May 12, 2008
8:00 pm	to	11:00 pm

The Vancouver Poetry Slam
Canada’s Longest Running Poetry Slam Continues!

@ Cafe deux Soleils: 2096 Commercial Drive (Commercial & 4th Ave.)

The 1st, 3rd, and 5th Monday of every month is the Van Slam, a regular poetry slam open to everyone (read more about the rules)
The 2nd Monday of every month is the Alt Slam, a themed poetry night
The 4th Monday of every month is the Youth Slam, for competitors between the ages of 13-22 (but for audiences of all ages!)

The Slam on Monday, May 12th is the Haiku Poetry Slam.

The rumours you have heard are true. Our Alt Slam in May will be, yes, a HAIKU DEATHMATCH!

Featuring poetry legend Jack McCarthy!

Jack McCarthy calls himself a “standup poetry guy.” Others have called him “legend.” The Boston Phoenix named him “Best Standup Poet,” The Boston Globe said, “In the poetry world, he’s a rock star.” Poet Stephen Dobyns calls him, “one of the wonders of contemporary poetry.” He’s an engaging minor character in the film “Slamnation” and was a semifinalist for the Individual Slam Championship in 2000. His work appears in the anthologies “The Spoken Word Revolution,” “Poetry Slam,” and the very prestigious “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Slam Poetry.” His major book, “Say Goodnight, Grace Notes,” was released in 2003 to rave reviews. He now lives in Everett, Washington. His website is www.standupoet.net.

16 haikusters will battle it out. Head to head style.

The show goes like this:

• Open Mic
• Round 1: 16 competitors - best 3 of 5
• Feature: The American Buddhas!
• Round 2: 8 competitors - best 2 of 3
• Round 3: 4 competitors - best 2 of 3
• Round 4: the final 2 - best 5 of 9

Judging will be by audience applause.

The loser of each round will commit seppuku!

Please sign up in advance to battle. Preference goes to 8 male / 8 female. You will need to 20 haiku (potentially) to make it through all four rounds.

It won’t be exactly like this, but to get a feeling for the flavour of the haikus and event…

Start writing your haiku now!Facebook Event here
Doors are at 8pm
Open Mic at 8:45
Haiku Slam Starts at 9pm
$5 at the doorAll ages, & all styles are welcome in the spirit of fair play and good times!

A new aspect of the Vancouver Poetry Slam, the “Alt Slam” is a themed poetry slam that takes place on the 2nd Monday of every month starting in January 2008. These slams do not count towards qualification in this year’s Poetry Team play-offs. But they will be a lot of fun!