Last week (Thurs., Jan. 22) I was delighted to win the Edinburgh University Literature Society January Slam, thus qualifying for the Scottish National Slam (which will be held Feb. 26 in Edinburgh). However, I faced a bit of a dilemma because I was also slotted to compete in the National Library of Scotland Burns Night Slam … Continue reading Slam Ethics: Once Qualified, Should you Continue Competing?
Month: January 2015
Workshop Review: Francesca Beard
Two days ago (Sat. Jan. 24), I attended a master class in Edinburgh with the London-based spoken word artist Francesca Beard hosted by Rally & Broad. The workshop focused on how to establish a persona and a physical presence onstage when performing spoken word poetry. It was very well-attended and proved an excellent source of new … Continue reading Workshop Review: Francesca Beard
Open Mic 3 February with Katie Ailes
Inky Fingers Open Mic
Tuesday 3rd February December, 8pm
Forest Café, Lauriston Place
Free!
The Inky Fingers Open Mic is back for 2015! On the first Tuesday of the month between 8-11 pm, it’s free to come and free for anyone to perform, regardless of style, experience, or identity.
We want to hear from YOU. We want your poems, your rants, your ballads, your short stories, your diaries, your experimental texts, your heart, your mind, your body. We want the essay on your summer holidays you wrote when you were four, your adolescent haiku, and extracts from your eventually-to-be-completed epic fantasy quadrilogy. We want to hear your best new work as well. And we want people to care about the way words are performed.
We are very excited to announce that this month’s feature is spoken word poet, Katie Ailes.
Katie Ailes is a poet and researcher from the…
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Accessibility in Slam: the Debatable Fairness of Exclusive-Entry Qualifiers
Last week, a discussion was initiated on the Facebook event page for the Scottish National Slam regarding the fairness of the Glasgow Student Slam, which I am co-organising with students at universities across Scotland. The debate involved many prominent members of the Scottish spoken word scene, and became quite animated as many people weighed in. As it … Continue reading Accessibility in Slam: the Debatable Fairness of Exclusive-Entry Qualifiers
Breaking the Authenticity of the Performing Body
The U.S National Poetry Slam rules require poets to perform pieces they have written: one cannot perform another person’s work at the competition. Slam as a genre is linked to the performance of one's own identity since the poet is physically there onstage with an accent, a skin colour, an apparent sex, etc. These cues affect how … Continue reading Breaking the Authenticity of the Performing Body
Katie Ailes 