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I’ve just updated the events page with details of the ACT heat of the Australian Poetry Slam. This is the big one: $600 in prizes, plus your chance to win a shot at the national prize of $5000 and a gig at the 2010 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali!

Australian Poetry Slam ‘09 – ACT heat
6 November 6:00-10:00pm
Foyer National Library of Australia
Parkes Place

As in previous years you’ll need to book a slot by calling the library on (02) 6262 1271.

For the benefit of those who haven’t attended an Australian Poetry Slam before, the rules are slightly different to the slams at The Front. The time limit is 2 minutes, not 3. Also, there will be five audience members judging you out of 10 with the highest and lowest scores disregarded. If there’s a draw (as there has been on the previous two occasions) we’ll get you to perform a second piece – so make sure you prepare for this possibility!

Meanwhile, you’ll be able to practice your pieces at the Halloween Slam next week:

Halloween Slam
30 October 7:30-11:30pm
The Front Gallery and Café
Wattle St, Lyneham

We’ll be doing some special fun things for this slam, including awarding a prize for the scariest poem of the night!

It’s possible that this month’s slam may be the last one at The Front for the year, given that the ACT heat is next month and December’s slam will take place at the National Museum of Australia (more on that later).

I’ll be gauging people’s interest in a November Front slam next Friday so speak up if you want it to happen! Note that if it does go ahead it will probably be quite a low-key event.

Another mega slam last night – thanks to everyone for coming out in the cold weather. We ended up with just under 20 poets performing in the slam, plus two big sets from the entertaining Randall Stephens.

Top three poets were:

1. CJ (with an amazing ‘party’ piece)
2. Jacinta (aided by a chorus of uncooperative Greek nonnas)
3. Andrew ‘Bad Slam’ Galan (on killing Care Bears or something)

And now for… Judge Judy judging a poetry slam. No it’s not what you think it is (how cool/bizarre/intimidating would that be?) but, rather, a warning to producers of all spoken word events that you make sure you pay your poets!

Next slam is Friday 30 October so be prepared for some sort of Halloween (eve) silliness. Probably.

Friday night’s Halloween slam was great fun (although a little on the quiet side – to be expected with Stonefest, Reclaim the Night and a bunch of other events on at the same time)…  Nevertheless ’twas lovely to see all of the kids (and big kids) dressed up, getting into the spookiness of the day.

We boosted the scary factor inside The Front by (silently) projecting Nosferatu and Plan 9 from Outer Space behind the performers. I thought it might be too distracting for the audience but everyone seemed to enjoy it. My haunted house poem went down well, as did the other Halloween-themed entries. The winners were:

1. Liz Beaton
2. Seung Baek
3. Hadley

Andrew Walker did us a treat by playing well into the night – astounding variety of music for one man and his guitar.