#berkeley slam

[adisonbrennan]

Sierra Demulder- Facts Written from an Airplane

[jamiedewolf]

Thadra Sheridan performs "Neon Yellow Sports Drink" at the Berkeley Slam

[jamiedewolf]

Dear Significant Other by Thadra Sheridan.

[reykenahbi]

we live in a world where the crimes of men are swept under a rug woven from the punchlines of misogynistic jokes.

from the poem i performed at my first poetry slam

[bostonpoetryslam]

For me, the body is too sacred not to include in poetry. Most of my poems start in the body, often coming from something physical that then inspires the words to come about. I think dance and movement is a thing of my life, not necessarily in a formal sense, but in a ‘I dance all around the house and on the bus stop’ sense. If I am to accurately write my world, then my poems must dance, they must sweat and get weak in the knees. Also, I hate the gym, so I make my poems do some cardio for me.

Danez Smith, interviewed by Jason Bayani for Berkeley Slam

[bostonpoetryslam]

For me, coming into writing through the writing of other young writers made it seem not cool, but possible. It made poetry feel alive and not as an old concept divorced from my present. For youth or anyone coming into a love of poetics, I am down for them to come into it however they damn well can. The ballinest part of poetry to me is that at any given time, there is a poem for every one! I think learning to love the words of a 15 year old writer can be just as powerful as learning to love words through some of the genius of Audre Lorde or some of the other masters, whether classic or contemporary.

Danez Smith, interviewed by Jason Bayani for Berkeley Slam

[wonderdave]

Toaster performs Cicada at the Berkeley Slam filmed by youtube.com/teamwonderdave

[wonderdave]

Michael Lee performs "Awake you sweet Devils"