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Sedona Poetry Slam benefits local team heading to
National Poetry Slam in Florida
SEDONA, AZ (June 7, 2009) - Studio Live in
West Sedona will beat with the heart of poetry on
Saturday, July 27, as the best poets in Northern
Arizona join together in an exhibition slam
fundraiser.
Beginning at 7:30 p.m., four of the five members of
the 2009 Flagstaff National Poetry Slam Team will
compete against other top poets from around the
state in three teams of four poets each. Proceeds
from the poetry slam bout will help send the
Flagstaff team to the National Poetry Slam, held
this year in West Palm Beach, Fla., Aug. 4 to 8. The
team will represent Northern Arizona against more
than 80 other teams from around the country.
Since it was founded in 2001, the Flagstaff National
Poetry Slam Team has served as the common banner for
all Northern Arizona poets at the National Poetry
Slam.
Poets from Sedona, the Village of Oak Creek, Cottonwood and Camp Verde have routinely made the trek up the hill to compete in Flagstaff. Likewise, Flagstaff poets often bring their spoken word talents to Sedona audiences. Several Sedona poets have also been members of the Flagstaff team in past years.
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This year, Jessica Guadarrama continues that proud tradition. Guadarrama is a Sedona Red Rock High School alumna and current Northern Arizona University student.
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| Jessica Guadarrama (file photo) |
She is joined on the team by poets Frank O’Brien,
Ryan Brown and Antranormus.
O’Brien is a 20-year-old Coconino Community College
student, focusing on pre-nursing. Originally from
Phoenix, O’Brien entered the slam poetry scene in
fall 2007. As a member of the 2008 Flagstaff team,
he traveled with Cartier, Brown and Guadarrama to
Nationals held in Madison, Wis.
O’Brien is now an active poet and administrator of
the FlagSlam Poetry Slam.
Antranormus is a hip-hop artist who constantly seeks
to redefine or completely blur the boundaries
between hip-hop, poetry and absurdity.
Known for his complex, multisyllabic rhyme schemes
and controversial subject matter, Antranormus has
shared the stage with members of Wu Tang Clan,
Jurassic 5, solo artists Abstract Rude, Illogic,
Sole and others.
The Flagstaff team will face off against a second
team of Flagstaff poets including Kami Michel,
Andrew Michel, Maple Dewleaf and Garrett Lackner,
and a team of Sedona poets including Fun Yung Moon
and Jessica Laurel Reese.
The June 27 slam will be hosted by Sedona poet
Christopher Fox Graham, who was on the Flagstaff
team in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. The
team needs to raise around $2,000 to fund the trip.
Studio Live is located at 215 Coffee Pot Drive,
Sedona. For more information, visit http://studiolivesedona.com.
Founded in Chicago in 1984, poetry slam is a
competitive artistic sport. Poetry slams are judged
by five randomly chosen members of the audience who
assign numerical value to individual poets’ contents
and performances. Poetry slam has become an
international artistic sport, with more than 100
major poetry slams in the United States, Canada,
Australia and Western Europe.
Since 1990, teams from around the North America have
competed at the National Poetry Slam, held in a
different city every year. For five days, poets
enjoy critique and camaraderie as they compete. The
top four teams face off on the final night.
Daytime events include instructional workshops,
featured readings, poetry showcases, the infamous
“Haiku Deathmatch.” Because of the rich diversity
and intense focus on the art of spoken word, the
National Poetry Slam is considered a
transformational experience for young poets.
For more information about the 2009 National Poetry
Slam, visit http://nps2009.com.
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