Chicago Slam Works engineered another successful event this past weekend — initiating the banking public in the art of writing haiku at a promotional program sponsored by Chase Bank. Lots of new people exposed to the better side of slam.

And by the way congrats and hoorays go out to Henry Sampson (and Maria) and all the volunteers at the 2009 National Poetry Slam in West Palm Beach. They made it happen and Henry garnered the Spirit of Slam Award — much deserved.

Finally, this coming Sunday the Mighty Mike McGee will be the featured guest at the Green Mill show along with Welsh novelist Niall Griffiths — should be a good night. I’ll be back from playing hooky and the Rootabaga band with guest pianist Doctor Flippo will wound up and ready to spin out of control.

As some folks know, I’ve been taking time off from most slam things. (I’m even taking Sundays off now and then.) For the next couple weeks I’ll be hiding out in upstate Michigan and I hope to pay a visit to Terry Wooten’s Stone Circle reading near Traverse Bay. Terry has keeping the oral tradition (storytelling and poetry) alive for decades. I can’t wait to sit around the Stone Circle fire and listen.

This Sunday, while I’m gone, the Speak’Easy Ensemble will take complete command of the Green Mill show. Knowing them it will be anything goes fly by the seat of their pantaloons night, but a good anything goes.

Other news is that Chicago Slam Works, the new non-profit umbrella for all things slam in Chicago, is in full gear. Bold new adventures ahead.

Okay, I’m off to breakfast (isn’t that what bogs and twitters are for — telling strangers and friends when you’re eating breakfast) and then up to Michigan.

bye bye

More and more I’m taking Sunday nights off to travel and to stay (working my butt off) at my rehab houses in Savanna, Illinois. (Two I’m restoring and one I’m tearing down. All on Walnut Street. Drop by some time.) And while I’m truant from the show I have a great crew of Chicago slammers to fill in as hosts. Two Sunday ago it was Robbie Q. I hear he did a great job. Decide for yourself:

I plan to be back hosting Sundays for the rest of July and August, but don’t be surprised if you find me not there, playing hooky. This week is the 23rd anniversary of the Green Mill slam. I think I’m entitled to a few nights off.

Getting a lot of ink these days. It’s wild. Sometimes the shortest interviews produce the best results. Lauren Viera’s article in Tribune today is a gem. (check it out at http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0604-poetry-slamjun04,0,7524276.story ) Laura the bartender’s perspective takes center stage. And what does she mean when she says, “He’s really good at handling a crowd and defusing the situation. When things got a little out of hand, those were my favorite times.” She means Marc losing control and yelling at people in the crowd who are too absorbed in themselves and their loud-ass conversation (and their cocktails) to realize that someone’s one stage baring a battered soul via performance poetry.

Of course, there are also those times when Marc starts screaming at innocent bystanders and makes an ass of himself. Those moments are especially fun to witness.

Last night Andi Kauth rocked the house. Her debut feature performance at the Green Mill was a celebration of her 21st birthday. She was downing tequila sunrises as the sun set on her U21 slammin’ career.

Andi may only be 21 but she’s already pro. She has toured the country sharing slam stages with the best. She paid honor to her Fremd High School creative writing program by upholding the integrity of her texts — they were (are) exquisite. There are dozens of high profile slammers spittin’ cliche after cliche shouting the same ol’ same ol’ as if it were direct communication from the gods. They should shut up a few moments and take note of this young woman who can say more in short series of sonnets than they do in three minutes of “I … I … I” ranting.

And how about our new found treasure — virgin Clapping Dave! Was he wonderful or what! If anybody took a cell phone video of Clapping Dave, please send it to me. Now that I’m into the blogging (which I still think is a bunch egocentric crap) I’m going to have to start taking photos and get videos of what happens at the Mill every Sunday night so you can see and hear what I’m raving about.

Another Sunday is in the can and it was a good one.