The Lottery of the Slam: A note on Surrender

One of the best shows I was ever a part of was a show put on by the Throw Poetry Collective in Montreal. We invited a crew called the "Capital Poetry Collective" from Canada's capital Ottawa to come to Montreal and perform as a super collective. We joined the two forces together and the result was a show in which we had no cut off time... people were so inspired that audience members just kept coming up with things to perform and read. So many important connections were made that night between both communities and individual poets.

Alas, at Bella Union's Slamalamadingdong, we have two hours which has been a great lesson in running a tight ship and leaving the audience wanting more (not a bad thing at all) but it does mean that we simply can't fit everyone into that 2 hr slot. So the slam draw determines who will have their moment and in what order the Poets will perform.

In the lead up to this week's Jam Slam, with so many loose ends to tie, I marvel at all the energy I am putting into an outcome I/we as a community cannot fully control. For the nature of the slam can be absurd and a frustrating experience. I know so many Poets will show up on the steps of the Bella Union hoping and praying that their name will be pulled out of the draw in order to get a chance to perform their poem with a full band. We all know that this is the best prize of all. But there will be a handful of Poets who don't get in and will have to resume their place in the audience and hopefully enjoy and be inspired by the night.

It's been 10 years that I have been practicing spoken word and I'm still not sick of the slam as absurd and unfair as it sometimes may seem. This year, I have witnessed the egos of Poet's soften, transform and put their attention on the things that matter. The Poetry, eachother and the gifts of the evening in the form of new connections and minds blown, not the points.

The slam forces us to remember why we are doing what we do. It asks us to "check yourself, before you wreck yourself"... why are you going into the slam? Are you doing it for the hierarchy factor, to be known, to win, to mark your place and say "I'm here." That's all well and good, but if there was no prize, would you do it anyway? For lthe ove, for celebration, for your lineage, for fun. One can/should only answer to themselves in that quiet sacred moment a Poet has with themselves right before they walk on stage. That moment, it will tell you so much.

Sometimes I worry about the Poets who don't get in. Too much. I want to do something, make it better, put a balm on the sting, but I know there is nothing I can do. It is our own job to decide/choose how we want to integrate this lottery into our lives.

I fully believe, that everyone has their moment. There is something bigger, wiser and more divine helping all the cards to fall in the order they should fall in. Everytime I trust and surrender to this and ask that we can all grow as people through this funny little process. It happens and keeps happening.

So this is an invitation to all the Poets who have ever gotten into the slam, not gotten into the slam, will get into the slam, won't get into the slam: Let's make it about our unity.

That's a foundation our community will be able to stand on in the years to come. That's what we'll need in order to achieve our goal of putting Slamalama on an interstate, national platform for festivals, bigger and more boundary pushing events etc. etc. etc.

And in 2014- perhaps an ANTI SLAM GO ALL NIGHT UNTIL EVERYONE GETS A TURN SPOKEN WORD JAM? We just might. Watch this space.