a Saturday night,
crowds packed into the main
hall at the LEAF Festival in Eden,
North Carolina to watch the poetry
plam finals. Those who couldn’t
get in pressed their faces to the
screened-in windows, trying to
catch a glimpse of one of the 12
finalists. In June 2003, the House
of Blues in New Orleans was sold
out, standing room only for the
finals of the 2003 Southern Fried
Poetry Slam. In August 2003,
close to 5,000 people and 300
poets attended the National Poetry
Slam in Chicago, and the audience
at the finals at the Navy Pier
Skyline Stage numbered 2,000.
After Poetry Slam Inc. decided to
start a new event, the Individual
World Poetry Slam Championship,
Greenville, South Carolina won the
bid to host the first annual iWPS,
beating out Minneapolis and Taos.
Page 1
Amy Weaver of Dallas, TX above.
Judges below.
Photos courtesy of The Greenville News, City People, February
11th 2004. Matt Baldwin/staff.
http://greenvilleonline.com/
citypeople/images/021104faces/
index.htm
Press Archive
w w w . p oe t r y slam.com
individual World Poetry Slam 2004
Seattle Post Intelligencer and The Greenville News
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/books/160424_tf213.html?source=rss
Other national performance
poetry titles were brought
Seattleite
claims
top home to Seattle in recent
prize in World Poetry years by Sherman Alexie,
who was the four-time
Slam Championship
SEATTLE
winner
of
the
World
Champion Poetry Bout at
POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
the Taos Poetry Circus in Judges are picked randomly from
the audience.
New Mexico.
Seattle has a new world
champion. Buddy Wakefield,
a 29-year-old performance
poet, claimed the top prize
in the inaugural Individual
World
Poetry
Slam
Championship
held
last
weekend in Greenville, S.C.
He triumphed over 36 slam
poets representing cities
Thee Black Falcon of Lexington.
across America.
Friday, February 13, 2004
After the announcemnet of his
“This meant a lot to me,” victory, Buddy Wakefeild is greeted
Wakefield said yesterday. “I on stage with a big hug from last
years NPS champion Mike McGee.
got to do this with the folks
who know how to bring it to
a crowd and make people’s
hair stand on end. It’s a real
honor.”
Wakefield
has
devoted
himself
to
performance
poetry for the past five
years and is the co-founder
of the Bullhorn Collective,
which represents 30 of the
country’s top slam poets.
Jonathan Brown of Greenville, SC.
Buddy Wakefield performs at
the finals of the individual World
Poetry Slam 2004 in Greenville,
SC.
Page 2
Photos courtesy of The Greenville News, Upstate Link, February 17th 2004. Matt Baldwin/
staff. http://upstatelink.com/
images/galleries/20040217_MB_
Poetry_Slam/
Press Archive
w w w . p oe t r y slam.com
National Poetry Slam 2001
Economist August 11th 2001, Books and Arts, Page 69
Poetry Slam
Declamation of Independence
New York
Performance Poetry is all the
Rage
Inside a decaying nightclub on
East 3rd Street, there’s a riot going
on.
The beatniks are stacked
three deep on the floor. Hipsters
jostle for jiving room on the stairs.
Ganstas gossip with geishas – the
noise is outrageous.
A quickwristed bartender splashes cheap
white wine into plastic cups; but
nobody’s really here to drink.
This is the Nuyorican Poets’ Café.
They’re here to listen to poetry.
Friday night is slam night – and
slam they will, by Apollo.
Slam, for the uninitiated, is the art
of competitive performance poetry
– think “Gladiator” rescripted in
loosely rhyming couplets, with
an inner-city, hip hop sensibility.
But make no mistake. This isn’t
some East Village sideshow. The
origins of slam can be traced
back through the Beat movement
of the 1950s and 1960s to the
Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
The first slams were organized in
1984 by a construction worker,
Marc Smith, at the Get Me High
Lounge in Chicago. Now, all
over America, the slammers are
coming out. This year’s National
Poetry Slam in Seattle – a six-day
event which finished on August 5th
– brought together 56 teams and
more than 500 poets from across
the country. The final round was
attended by an estimated 2,500
slam enthusiasts.
The final round was attended by an
estimated 2,500 slam enthusiasts.
Slam is no longer a subculture; it’s
part of a burgeoning spoken-word
industry which includes sell-out
nationwide book promotion, tours,
stand-up comedy and one-person
theatrical productions. According
to New York Times, Barnes & Noble,
America’s
largest
bookselling
chain, reported a 30% rise in
poetry sales between 1997 and
2000, while another source, Poets
House in New York, calculated that
in 1999 alone some 989 books of
poetry were published by 466
different publishers – an increase
of almost 100% over 1993.
The order of ceremonies tonight
at the Nuyorican is typical. Under
the arbitration of slam-master
Nathan P, the poets declaim,
the judges judge, the audience
hoots and stamps and roars.
Byronn Bain, a veteran slammer,
kicks things off with a rapid-fire
rumination on the predatory
male gaze, technically dazzling,
super-confident, impeccably PC
– a touch act to follow. But a
young, slight Korean-American
woman called Ishie Park rises to
the challenge with an impassioned
account of childhood alienation
in Queens. Later, Edward Garcia
takes the stage and strikes a
similarly anguished pose. “Even
the
hunchbacked,
one-eyed
wheelchair kid shunned me,” he
glumly recalls.
The preferred style of delivery
is fast and furious with heavy
emphasis on internal rhymes and
Page 1
dramatic cadence – to the firsttime listener slam sounds a lot like
rap minus the backing musicians.
It’s a moot point whether it’s the
quality of the performance or the
quality of the verse itself that
matters most – in this low light,
there’s no separating the dancer
and the dance. Like figure skaters
or wet t-shirt contestants, the
poets are scored on a naughtto-ten scale; the highest scorer
wears the bays at the end of the
night. Poetic justice in action.
Economist August 11th
Books and Arts, Page 69
2001,
Poetry Slam
in the Media:
The Highlights
Poetry Slam, Inc.
Poetry Slam is on the cusp of becoming a household name. Here are a few of the hundreds of articles and
broadcasts that have helped get the word out.
International Press
Prinz, “Poetry Live in Munchen,” Sven F.
Goergens, Nov 1998.
Reuters, Janie Gabbett, print story on
1999 National Poetry Slam; Aug 1999.
Rolling Stone, “You missed the point if...”
Greg Kot, July 8, 1999.
National Press
Associated Press (radio), Ira Dreyfus,
3-minute interview with competing
poets, Aug 1999.
The Smithsonian, “Please, audience, do
not applaud the mediocre poem,”
Richard Conniff, Sept, 1992.
Chicago Tribune, “Poetry slam more an
epic now than a haiku,” Achy Obejas,
p.7, Aug 6, 1999.
Chicago Tribune, “Motion in Poetry,” Sid
Smith, cover story of Tempo, Aug 16,
1999.
Associated Press (print), Ben Currie,
Chicago Bureau, feature article; Aug
16, 1999.
“Slams are so popular with younger audiences that some are calling the new
generation of performer poets the rock stars of the millennium.”
Biblio, “Slam Bang Poetry,” John K.
Waters, April, 1999.
John K. Waters,Biblio, April 1999
BRAVO Network, “Book TV” Tova
Kronick, on-location segment on the
!999 National Poetry Slam; Aug 1999.
CBS-TV, 60 Minutes, Morley Safer, 20minute segment on the resurgence of
poetry and 1999 National Poetry Slam;
Oct 1999.
CNN, opening ceremony coverage; Aug,
1999.
Diversion Magazine, “Diversionary
Tactics,” Glen Derene, highlight in
physician’s monthly leisure magazine, p.
13, June 1999.
The Economist, “Declamation of
Independence: Performance Poetry is
all the rage.” Aug 11, 2001.
Forbes, “No Velvet Hats,” Alison Fass,
Sept 2003.
Key Magazine, “Chicago Gets
Slammed,” article in official Chicago visitor’s guide, p. 97, August 7, 1999.
Los Angeles Times, "Performance
Poets Liven an Old Art" Larry Green|
Nov 25, 1986
New York Times, “Part Art, Part Hip-Hop
and Part Circus,” Bruce Weber. Cover
story of “Arts” section, Aug 16, 1999.
NPR, “Next Generation Radio,” Teri Fair,
May 11, 2003
Poets & Writers, "Poetry Slamming in
Chicago," Luis J. Rodriguez, Mar 1990
Teacher’s Union Magazine, Aug 1999.
TIME Magazine, “Hey, Let’s do a few
lines” Janice Simpson, December 16,
1991
The Wall Street Journal, "The Boozer as
Critic: Poetry is Brutal Sport In a
Chicago Barroom" Alex Kotlowitz, Aug
24 1987
Local Press/Chicago, IL
Chicago Reader, “National Poetry Slam,
Critics Choice,” Aug 13, 2003.
Chicago Sun-Times, “Zwecker’s
People,” Bill Zwecker, Showcase,
July 20, 1999.
Chicago Sun-Times, “Out & About,”
p.41, Aug 6, 1999.
Chicago Sun-Times, “Slam has verse-atility,” Rosalind Cummings-Yeates,
Showcase, p.29, Aug 16, 1999.
Chicago Sun-Times, “Summer of Slam,”
C. Busk, p. 4, Aug 12, 1999.
Chicago Sun-Times, “Zwecker’s
People,” Bill Zwecker, July 20,1999.
Chicago Tribune, “Poetic Portraits,” Jeff
Economy, Be There, p. 3, Aug 13, 1999.
Chicago Tribune, “Entertainer,” Rick
Kogan, Cover story in Chicago Tribune
Magazine., Aug 8, 1999.
Chicago Tribune, “Motion in Poetry,” Sid
Smith, Tempo cover, Aug 16, 1999.
Daily Herald, “All Out SLAM,” Barbara
Vitello, 2-page spread highlighting poets
and events, Aug 1999.
Kane County Chronicle, “Side Tracks/
Weekend,” Aug 6, 1999.
New City, “Slam Dance,” John Paul Davis
and Erika Mingo, feature, p. 7.
Q101, “Mancow Muller Show”, Aug 12,
1999, competing poets on popular
morning radio.
Suburban Life, “Poetry in Commotion,”
Katie Sullivan, cover story in Arts &
Entertainment, Aug 4, 1999.
WBEZ/NPR Affiliate Chicago, “848” Tish
Valva, featured poet in 30-minute segment
of morning radio, Aug 5, 1999.
WLS-TV/ABC Affiliate, “Evening News,”
Tim Weigel coverage of opening kick-off
Aug 11, 1999.
WTTW-TV/PBSAffiliate, “ArtBeat Events,”
Tom Malinowski, Aug 4, 1999.
Local Press/Cleveland, OH
NPR/Cleveland Affiliate, April Baer, Aug
18, 1999.
Local Press/Washington DC
BET Weekend, Joyce Davis, feature in
Washington DC entertainment section,
July 1999.
Washington Post, Teresa Wilkes,
feature article in Arts, Aug 18,1999.

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