The 2014 Individual World Poetry Slam competition and its festivities will bring gifted poets from across the country to Phoenix this month.
From Oct. 8-11, local businesses including Jobot Coffee and Dining, Bodega 420, Firehouse Gallery and Fair Trade Cafe will host workshops, discussions, showcases and preliminary bouts.
Aaron Hopkins-Johnson is the host-city coordinator of the event as well as the owner of local bookstore Lawn Gnome Publishing, where slams occur every Wednesday night.
“There is a common misconception that (slam poetry) is angry, loud, rhythmic rapping,” Hopkins-Johnson said. “It’s not really confined to those parameters. Slam poetry is a gimmick or a competition to get people to pay attention to poetry.”
Hopkins-Johnson said he is confident Phoenicians will pay attention and realize the importance of poetry after IWPS.
“They will talk about poetry slam for years to come because they will be face-to-face with the best poets that were forced to write amazing poetry because they felt compelled to write down a message and communicate it artistically in the best way they know how,” he said.
The bookstore will host the “Last Chance Slam” on Oct. 8 to kick off the weekend. Unregistered poets will compete for the single remaining spot in the official competition, and the audience will get a glimpse of what they can expect throughout IWPS.
Changing Hands Bookstore on Camelback Road and Third Avenue will host preliminary bouts on Oct. 9 and 10.
“Poetry is an integral part of bookstores and communities, and it just seems like a natural fit,” said Cindy Dach, manager at Changing Hands. “We are proud to be part of it.”
Map courtesy of Aaron Hopkins-Johnson
The preliminary bouts will determine the top 12 slam poets, who will then battle it out on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe. The final venue, with a seating capacity of 900, presents the finalists with an opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, Hopkins-Johnson said.
“People think of poetry slam as little coffee shops, so it’s really nice to be able to see a huge stage being occupied by a single poet trying to express their thoughts,” he said. “It makes a huge difference to the poet.”
Competitors will be judged by randomly selected members of the audience and are encouraged by applause. They must abide by rules of originality and time, and they can use no additional props, only their bodies and the microphone.
There will be a variety of poetry readings and workshops taking place throughout Phoenix during the weekend. Lawn Gnome will host the Poe Poetry Show — a reading of horror poems — on Thursday night, and Arizona State University college students will have the opportunity to participate in the Pitchfork Poetry Slam at the student center in the U.S. Post Office from 3-5 p.m. on Friday, hosted by ASU Downtown creative-writing student organization Phoenexus.
Roanna “Rowie” Shebala is hosting the “My Four Clans” writing workshop and the Indigenous People Open Mic, both at Lawn Gnome on Friday afternoon. In the workshop, she will teach participants to use Navajo storytelling and clan-heritage system as the foundation for identity poems.
“I’m excited that Arizona is going to have these amazing poets from all over the country,” Shebala said. “I want people to see that there is an art community in Phoenix, and pay attention to it.”
It’s been a year since Hopkins-Johnson was notified IWPS would be coming to Phoenix, and more than 100 volunteers have worked to bring the event together.
“This is the most cutting-edge thing that exists in the United States,” Hopkins-Johnson said. “If people don’t see this, they are doing themselves a disservice, because they are closing themselves out from so much creative thought and expression.”
An all-events pass for the three days is $60.00. More ticket information can be found on iwps.poetryslam.com.
Editor’s Note: Downtown Devil Columns and Features Editor Molly Bilker is president of the ASU Downtown creative collaborative student organization Phoenexus. Other Downtown Devil staffers are also involved in the organization. They did not contribute to the reporting or writing of this story.
Contact the reporter at rbouley@asu.edu
