Qualifications for Texas Youth Word Collective, Spoken Word, Slam Poetry Events and support

City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam Winners and Qualifiers

Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Festival—New York City

2006-2007 New Rules to Qualify for Team Austin Under 21:

One of our goals this year is to develop a more cohesive youth writing community as well as a team more prepared to perform at the national level. For these reasons, some of the rules to qualify for a spot in the finals for team determination will be changing. The basic rules of slam will not change. Those are:

Each poet has three minutes to perform a poem of their own creation; no props, no musical accompaniment, only the sound one can make with their own body.

Each poem is scored Olympic Style 0.0 to 10.0 by five judges chosen randomly from the audience.

The Slam will be held in three rounds and the person with the highest score at the end is the winner.

With the objective of developing a more expansive and cohesive youth writing community, below are the new rules for qualifying to make a spot on Team Austin 2007. It is very important for those who decide to participate to know and understand these new rule changes. They are:

We plan to hold more slams this year than in previous years. The last two years we have held one slam per month (four per year not counting the finals). This year we will try to hold between 6 and 8 slams between October and January.

Because we are expanding the number of slams, we expect to have more poets qualify and, therefore, we will also be holding two semi-finals in addition to a final slam that will determine the 2007 Austin Under 21 Slam Team.

In order to develop a more cohesive youth writing community, as well as a team more prepared to perform at the national level, youth poets seeking to qualify for the semi-finals, finals and Team Austin will be required to participate as follows:

Each poet seeking to qualify must not only place in the top 3 of any City Wide slam, they will have to participate in at least one other City Wide slam during the season;
Two of the City Wide poetry events this year will be group piece showcases, poems that have at least two poets writing and performing the poems. Those seeking to qualify for the semi-finals, finals and Team Austin will be required to participate in at least one of the two group piece showcases. Poets will be encouraged to partner with other poets (as many as 3) to write and perform group poems under the same rules for individual poems (3 minutes, no props, etc.). City Wide Slam sign up sheets will, as usual, require poets to include their email addresses, however, youth will be encouraged to take the initiative to arrange poetry groups for group pieces, with our sign up sheet being the source of last resort for youth to communicate with each other.

Brian Francis, 2006 Neo Soul Poetry Slam Champion and member of the 2006 Neo Soul National Poetry Slam Team (2nd in the nation out of 70 other cities in the U.S. and Canada) will conduct group-piece writing workshops prior to the group piece showcases. All participants in the City Wides, as well as those interested in getting writing pointers generally, are encouraged to attend these writing workshops although attendance will not be required.

So, there you have it. New era, new season, new rules . . . Same hotness!!! If you have any questions about the new rules (or the old rules for that matter), please feel free to email us at u21slam@yahoo.com or call either Ron Horne (512-632-5033) or Dr. Sheila Siobhan (512-422-6653). We will be happy to answer your questions.

As with anything new, there are going to be some hiccups. Bear with us as we try new things to make the youth slam in Austin bigger and better than ever!

Qualifications:

All persons under the age of 21 are eligible to compete in the monthly City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam. For the purposes of the Slam Off in March we must comply with the regulations of the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival and Slam, which requires that participants be between the ages of 13 and 19 as of April 30th, 2006 in order to compete.

The top three scorers at the end of each City Wide will go into a pool of finalists that will compete in March for four spots on the Austin Under 21 Slam Team. If a poet has qualified as a finalist in a City Wide and makes one of the top three spots in a subsequent slam, the next highest scorer in that slam will be added to the finals pool. By doing this, the field of finalists will consist of a total of 12 individuals competing in the Slam Off.

Four finalists from the Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam Off will earn a spot on the 2006 Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam Team. That team will go on to New York City to compete in the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival and Slam – April 25-30, 2006.

Winners and Qualifiers from the City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam:

1st City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: November 13:
Ruta Maya World Headquarters:

1st Place – Karim (Jonathon Michael Sterling)
2nd Place – Jay Rojas
3rd Place – Shannon Leigh

2nd City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: December 17"
Mitchie’s Fine Black Art & Gift Gallery:

1st Place – Chris "Gator" Ockletree
2nd Place – Lyricist
3rd Place – Elisa Chavez (St. Stephen's)

3rd City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: January:
Ruta Maya World Headquarters, 3601 S. Congress, #D-200

1st Place – Brent Caballero (Stony Point)
2nd Place – Kelsey Ervi (Midway)
3rd Place – Georgia

4th City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: February:
lRuta Maya World Headquarters, 3601 S. Congress, #D-200

Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival – New York City

Festival Description:
In April of 2006, a generation of young artists, educators, poets, and mentors will converge on New York City to participate in the spectacular, internationally renowned National Youth Poetry Slam Festival. Brave New Voices gathers, educates and showcases talented, dedicated and courageous young writers from across the country.

Now in its 10th year, Brave New Voices creates a forum and community among an ever-growing number of youth who are returning to literature and reinvesting in education through the power of the spoken word.

Across the country teenagers participate in poetry slams organized by teachers, schools, local poets, community organizers and youth workers. More than 300 young poets will participate in this year’s event. Brave New Voices includes youth open mics, an adult reading that features professional poets and performers, (inter)-national community building and networking, panel discussions, workshops lead by professional writers and educators, and The National Youth Poetry Slam. The National Youth Poetry Slam Festival uses The Poetry Slam as a tool to bring together the top young poets from around the country to share their work with their peers and a larger audience.


				City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam Winners and Qualifiers Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Festival—New York City 2006-2007 New Rules to Qualify for Team Austin Under 21: One of our goals this year is to develop a more cohesive youth writing community as well as a team more prepared to perform at the national level. For these reasons, some of the rules to qualify for a spot in the finals for team determination will be changing. The basic rules of slam will not change. Those are: Each poet has three minutes to perform a poem of their own creation; no props, no musical accompaniment, only the sound one can make with their own body. Each poem is scored Olympic Style 0.0 to 10.0 by five judges chosen randomly from the audience. The Slam will be held in three rounds and the person with the highest score at the end is the winner. With the objective of developing a more expansive and cohesive youth writing community, below are the new rules for qualifying to make a spot on Team Austin 2007. It is very important for those who decide to participate to know and understand these new rule changes. They are: We plan to hold more slams this year than in previous years. The last two years we have held one slam per month (four per year not counting the finals). This year we will try to hold between 6 and 8 slams between October and January. Because we are expanding the number of slams, we expect to have more poets qualify and, therefore, we will also be holding two semi-finals in addition to a final slam that will determine the 2007 Austin Under 21 Slam Team. In order to develop a more cohesive youth writing community, as well as a team more prepared to perform at the national level, youth poets seeking to qualify for the semi-finals, finals and Team Austin will be required to participate as follows: Each poet seeking to qualify must not only place in the top 3 of any City Wide slam, they will have to participate in at least one other City Wide slam during the season; Two of the City Wide poetry events this year will be group piece showcases, poems that have at least two poets writing and performing the poems. Those seeking to qualify for the semi-finals, finals and Team Austin will be required to participate in at least one of the two group piece showcases. Poets will be encouraged to partner with other poets (as many as 3) to write and perform group poems under the same rules for individual poems (3 minutes, no props, etc.). City Wide Slam sign up sheets will, as usual, require poets to include their email addresses, however, youth will be encouraged to take the initiative to arrange poetry groups for group pieces, with our sign up sheet being the source of last resort for youth to communicate with each other. Brian Francis, 2006 Neo Soul Poetry Slam Champion and member of the 2006 Neo Soul National Poetry Slam Team (2nd in the nation out of 70 other cities in the U.S. and Canada) will conduct group-piece writing workshops prior to the group piece showcases. All participants in the City Wides, as well as those interested in getting writing pointers generally, are encouraged to attend these writing workshops although attendance will not be required. So, there you have it. New era, new season, new rules . . . Same hotness!!! If you have any questions about the new rules (or the old rules for that matter), please feel free to email us at u21slam@yahoo.com or call either Ron Horne (512-632-5033) or Dr. Sheila Siobhan (512-422-6653). We will be happy to answer your questions. As with anything new, there are going to be some hiccups. Bear with us as we try new things to make the youth slam in Austin bigger and better than ever! Qualifications: All persons under the age of 21 are eligible to compete in the monthly City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam. For the purposes of the Slam Off in March we must comply with the regulations of the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival and Slam, which requires that participants be between the ages of 13 and 19 as of April 30th, 2006 in order to compete. The top three scorers at the end of each City Wide will go into a pool of finalists that will compete in March for four spots on the Austin Under 21 Slam Team. If a poet has qualified as a finalist in a City Wide and makes one of the top three spots in a subsequent slam, the next highest scorer in that slam will be added to the finals pool. By doing this, the field of finalists will consist of a total of 12 individuals competing in the Slam Off. Four finalists from the Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam Off will earn a spot on the 2006 Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam Team. That team will go on to New York City to compete in the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival and Slam – April 25-30, 2006. back to top Winners and Qualifiers from the City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: 1st City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: November 13: Ruta Maya World Headquarters: 1st Place – Karim (Jonathon Michael Sterling) 2nd Place – Jay Rojas 3rd Place – Shannon Leigh 2nd City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: December 17" Mitchie’s Fine Black Art & Gift Gallery: 1st Place – Chris "Gator" Ockletree 2nd Place – Lyricist 3rd Place – Elisa Chavez (St. Stephen's) 3rd City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: January: Ruta Maya World Headquarters, 3601 S. Congress, #D-200 1st Place – Brent Caballero (Stony Point) 2nd Place – Kelsey Ervi (Midway) 3rd Place – Georgia 4th City-Wide Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam: February: lRuta Maya World Headquarters, 3601 S. Congress, #D-200 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival – New York City Festival Description: In April of 2006, a generation of young artists, educators, poets, and mentors will converge on New York City to participate in the spectacular, internationally renowned National Youth Poetry Slam Festival. Brave New Voices gathers, educates and showcases talented, dedicated and courageous young writers from across the country. Now in its 10th year, Brave New Voices creates a forum and community among an ever-growing number of youth who are returning to literature and reinvesting in education through the power of the spoken word. Across the country teenagers participate in poetry slams organized by teachers, schools, local poets, community organizers and youth workers. More than 300 young poets will participate in this year’s event. Brave New Voices includes youth open mics, an adult reading that features professional poets and performers, (inter)-national community building and networking, panel discussions, workshops lead by professional writers and educators, and The National Youth Poetry Slam. The National Youth Poetry Slam Festival uses The Poetry Slam as a tool to bring together the top young poets from around the country to share their work with their peers and a larger audience.
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