UrbSLAM competed and finished in the top ten in the twenty-fifth annual National Poetry Slam held in Oakland, California in August, against a field of seventy-two teams from throughout the United States and Canada. Additionally, former UrbSLAM champion JayLuvve won the individual slam championship at the Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam tournament of thirty-two teams…
Continue ReadingSTL Picks 2014 UrbSLAM Team
SAINT LOUIS, MO. – April 26, 2014 – Top spoken word poets battled with piercing literary devices to win their place on the 2014 UrbSLAM touring team at UrbSLAM Final Stage held at Legacy Books and Café. Chris Ware took the top prize as UrbSLAM champion, beating out five other contestants for the distinction. The…
Continue ReadingChris Ware Wins Sept Slam
Chris Ware edged out Blackstone for first place in the September UrbSLAM match, winning by a tenth of a point. It wasn’t easy for the 2013 alternate. Ware trailed the 2012 UrbSLAM champ, Jay Luvve, by three-tenths of point after the first round. By the end, Ware managed to place just enough distance between himself…
Continue ReadingThe New UrbSLAM Logo is Here
UrbSLAM has now added a new logo for its 2013-14 branding efforts. Designed by Urban Artist Alliance logo designer Melshonda Lowe-Dobbins, the UrbSLAM logo incorporates the fleur de lis symbol used in the St. Louis City flag. UrbSLAM t-shirts will soon be available on slam nights beginning in January 2014. UrbSLAM is currently holding a monthly competition to…
Continue ReadingRAC Offers Year-Long Artist Fellowships
The Regional Arts Commission is offering ten St. Louis-based artists fellowships of $20,000 apiece to winning applicants. On RAC’s website, they posted the following statement: To foster and invest in the careers of St. Louis artists of all disciplines by providing funds to allow for more time and space to study, reflect, experiment, explore, practice,…
Continue ReadingThe Tour Recap
UrbSLAM is making noise. For two years in a row, UrbSLAM has sent a team of poets to compete at Southern Fried. The team added another contest to their travels when they visited the Rustbelt Midwest Regional. In both competitions, the 2013 UrbSLAM did something it had not done before: win a bout. For those…
Continue ReadingUrbPoetry Slam Season
The 2012-2013 poetry slam season begins June 29th. Cash prize is $50 for first place plus prizes for 2nd and 3rd. To compete, poets must pay $5 at the door. The competition is audience judged. There will be 10 slams this season and you must earn 10 points to qualify for the Final on Friday,…
Continue ReadingThe Alternative: Greg the Poet gets the KrisisBlackstar Treatment
St. Louis’ poetry scene has countless numbers of gifted and talented spoken word artists. In my opinion, however, the last few years of St.Louis poetry has seemed to lack a bit in artistry and just the popularity of it as a whole. The platform of spoken word poetry is now shifting into a fresh and…
Continue ReadingUrb SLAM: And the Winner Is…
The sounds of blazing words set the mic on fire as some of St. Louis’ finest competed for the crown of Slam Champion at Urb Poetry hosted at Legacy Books and Café. Roaring applause and snaps were bountiful as poet Jay Luvve serenaded the crowd with his prolific prose that eventually won him enough points…
Continue Reading