Exploration

Poetry Slam:
A Weekly Dose of Poetry in Action

On a scale of zero to ten, how good do you think your poetry is? Welcome to a new way of looking at an old art form. The National Poetry Slam is judged, not by professionals, but by audience members, chosen at random. Open mic at the Sit and Spin is not a judged or critiqued aspect of the evening; it's a lottery much like the slam. This elating and sometimes cruel way of judging work takes place every Wednesday night in Seattle at the Sit and Spin on 4th Avenue between Bell and Blanchard. The decision that comes down on poets who slam is mostly booing by the audience if the score for his or her work does not receive the points that the nonjudging portion of the audience thinks that they should receive.

Mark Smith began The National Poetry Slam in Chicago in 1989 at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. It has been featured on 60 Minutes and National Geographic; locally it is run by Eleventh Hour Productions, an organization that is run by a board, volunteers, maestros, and the weekly door guys. Poets who enter the competition have the choice between open mic and slamming. The lottery of who gets picked by the Master of Ceremonies is a constant conversation topic.

The entry fee to Sit and Spin is $4.00. Early arrival, before the back door opens at 8 PM, will better assure a spot in the few seats. The Sit and Spin was named after the laundromat which is connected to the main dining room. While you do your laundry, you can listen to music, play board games, and eat pizza. The back room of the Sit and Spin is behind the counter and has only one entrance. The ceiling décor of upside down tables and lamps, and the black cloth are reminiscent of old Sherlock Holmes movies.

Sit and Spin's back room atmosphere is heavily grounded in cigarettes and strong drinks served in plastic cups from the bartender. The door opens tentatively around 8 PM. James and the Jazz Rednecks, a weekly part of the Seattle Poetry Slam, serenade the audience first for 40 minutes with impressive jazz and solo performances. The band performs its own work before the slam starts and during the break between open mic and the slam. They usually do not take requests from the poets until the slam is over, when poets are invited to come up and perform pieces with the band as accompaniment. The slam precedes the open mic and usually closes between 11 PM and midnight.

In the upcoming months, the Seattle Slam Team will form. The semi-finals have just begun so the competition is intensifying for the $25 prize and a place on the team. The nationals return to Chicago this year—the roots of the poetry slam.

The Sit and Spin poets can give feedback on both work in progress and work completed, enhancing writing and connecting local poets. The camaraderie bonds the poets and writers that attend the Sit and Spin, creating a comforting atmosphere. Reading your own poetry aloud can be ecstatic experience, especially for those never having experienced it.

The Berkeley Poetry Slam Team visited in mid-January. Some slam members are currently touring the West Coast, visiting similar venues in preparation for the Nationals this summer. The Sit and Spin should become a religious experience every week for any writer; the people-watching is great and so are the words that are lifted from the page to take on forms that can leave you thinking for days.

Cecilie Roaldset is a creative writer and poet who has been active as an editor and contributor to her university's literary magazine and non-academic publications.