PG Slam, at the National Poetry Slam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PG Slam: a PG Poetry Competition Judged by Teens
Noon, Saturday, August 8, 2009
West Palm Beach Library Auditorium, 411 Clematis St.

The 2009 National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach, FL is proud to present this educational tool and family event featuring:

Simone Beaubien: Renowned poet, host and SlamMaster of the Boston Poetry Slam at Cantab Lounge. Coach of the Boston Poetry Slam team, finalists in 2008!

Blair: HBO Def Poetry Jam Website Featured Performer and National Poetry Slam Champion-Team Detroit.

Taylor Mali: 4-time National Poetry Slam Champion, 3-time HBO Def Poet, teacher and teacher recruiter!

Sonya Renee: National Poetry Slam Champion, International Poetry Slam Championship runner-up, Four Continents European National Slam Champion, and HBO Def Poet.

Lizz Straight: host of “Poetry Is” on 88.5 WMNF radio in Tampa and streaming online, Southern Fried Poetry Slam Champion, and Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival Champion.

Scott Woods: President of Poetry Slam, Inc. Host and SlamMaster of Writer’s Block Poetry Night, Columbus, OH, and the first poet to ever successfully accomplish a 24 hour solo poetry reading!

Zork: National Poetry Slam poet, ZorkSlams youth poetry spotlight series creator, SlamMaster for Wetschester County, NY., and author of Stolen Snapshots


Vibrant slam veteran and forensics teacher Deb Marsh hosts this all ages event that celebrates poetry as an inspiration and transformative influence for kids, and provides teachers an opportunity to incorporate performance poetry and poetry slam in their traditional reading and writing curriculum. The invitational competition will be held on the final day of the National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach, FL, and feature the voices of some of the most inspiring poets of the new millennium.

The PG Slam competition is a traditional one or two round slam for 7 internationally- recognized poets. Each poet will come prepared with two original pieces, appropriate for middle or high school (either as is or self-edited for the purpose). Kids age 10 to 15 will be chosen from the audience to judge the slam.

The PG Slam Competition is the second project in a series of age-appropriate events and DVDs featuring the work of slam legends and rising stars who have exceptional appeal and powerful messages for children in high school and junior high. This year’s event, part of the 2009 National Poetry Slam in downtown West Palm Beach, is organized by Laura Vookles/LV--mother, assistant slam master of the White Plains slam and a two-time competitor in national events; Casandra Tanenbaum, high school teacher, dynamic south Florida poet and poetry organizer, and Eric ZORK Alan, a multiple times National Slam competitor & White Plains Slam Master.

We believe that all participants and spectators will understand that the underlying premise of the PG Slam is not about censorship but about wanting to bring slam poetry to more young people and realizing that there is a “time and place” component to performing art for children. This lively event will be well attended and enjoyed by fans of all ages.

“Slam Poetry” and Performance poetry techniques for writing and performance encourage students to step outside their shells, learn to respect both the literary and dramatic value of the written and spoken word and then to use this knowledge to start to express themselves both on the page and the stage. The tools used with slam poetry do far more than just help students pen and then perform original poetry, the skill sets of self examination, self expression, crafting prose and then learning to properly present those ideas will help a student throughout their primary and secondary education, and later in their careers as adults!

For more information, contact: Casandra Tanenbaum (561-704-0054, hypertextual@yahoo.com), “LV” Laura Vookles (914-500-8558, llv1mini@mac.com) and visit www.nps2009.com