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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2004)
Foolscap Books to host slam finals before closing The three-round Poetry Slam final also will have Oratrix and Eleven Eyes performances and an open mic session By Carl Sundberg Pulse Columnist Foolscap Books owner Marietta Bonaventure is packing her books into cardboard boxes and taking out shelves that once filled her store. Bonaventure is preparing to close down. She also is preparing for one grand party, and everyone is invited. Foolscap Books, located at 780 Blair Blvd., will host its last Poetry Slam on Saturday and celebrate the store's clo sure after the event. Tickets are available on a sliding scale of $3 to $5 at the door. Ihe festivities begin at 8 p.m., kicking off with an open mic where anyone brave enough to step up on stage can read their work, following the open mic, Seattle's all-female poetry group Oratrix will perform. After the slam's conclusion, local group Eleven Eyes will perform un til the wee hours of the morning. But of course, the main event of the night is the slam competition. "It's just really high energy and you will be moved," Bonaventure said. "It will totally rock your world, especially with these six poets we have; they're all really amazing performers and great writers." I he poets are: Cassie Sorensen, Jahan Khalighi, Kitt Jennings, Olivia Pepper, Sam Rutledge and Shea Shattuck-Faegre. The six slam poets will compete for a spot on the four person team, which will represent Eugene, and compete in the National Poetry Slam Aug. 3 to Aug. 8 in St. Louis. This competition's structure is simple. It's a three-round bout where poets perform one poem per round. Ihe poets are scored by judges from the audience. These scores are cumu lative throughout the three rounds; the four highest-scoring poets be come the Eugene slam team. Poets must stay within a three-minute time limit or have their scores penalized. They also can't use props. last year, the slam finals were a huge event. It was so well attended that Bonaventure had to put speakers outside so those sitting there could hear. This year, she said she expects the audience to be as big, if not bigger, especially since the store is closing down and there is more space. "It's kind of strange," said Nathan Langston, a team member from last year. "I first got down there four years ago and there was a slam scene, but it was private, behind closed doors, and five years later, it's just crazy — it's an eruption." Once the team is decided, it will begin training for the nationals. To prepare, Bonaventure will start working with the poets to fine-tune their poetry. "After May 15, we start rehearsing and do weekly rehearsals with the team. We'll probably get some coaches in, with breathing and technique and delivery; we'll get an actor or something like that to come in and talk about ex pression," she said. "We'll start work shopping our pieces, so if somebody knows this is a piece they want to bring to nationals, we're going to work that piece; we're going to tune it up." Also during this time, Bonaventure and the Eugene team will fund-raise to get enough money to go to St. Louis. "We're doing a documentary May 16, that's our first major fund-raiser, (we'll be) selling CDs, we have gigs throughout the summer in clubs and we're going to do the (Oregon) Coun try Fair, "she said. The documentary Bonaventure is referring to is a film by Lisa Wells about last year's finals in Chicago, which will play at the Bijou Art Cine ma at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are on a suggested donation sliding scale of$5to$10. Tim Bobosky Photographer Kitt Jennings (right), one of six Poetry Slam finalists at Foolscap Books, and Foolscap Books owner Marietta Bonaventure (background left), visit KWVA 88.1 FM’s Mr. Random's Armadillo Radio Show on Tuesday. PART 2 OF 3 May 6: An overview of the bookstore and its role in the formation of the slam poetry scene Today: An in-depth preview of the final slam competition to determine this year’s Eugene slam and a look at the future of slam in Eugene May 20: A reporter's notebook looking back on the finals and what went down, interviews with the winners and more tales of madness For some, the store closing is a sad event. "I was in denial until 1 actually saw it," said Khalighi, a competitor in the finals. "But Marietta is real dedicated and I'm kind of hopeful (about the future.)" Bonaventure also has high hopes for the future. "I feel so liberated, I'm so happy," she said. "It's interesting because so many people have come in and they're like, 'I'm so sad you guys are leaving,' and I just tell them, 'No, it's so good,' we're losing all this overhead, all this commitment and financial hardship, it will be over. I feel great. I've been totally walking on air." She will continue the Poetry Slam at a new venue starting next season at Territorial Vineyards and Wine Company, located at 907 W. 3rd Ave. While its name maybe misleading, the slam will remain all ages. Once Foolscap is closed, Bonaven ture will become an online book seller, enabling her to focus more at tention on creative endeavors, such as expanding the slam scene to a wider, younger audience. "I'd really like to bring slam into the schools because it's so empowering and it's this thing that anyone can do; you don't need any special equipment to write and express yourself," she said. "I'd like to get more younger people involved in that." Contact the Pulse columnist at carlsundberg@dailyemerald.com. POETRY SLAM FUND-RAISING EVENTS • May 15: Eugene Poetry Slam at Foolscap Books, located at 780 Blair Blvd. Tickets are $3 to $5. Doors open at 8 p.m. • May 16: Eugene vs. the Universe: The National Poetry Slam 2003 documentary at the Bijou Art Cinemas, located at 492 E. 13th St. Suggested donation: $5-10. Show starts at 12:30 p.m. • June 12: Benefit Slam with The Maybe Happening at the Downtown Lounge, located at 959 Pearl St. Ticket information unavailable. • July 2: Benefit Slam with Station Wag at John Henry’s, located at 77 W. Broadway. Ticket information unavailable. • July 30: Benefit Slam with The Ordinary Flies at Sam Bonds Garage, located at 407 Blair Blvd. Ticket information unavailable. SOURCE: Foolscap Books Help cover camnus life Hiring for summer and fall terms APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, May 14, 5:00 p.m. Applications and job descriptions can be picked up at Suite 300, EMU. Questions? Call 346-5511 Hiring for summer and fall terms. All positions are paid. I NEWS Editors, Reporters I SPORTS Editor, Reporters I PULSE/ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Editor, Reporters I EDITORIAL/OPINION I Editor, Columnists I FREELANCE Editor/director of recruitment I COPY EDITING Copy Chiefs, Copy Editors I GRAPHICS AND DESIGN Design Editor Graphic Artist/Page Designer Editorial Illustrator/Cartoonist I ONLINE EDITION Editor, Webmaster Oregon Daily Emerald M Ejiufl .Qpuortuprty Employer committed to a culturally diverse!wdr£f>|pcp. g FOG continued from page 12 form a colony not far from the com munity. Some of the locals lit fires that Jed the ship into the rocks, then used the lepers' money to begin their own community. Now, the ghosts of those lepers are back to exact revenge by killing six people in the town, rep resenting the six original conspirators who lit the fires. The ghosts travel in the same thick fog that covered their ship. The story and its many threads are woven with skill and craft by director Carpenter. After creating the landmark horror film "Halloween" in 1978, he established himself as one of cinema's true auteurs, and 'The Fog" continued many of the themes and styles that had been established in "Halloween." The eerie minimalist musical score is even similar to the theme for "Hal loween" (which still stands as one of the creepiest pieces of music ever recorded) but sounds more formal, more fitting of a ghost story. And a ghost story this is — a well done exercise in sustained mood throughout. While the film has its shocks and jump-in-your-seat mo ments, the most memorable se quences are simply of the fog rolling across the ocean, slowly encompass ing the town and bringing the ghosts in to get their revenge. Contact the senior Pulse reporter at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com. oushi-Go-Round Quick & Affordable High Quality Food Family Atmosphere Extra large selection of sushi. Grill, tempura, noodles & more! 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