me at the willow house!

[muse]

It's been a month of gigs booked after my Slab City Slam performance, which is bloody cool. At Slab City, I wrote and memorised both of my pieces a few days before performing. It freaked me out, but I'm always about pushing myself harder and trying to be the best Ms. Jewel that I can be. Performing at slams is still a very nerve-wracking thing

Comments

::purrpurrgrowl.::

[muse]

Alison,

I am not and will never be a slam poet (no offense to them whatsoever; it's just not my artform of choice). However, I have slammed in the past and probably will again in the future. The number of times I've slammed can still be counted on both hands. The decision to slam or not to slam is personal and really depends on what the poet is looking for in slamming. Some slam poets really feed off the points and attention. Others like the challenge of having a weekly venue to bring new material. Still others are driven by ego and don't really grow, but become monsters unto themselves, believing in their own hype. The last are rarer. In slam, there are many shades of poets. I am not what some would consider a typical slam poet; I'm not funny and I don't do my pieces like I've mastered the art of speech and debate.

However, slam has forced me to be disciplined and really own my words. It's opened my mind and reminded me that any art that people create is valid, not just the types that I consider formal and accepted.

Jewel

Re: ::purrpurrgrowl.::

[darkthicket]

Thank you so much for a quick response. You replied...hmm, exactly how I thought you would so I'm guessing I answered my own questions from within. :] I don't know if I have a definition in my own mind of what/who a slam poet is. I know that Saul Williams is considered one, & he is one of my favourite people in general, though I would just say he is a good reader or storyteller...which, I suppose slam poetry essentially is, just with a point system involved. I think that might be what stops me in my tracks. I, too, feel that any & all art is relevant & open to numerous interpretations without needing to be "judged". Not that I do not believe in being critiqued, heck, I critique myself quite often & it does help one learn & grow as an artist as well as a human. So, thank you again, I have a few things to think about here.

And haha, I am definitely more growly lately than purr-y. Also, I do not want to lose touch with you when I delete my LiveJournal account.