Candid Yak

Fall Break

2005-10-27T16:39:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know. Fall break was, like, more than a week ago. But I just wanted to take a minute to say that I'm sure I'm not the only one who's starting to sink into that feeling like there was so much I aimed to do this semester, and now the thing is half-over so before I know it, it'll be over and I haven't even done anything of what it was I set out to do.

As for the Candid Yak, and I can't speak for my other co-coordinators, I feel enthusiasm dwindling. Audience turnout has not been ideal. Even for the open mic, although we did have some spectacular readers. It was casual and fun, and we went out for a drink after. So that's another reason to come to the Yaks, it's a chance to go out afterward and hang out with fellow creative and wacky writer-types.

Anyway, with Halloween festivities this weekend, there is no yak, but get ready for November, baby! We've got some great writers on tap for these upcoming readings, that's for sure. Go see the schedule at candidyak.gmu.edu for details, bios, and photos.

Listen

2005-10-02T16:45:00.000-04:00

Last night's reading went well. Grace Kwon, overcoming her fear of reading out loud, was amazing. Her writing was precise and beautiful in a simple and endearing way. And her voice was so clear and focused that if she hadn't stated at the start of her reading how she was doing this to overcome her fears, we as an audience never would have guessed at her nervousness.

I was nervous, probably most because my parents were in the audience. I was extremely grateful to Tammy for her heartfelt introduction, and even though all the complimentary things she said were probably true, it was also intimidating to have to live up to my own reputation. I was nervous, my throat was dry, but the audience, though small, was filled with admiring ears, and I did my best to keep focus through the cafe noises of blending and the crushing of ice.

Collin gave a nice overview of what we hope will happen for the Storytelling night in December, and it's too bad that so many of our Yak supporters missed his little spiel. I'm not the one to really ask about it, being more poet-y and less story-y, but if you're interested in participating, email us or talk to Collin or Alexis.

If you're sorry you missed me, I know I will be signing up for the Open Mic Yak on October 14, and everyone who hasn't had a chance to freak out about reading their work in front of people should bring a short piece to share and take five minutes to expose themselves. It's scary and thrilling and a lot of fun. And five minutes is a lot less freaky than 15-20, I'll tell you that.

Last Minutes

2005-10-01T11:54:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Laura and Collin, who will hopefully be helping me pull my shit together tonight, filling in for Khloe and Alexis.

There's been a change in lineup for tonight's reading. It will be Grace Kwon reading Fiction and Sara Deacon reading Poetry, with a short break between. Unfortunately, our nonfiction reader had to cancel at the last minute, so we'll have some time to mess around with, if our audience so desires.

There is always an open mic to end the Yaks, and if there was ever a time to sign up to read for a few minutes, tonight's the night. It should be a fantabulous reading, even if you're too chicken to share, so come on out if you're in town.

Jazzman's Cafe, 7:30, tonight.

Sunday's Yak

2005-09-20T16:25:00.000-04:00

A little recap:

We were originally scheduled to be in the Grand Tier part of the Center for the Arts. Well, Sunday morning, we all got an email saying how that spot had been reserved for a reception for the afternoon's recital. We were moved to a wing of the lobby, where chairs and a podium were provided. No microphone.

Turned out that the lobby is loud. Voices carry. We started the reading trying to have our readers shout, project, or otherwise individually attempt to enhance their volume. It didn't work. So, Bill Miller was kind enough to convince the CFA staff to let us into the big concert hall. Then, we had ourselves a reading.

It was kind of an intimidating space to occupy, but the sound was excellent, although I personally do prefer the intimacy of locations like Jazzman's, the Bistro, or other cafe-type venues.

Pictures should be going up on the website within the next day or so. And I apologize for the quality, my little Coolpix doesn't quite have the zoom capacity a space like the Concert hall requires.

Yak @ Fall for the Book--TODAY

2005-09-18T15:15:00.000-04:00

Please join us at 5:00pm in the wing of the lobby of Center for the Arts for another spectacular Candid Yak performance.

Our readers will be:

Kevin "Jive Talkin" Stoy reading Poetry
Kati "Night Fever" Fargo reading Fiction
and Art "Boogie Child" Taylor reading Nonfiction

Come for the Candid Yak, stay for Tim O'Brien at 7:00--you don't even have to leave the building!

You can keep up with the Candid Yak and all our shennanigans at http://candidyak.gmu.edu./ Please email candidyak@gmail.com with any questions/concerns/compliments. Thanks.

One Yak Down

2005-09-14T11:54:00.000-04:00

Well, the first Yak went very well for a first anything. The amplification system was a little bit late in its arrival to the venue, but overall, we had few hitches in the excitement. Here are some photos:

Brian Heston

Sara Henning

Wendy Bilen

Alexis Santi--the lone open mic reader

From this point forward, there will be a reader rotation, which means that each genre will take turns in each time position. Therefore, the order of readers listed on the main website schedule will not necessarily be the order in which they appear. When I'm doing the flyers, however, I am putting the readers down in the order that they will read. So, the flyer is right, and the website might not always be.

That is all.

The First Yak

2005-09-02T16:30:00.000-04:00

To kick off the Candid Yak readings this year, we will have with us at Jazzman's Cafe in the basement of the Johnson Center:

Brian Heston reading Fiction
Sara Henning reading Poetry
Wendy Bilen reading Nonfiction

Brian is a 3rd year MFA Fiction writer in the program. Sara Henning is a 2nd year poet, who has been published in several well-known journals. And Wendy is a 3rd year Nonfiction student and also teaches at NOVA.

We still have spots open for the Fall for the Book festival reading, which will be an excellent opportunity to reach an enthusiastic audience. Email us if you're interested!

We also still have room for Fiction and Nonfiction readers throughout the fall semester. If you don't feel up for doing a fifteen minute reading, come by the event and sign up for our open mic. There's one with every Yak.

Fall Readings

2005-08-31T12:00:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to note real quick that the Poetry slots for Fall Yaks are all filled up as of right now. But remember, we'll also need readers for Spring. Let us know if you're still interested.

We ask that you come to as many Yak events as you can, because the readings are nothing without an audience. Support your peers. And there's also going to be a straight up open mic night on October 14th for anyone and everyone who wants to share.

We still have Fiction slots open.

We desperately need Non-Fiction readers. And don't be shy, we still need one of you to fill out the very first Yak of the year on September 9th.

Email us to get in on the action!

What is a Poetry Slam?

2005-08-09T14:09:00.000-04:00

The following is copied from Poetry Slam Inc..

FAQs

· What is poetry slam?
Simply put, poetry slam is the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they're saying and how they're saying it.

· What is a poetry slam?
A poetry slam is an event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience. Typically, the host or another organizer select the judges, who are instructed to give numerical scores (on a zero to 10 or one to 10 scale) based on the poet's content and performance.

· Who gets to participate?
The vast majority of slam series registered by Poetry Slam, Inc. are open to everyone who wishes to sign up and can get into the venue. Though everyone who signs up has the opportunity to read in the first round, the lineup for subsequent rounds is determined by the judges' scores. In other words, the judges vote for which poets they want to see more work from.

· What are the rules?
Though rules vary from slam to slam, the basic rules are:
Each poem must be of the poet's own construction;
Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem, if the poet goes over, points will be deducted from the total score;
The poet may not use props, costumes, or musical instruments;
Of the scores the poet received from the five judges, the high and low scores are dropped, and the middle three are added together, giving the poet a total score of 0-30.

· Are the rules the same from slam to slam?
Some slams have slight variations on the rules that Poetry Slam, Inc. has developed, but most adhere to these basic guidelines. The key rule in slam is that judges are selected from the audience, and those scores are used to determine who advances.

· Who organizes slams?
Slams are typically organized by poets interested in cultivating poetry in their communities. The vast majority work on a volunteer basis, and the price of admission typically goes toward either keeping the show running or toward special projects, like funding a slam team's trip to the annual National Poetry Slam.

· How often do they happen?
It depends on the community, but typically, slams happen on a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly basis.

· How does it differ from an open mike reading?
Slam is engineered for the audience, whereas a number of open mike readings are engineered as a support network for poets. Slam is designed for the audience to react vocally and openly to all aspects of the show, including the poet's performance, the judges' scores, and the host's banter.

· What can the audience do?
The official MC spiel of Poetry Slam, Inc. encourages the audience to respond to the poets or the judges in any way they see fit, and most slams have adopted that guideline. Audiences can boo or cheer at the conclusion of a poem, or even during a poem. At the Uptown Slam at Chicago's Green Mill Tavern,where poetry slam was born, the audience is instructed on an established progression of reactions if they don't like a poet, including finger snapping, foot stomping, and various verbal exhortations. If the audience expresses a certain level of dissatisfaction with the poet, the poet leaves the stage, even if he or she hasn't finished the performance. Though not every slam is as exacting in its procedure for getting a poet off the stage, the vast majority of slams give their audience the freedom and the permission to express itself.

· What kind of poetry is read at slams?
Depends on the venue, depends on the poets, depends on the slam. One of the best things about poetry slam is the range of poets it attracts. You'll find a diverse range of work within slam, including heartfelt love poetry, searing social commentary, uproarious comic routines, and bittersweet personal confessional pieces. Poets are free to do work in any style on any subject.

· How do I win a poetry slam?
Winning a poetry slam requires some measure of skill and a huge dose of luck. The judges' tastes, the audience's reactions, and the poets' performances all shape a slam event, and what wins one week might not get a poet into the second round the next week. There's no formula for winning a slam, although you become a stronger poet and performer the same way you get to Carnegie Hall — practice, practice, practice.

· How did poetry slam start?
In 1984, construction worker and poet Marc Smith started a poetry reading at a Chicago jazz club, the Get Me High lounge, looking for a way to breathe life into the open mike format. The series, and its emphasis on performance, laid the groundwork for the brand of poetry that would eventually be exhibited in slam.
In 1986, Smith approached Dave Jemilo, the owner of the Green Mill (a Chicago jazz club and former haunt of Al Capone), with a plan to host a weekly poetry competition on Sunday nights. Jemilo welcomed him, and the Uptown Poetry Slam was born on July 25 of that year. Smith drew on baseball and bridge terminology for the name, and instituted the basic features of the competition, including judges chosen from the audience and cash prizes for the winner. The Green Mill evolved into a Mecca for performance poets, and the Uptown Poetry Slam continues to run every Sunday night.

· How do I find a slam in my city?
You've come to the right place. CLICK HERE to view Poetry Slam Inc.'s VENUE LIST to find out if there is a poetry slam being held somewhere near you. Most major cities in the United States, as well as a number of college towns and mid-sized cities, hold regular poetry slams.

· What if there's no slam in my city and I want to start one?
We recommend taking a field trip to a couple of different slams in your region, and getting a feel for putting the rules in action. Once you have a venue lined up, you'll need a host and a scorekeeper, and in many venues, you'll need your own door person. Some slams divide those essential tasks among as few as two people.
Once you've got your slam series rolling, you can register your slam with Poetry Slam, Inc., and be included on this very Web site. To be certified, and thus eligible to send a team to the National Poetry Slam, you must meet certain criteria, including having a slam open to all, having run at least six slams during the course of a year, and having an average audience of at least 30 people.
The definitive anthology on slam, Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry, is full of helpful essays and examples of successful slam poems. It is available in the PSI Online Store.

· What is the National Poetry Slam?
The National Poetry Slam is the annual slam championship tournament, wherein three to five-person teams from all over North America and Europe gather to compete against each other for the national title. It has become part Super Bowl, part poetry summer camp, and part traveling exhibition. Staged in a different city each year, the National Poetry Slam has emerged as slam's highest-profile showcase.CLICK HERE for more information on the National Poetry Slam, including its history, rules, etc.

· How do I become a PSI Member or Certify My Venue?
First you'll need to CLICK HERE to fill out the online PSI Membership form. Then you can pay for your membership in our Online Store!
To certify your slam venue you'll need to CLICK HERE to fill out the Venue Certification form. Then you can pay the certification fee in our Online Store!

· Does slam have a motto?
Former Asheville, N.C. slammaster Allan Wolf coined the phrase, "The points are not the point; the point is poetry" prior to the 1994 National Poetry Slam in Asheville. The phrase has become a mantra of sorts, reminding poets and organizers that the goal of slam is to grow poetry's audience.New York City poet Taylor Mali, a member of multiple championship teams, has modified the motto to read, "The points are not the point; the point is to get more points than anyone else," but we're pretty sure he's got his tongue planted firmly in cheek when he says that.

· What is the difference between slam poetry and poetry?
That's not the right question to ask. There is no such thing as "slam poetry" even though the term "slam poet" seems to have gained acceptance. Those who use the term "slam poetry" are probably thinking more of hip-hop poetry or loud, in-your-face, vaguely poetic rants. The more useful question to ask is "What is the difference between spoken word and poetry?" Spoken word is poetry written first and foremost to be HEARD. At any given slam, much of the work presented could be called spoken word.

· Why should I register my venue?
There are many advantages to running an "official" Poetry Slam. Among them are: 1) The right to make application to bring a team to the National Poetry Slam. 2) The right to make application to send a representative of your venue to the Individual World Poetry Slam Championships. 3) The right to participate in the unofficial SlamMasters' listserve where you can access the best promotional and organizational minds in the organization. 4) The right to use the "Certified" or "Registered" PSI seal of approval in your ads or fliers. 5) The right to attend and vote in the official business meetings of the SlamMasters' Council twice a year and help develop important PSI policies and rules. 6) The right to establish a GrantBack account in the name of your venue to aid in the fundraising efforts your venue might have to bring individuals or teams to competitions, to help fund trips to SlamMasters' Council meetings or even to support local efforts to bring featured poets to your local audience.

· What is the difference between Venue Certification and Registration?
All venues which are run by a SlamMaster who is a current member of PSI, who have signed the Equal Opportunity Statement and who have paid the registration fee are considered "Registered." Registration gives your venue all of the benefits of official affiliation with PSI EXCEPT the right to send representatives to the Individual World Poetry Slam Championships or the National Poetry Slam or to make a bid to host a future national or world level poetry Slam event. Everything else remains in effect: voting rights, GrantBack Accounts and all. "Certified" venues are Poetry Slams which have demonstrated through at least six separate pieces of evidence that they meet certain minimum criteria. They must be a part of an ongoing poetry reading series; they must hold at least six slams per year; they must have an audience base that averages at least 30 members; and they must either attend in person or send a voting proxy to the Spring SlamMasters' Council meeting each year. Only Certified Slams can make application to attend iWPS or NPS. And only Certified Slams can bring a bid to host iWPS or NPS to either of the two official SlamMasters' Council meetings every calendar year.

· What is Certification "evidence?"
Generally anything that will show the ongoing nature of your Poetry Slam. Evidence can take the form of copies of articles in the local press, fliers you use to promote your show, a website URL or copies of advertising. We have even received copies of video tapes of events and used them as evidence in the past.

· How long does Certification or Registration last?
Any Poetry Slam may register or certify at any time. That process is good through the next National Poetry Slam and is renewable before January 1 after that NPS. New registrations and certifications are good for at least one year. Renewals are available at a reduced fee. Renewals after January 1 are subject to the higher fee.

· How do I get started with Certification?
To certify your slam venue you'll need to CLICK HERE to fill out the Equal Opportunity Statement and the Venue Certification form. Then you can pay the certification fee in our Online Store!The links above will automatically direct you to the Equal Opportunity Statement and Venue Certification forms and finally deliver you to the correct page in the online store to pay your fees. Don't forget to sign up for membership for the SlamMaster too.

This is a Yak

2005-08-08T12:37:00.000-04:00