2004 Individual World Poetry Slam

www.poetryslam.com www.worldpoetrychampionship.com After the explosion of the 2003 National Poetry Slam in August 2003 with 68 teams and close to 300 poets, the Slammasters Council voted to start the first annual Individual World Poetry Slam [iWPS] to be held this February 4th – 7th 2004 in Greenville, South Carolina. This inaugural event will feature 60 poets from 60 different cities, slugging-it-out in two days of preliminaries and culminating in a final clash of the top twelve for $2300. Like all slam events, the Individual World Poetry Slam Champion will be chosen by the five judges picked randomly from the audience members! Please contact Kimberly Simms, Festival Director for more information at 864-525-6957 or email at Kimberly@witsendpoetry.com [http://www.witsendpoetry.com/aboutkimberlysimms.html]

(PRWEB) December 21, 2003 --Like the National Poetry Slam, the World Poetry Slam will be staged in a different city each year and will feature world acclaimed feature performers, poetry and performance workshops, specialty slams and open mics, as well as events for youth, in addition to the three day competition. Worcester, MA will hold iWPS in 2005.

Each individual competitor at the World Poetry Slam is vetted through local open competitions. At the NYC-Urbana Slam in January, fourteen finalists will poetically brawl at the Bowery Poetry Club for the title of Urbana Slam Champ and the chance to go to the first annual Individual World Poetry Slam (iWPS).

Slam poets hail from a vast array of backgrounds - bankers, teachers, and ad execs. As this diversity of voices plays across the stage at the Individual World Poetry Slam, audiences will hear stories from the four corners of America.

http://www.worldpoetrychampionship.com/press.html

Selected Competitor Information (Competitor Registration Ends January 1st):
http://www.worldpoetrychampionship.com/iWPSpoets.html

ARIZONA, MESA:
Corbet Dean has won the title of Mesa, Arizona Slam Champ. After suffering a gunshot wound in 1994 while on duty as a police officer, Dean turned to poetry. He still continues his work on the force, trying to affect change within the "system."

DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA:
One of the original South Florida poets, Tap has been a member of two National Poetry Slam teams. She frequently participates in various community fund-raisers, both for her home venue and the local community in general. Known for the fluidity of her verse and outrageousness in her choice of topics, Tap is sure to put on an eyebrow raising, thought provoking, velvet smooth show.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA:
Mike McGee , 2003 National Poetry Slam Individual Grand Champion, will be representing San Jose. Mike calls what he does "stand up poetry" and believes wholeheartedly that humor heals, or at least eases the wounds of life and all of its growing pains. http://66.45.126.59/poets/mike_mcgee.jsp

WASHINGTON, SEATTLE:
Seattle is sending their Grand Champion, Buddy Wakefield to iWPS. Through his career, Wakefield has been a lumberjack in Norway, a street vendor in Spain, a candy maker in Texas, a RE-delivery boy in Washington, a maid, and the executive assistant of a biomedical firm. His poems take the listener on journeys from truck stops to office cubicles. http://66.45.126.59/poets/buddy_wakefield.jsp

WISCONSIN, MILWAKEE:
Daniel Allen Vaughn bagged the iWPS spot for Milwaukee, WI. The author of a recent CD and book, Vaughn marries social consciousness with hopeless romanticism , while standing firmly on his native Mississippi roots.
Other cities include: ANN ARBOR, MI, AUSTIN, TX, BOSTON CANTAB, BOSTON LIZARD LOUNGE, BURLINGTON, VA, CHARLESTON, SC, COLORADO SPRINGS, COLUMBIA, SC, CHARLOTTE, NC, COLUMBUS, OH, DELRAY BEACH, FL, FT. WORTH, TX, GREENVILLE, SC, KALAMAZOO, MESA AZ MINNEAPOLIS, MILWAUKEE, WI, MONTEVALLO, AL, ORLANDO, FL, PROVIDENCE, MA, SAN JOSE, SEATTLE, WA, URBANA, NYC, WINSTON SALEM, NC, WORCESTER, MA
HISTORY:
Poetry Slam Inc. and Wits End Poetry have partnered to bring this amazing project to Greenville. Wits End Poetry is a registered SC charity non-profit with 501 (c) status applied for. Poetry Slam Inc. is a full 501 (c) 3 non-profit charity. All event profits will fund the development of teen slam programs.

Poetry Slam was invented by poet and construction worker Marc Smith in 1984 to infuse life back into a dwindling poetry scene. Since then, performance poetry has spread like wildfire across the country and has crossed over into mainstream media with shows such as Def Poetry Jam. In 1990 the National Poetry Slam was started by Marc Smith bringing teams of poets from across the country together for head-to-head poetic battle. In August 2003, close to 5,000 people and 300 poets attended the 2003 NPS in Chicago.

Contact: Kimberly Simms 864-525-6957 kimberly@witsendpoetry.com