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
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FOG
continued from page 12
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