 |
   |
  |
|
Radio National's daily arts and music program, the Deep End selected nine finalists to perform in Australia's first national poetry slam. On Wednesday November 24 the slam came to radio audiences across Australia, when one writer from each state and territory performed a two-minute poem live on the Deep End. You had one week to decide the winner by lodging an online vote for your favourite performance. And the winner is ... Mitchell Joe from the ACT. Congratulations. The finalists were: You can leave your comments about the slam and the winning slammer, or read what other people have to say in our guestbook. What is the Deep End National Poetry Slam? Poetry slams are an international performance phenomenon. Started in 1986 in a Chicago jazz club, slams were created to make poetry more exciting for a broader audience. They are a fast, feisty and frenetic way of delivering poetry. The competitive nature of battling it out with words allows for plenty of audience entertainment. Similar to MCs fighting the contest out with rap, this is a way to show what you've got in a short space of time. Beginners can blow everyone away, regulars get a chance to be fresh and anyone can be in it. On Wednesday 24 November 2004 the slam came to radio audiences across Australia. In a poetry slam a writer performs a short work which is given a score out of 10 by judges drawn from the audience. The Deep End Poetry Slam, in the tradition of 'Australian Idol', will add its own twist to slam history by allowing all its listeners to vote for their favourite performance via this website. Poetry slams are open to every poet, performer and writer who is willing to share their original work live to air. Whether their style is groovy, mellow, hip-hop or straight. The overall winner of the Deep End National Poetry Slam has the opportunity to have two short works (no more than four minutes each) recorded at their nearest ABC studio and broadcast on The Deep End on Radio National. They will also receive a selection of poetry books and CDs valued at $100 from the ABC Shop .
Please note that the ABC is not responsible for the material and does not endorse the opinions presented on external sites. Links to external sites will open in a new browser window. |
