Thursday October 25th
Doors and Slam Sign-up at 7:30pm, Show at 8pm
100 Genetics and Plant Biology (GPB)
Feat. Michael Lee and Sam Cook!!
$5 admission*
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Come out to CalSLAM’s second slam of the semester! The slams only get better as the season goes on, and the first one was beautiful. This Thursday, we’re featuring two (that’s right, two) incredible poets that are touring right now: Michael Lee and Sam Cook.
Michael Lee is a Minneapolis poet, performer, fiction writer, and youth worker. Michael is currently the ninth ranked slam poet in the world. He was named the 2011 “Best Individual Poet” of Collegiate Nationals (CUPSI). He is a recipient of the 2011 Verve Grant and was a finalist for the 2010 LOFT Literary Centers’ Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose. Michael performs and conducts poetry workshops at rehabs, homeless shelters, religious/spiritual institutions, youth programs, colleges and high schools in Minnesota and around the country. When he is not performing or conducting workshops he works as a Youth Counselor at Avenues For Youth, a homeless shelter on Minneapolis’ North Side. He has dedicated the last several years of his life to serving youth in his community and around the country by sharing his love for poetry, expression, and learning.
Sam Cook is a National Poetry Slam champion who resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sam received a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Minnesota, and is a Co-Founder of Button Poetry, which co-produced and cast the Poetry Observed video series. He is the Director and Coach of the two-time national champion St. Paul Soapboxing poetry slam team, and he has coached the University of Minnesota and Macalester College slam teams to numerous Finals Stage appearances and awards over the past three years. These awards include a national title at CUPSI 2011 and the “Best Poet” award three years running. Sam is committed to reaching out to youth in Minnesota and nationwide, through poetry, performance and a deep love for tomfoolery.
This is part of a series of slams leading up to our final slam in February, where students will compete to earn their place on the Cal Slam poetry team, which will represent UC Berkeley at the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitation (CUPSI) and compete against 35+ Universities across the nation. *You do NOT have to be a Cal student to compete in the slam, however you must be affiliated with UC Berkeley to qualify to compete at CUPSI.
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In case you didn’t know,here’s how the rules of a poetry slam work: Participants have 3 minutes to share their words. They are then scored on a scale of 1-10 by five randomly selected judges. Participants are given a ten second grace period, after which .5 points will be deducted with every subsequent 10 seconds over time. Also, the slam will consist of two rounds - so prepare at least two poems if you plan to compete.
Remember, the point ain’t the points, but the POETRY, and CalSlams goal is to provide a welcoming and enlightening space for stories to be shared and voices to be heard.
*Where does the $5 admission go? We use revenue to pay our amazing features, DJs/hosts, and to send our slam team - which took 3rd in the nation in 2012 - to CUPSI every year. We get very little money from the ASUC, but we hope to one day be able to afford bigger and better venues and features, print chapbooks of student poetry, and make t-shirts. In short, all your money goes back into serving the audience, poets, and members, and making a better show for you!
