Marc Kelly Smith | Slampapi | Slam Poetry Blog

Marc’s Leave of Absence — 2000

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:31:41 +0000

At the end of the 1999 NPS (National Poetry Slam) I announced the first of two leaves of absence I would take from my leadership role as lifetime president of Poetry Slam Inc.

In a letter I read to the Slam Family at the Chopin Theater (Chicago) I outlined some concerns about slam’s evolution and growth. It is interesting to note that many those concerns are still affecting Poetry Slam Inc and the movement in America today.

Here’s one of them.

The emphasis on competition has become far too serious. “The Points are not the Point” axiom coined by Alan Wolfe is disappearing from our group consciousness. We have stopped being playful out of fear of offending the poet on stage and causing them (sometimes only in their minds) a point loss. I urge you to find ways to diminish the importance of who wins and enhance the elements of “fun” at the NPS and at all local slams.

The Other Woman/Man — Next Wednesday — Jan. 13

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:09:13 +0000

Next Wednesday I’ll be sitting in at Naomi Ashley’s www.naomiashley.com/ at the Uncommon Ground in Chicago and I’ll be trying out a new poem to compliment her song The Other Woman. Mine is called the The Other Man. You can get a look at it on the website at MKS Poems .

Here’s what Naomi has to say about the show:

We are so excited to be taking up residency again this January at Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville. The room is cozy, the special guests are amazing and there are tasty snacks and beverages to be enjoyed. Plus, each Wednesday we will be performing at least one new tune (new to us, at least) and there may be more surprises along the way. Don’t miss out!

EVERY WEDNESDAY IN JANUARY, 8:00 pm
Uncommon Ground
3800 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL
(773) 929-3680
$5 suggested donation

More Fan Mail

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:33:38 +0000

Dear Marc,

I am very concerned about the letters you have been posting on your website and other places on the Internet. They are not representative of the Slam at the Green Mill or elsewhere. It discredits the movement when such extreme and distorted views are given credence by anyone, most of all the founder of the movement itself . It may seem funny for you to post them. (Maybe you think it makes you appear open and inclusive.) Not to us who still have to overcome the prejudices academics have stacked up against slam. Please think again before posting any more of these extremist views.

Sarah Wane P

Sandburg’s Birthday Revisited

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:34:17 +0000

Last night, as I do each year on the first Sunday in January, I paid homage to one of my favorite poets, Carl Sandburg. I was only able to recite and perform a couple of his poems because we had a special visit from two slam greats Matt Cook and Rob “Ratpack Slim” Sturma. Last year, however, the Rootabaga Band and I devoted a whole set to Sandburg’s work. Here’s what a lovely fan had to say about it:

I WAS THERE

January 7, 2008
Smith has done it again devoted almost an entire evening to himself under the guise of celebrating the anniversary of Carl Sandburg’s birth. Hah! It was all about Smith as it is most of the time with most slam poets. Look at me! Listen to me! I know what’s wrong with the world and I know what you should be doing about it. The slam icons don’t do anything but talk. You don’t find them freedom fighting in Nicaragua. You don’t even find them voting.

One very fine poet was jeered off the stage for daring to talk about the stars instead of screaming about rape or verbally avenging her ancestors who were supposedly brutalized two hundred years ago. Don’t speak about something sensitive at a slam, oh no, if you’re not shouting obscenities or flailing the obvious you’re boring and reactionary.

God help the poet who can actually write but has no aptitude for performing. Sometimes she’s tolerated but most times she’s sneered at and then booed off the stage.

And by who? Ultra-cool psuedo-writers dressed up in the fashion of their favorite pop idols. They haven’t the time to maybe learn something from the other writers reading on the stage, a stage that’s supposedly the most democratic forum of poetic expression in the world.

What bull! Slams, all of them (and I’ve been to many) are self-indulgent mass blatherings of the obvious. And this Sunday exposed Smith and his self-focused Sandburg show as the lead ego of the whole movement he says he created.

Signed,
I was there

Tonight’s Show

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:22:17 +0000

For those who don’t know the original slam, The Uptown Poetry Slam at the Green Mill in Chicago, continues to this day, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the longest running weekly entertainment in Chicago. Twenty-three and half years. That’s about 1200 shows playing to full houses almost every night. Damn amazing for a poetry event.

Tonight’s guest poet is ROB STURMA. Rob has performed for a number of years under the monicker Ratpack Slim, and during those years, he was on the Los Feliz Slam Team two years running (2003-2004), made it to the finals stage with Team Hollywood in 2005, and as slammaster of Western Regional slam team Gang Green, took three teams to Big Sur, rocking nationally ranked teams outta their seats.

He was the host of the seminal Los Angeles open mic Green from 2003-2007, featuring everyone from Jack Hirschmann to Andrea Gibson (Buddy Wakefield and Mike McGee neck in neck for most repeat features). He was the poetry editor for GetUnderground.com and Kotori Magazine, did a series of webstories called “Children of Slam” for kcet.org, was seen in the documentary Sp!t, and on the BET show “The Way We Do It”.

David Alan Grier gave him a 9.5 in a Comedy Central slam pilot. Snakes On A Plane/ Wolverine producer Jeff Katz called Rob’s poetry “outstanding” and Hardcore Wrestling Legend Mick Foley said Sturma’s poem about him “gave him goosebumps”. His new collection of poems Miles of Hallelujah will be available on Write Bloody Press in Fall 2009.

That’s a lot of credentials which isn’t uncommon for slammers these days. But credentials don’t mean much in Chicago. We’re hoping he rocks the house and he probably will. If you’re nearby come out and see for yourself.

Another Happy Slam Fan — From the Mail bag

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:31:44 +0000

LOOK OUT MISTER SLAM MAN,
I’m coming for you. You won’t know where and you won’t know when but I’m gonna be out there one day when none of you protectors are around and we’re gonna find out just how tough a steel mill guy you are which I suspect you’re not.

And why? Are you asking why? Are you reading this and thinking why somebody, me, is putting it out there that one night walking back into the fenced in lot behind the big brick wall of the Uptown Theater (oh yes I know where you park) you’re gonna be surprised to find someone who wants to see just how hard ass your ass really is.

I’m betting it ain’t. I’m betting it’s soft putty. That’s all I’m going to reveal at this moment.
No name No face

Going to Be a Good 2010

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:26:34 +0000

Happy Brrrrrr! It’s cold. I’m out at my homestead in Savanna. I look out the window and see a frozen Mississippi, rooftops covered with snow, and a blur of red fox slipping into the abandoned coal cellar of a downhill home. It’s a beautiful sight.

The upcoming year in Chicago abounds with beaucoup slam opportunity. Robbie Q’s Encyclopedia Show will no doubt continue to rock. Marty McConnel’s vox ferus workshops will continue to raise the bar on the quality of writing coming from Chicago poets. Chicago Slam Works will gear up to push forward with some exciting new projects including a partnership with Lethal Poetry to stage the Chicago Outspoken Poetry Festival.

On the home front, my son Adam and I have reconstructed the www.slampapi.com website to include some fancy new features including an e-store where fans can purchase Slam the Radio downloads and The Slam Family Tree which will chart the migration of slam across the world.

My resolution, as you might have guessed, is to keep folks better informed about what going down slamwise in Chicago. Check in at the website and drop us line to let us know you’re out there.

HUNTING DOWN SLAM HISTORY

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:20:52 +0000

I’m going through my files trying to nail down the chronology and circumstances of slam’s spread across the world. My son and I are going to incorporate this history into the Slampapi website as the slam family tree, but we need everyone’s help. It’ll be a Wikipedia style collection of slam facts and lore.

Kurt Heinz’s “Incomplete History of Slam” is the only document I know of that attempted to record the early history of slam and that document is now twenty years old. Time to create an updated version and a process that will help us all remember and be remembered.

Visit slampapi.com and add your slam to the slam family tree.

Fan Mail From Slam Bag

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:25:17 +0000

TO THE SLAM PAPI,

Here’s what I don’t know, amigo, Why are you pushing all these god damn pc poets who spend two seconds thinking and ten minutes puking their half-cocked opinions on stage to people who you, Mr. So What Smith, encourage to applaud even when they don’t agree with the shit they hear but are too scared you’ll come down on them if they didn’t. Christ you’re supposed to be hard ass Mr. Man of the People or at least that’s what the hype says.

I’ve been sitting in the back for some months now and you haven’t even glanced my way. You walk by, I nod you right in the face, and you rush past to get that stupid board where the poets sign up to read. I even wrote a phony name on the card once and you didn’t even get it. “PC 101”

“PC 101, are you here? Where are you PC 101? Going once, Going twice. You’re gone.” So you said.

But I wasn’t. I was sitting in the back watching how you didn’t have a clue. How everything is a big ha ha to you.

And do you know who won the slam that night? Elastic. That was her nom de plume. Elastic. And her puke poem was about how we all needed to expand our consciousness and nourish our receptive natures. She was dressed in a rig that looked like it was made of rubber bands,

Speak of stars and you speak of specks.
Speak of the ebony background
And you speak of the fabric of all
That is Holy.

Wholly in her head.

I’m about to give up on you Smith. The one night I had hope was the night you blasted the guy in front for yawning. You blasted him with your true asshole nature not the PC pretense you package and sell.

Look at me sometime. I’m the one with the finger up.

Summer’s Almost Over

Marc Kelly Smith - Slampapi — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:02:25 +0000

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.