2010 Schedule «

2010 Schedule

Pre-Jazzmouth Events:

Jazzmouth Fundraiser Night at Flatbread Pizza, 138 Congress Street, Portsmouth, NH (http://www.flatbreadcompany.com/2007Portsmouth.htm); Tuesday, March 9, 2010 starting at 5:00PM

South Street & Vine fundraiser – Thursday, March 25, 2010, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. — Featuring poetry by Lesley Kimball and Pat Parnell!
Free wine & cheese will be served.

FREE EVENT at G Willikers:

Saturday, April 17th, Noon at G. Willikers Toy Shop. 13 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH.

Jazzmouth Presents the Poetry of Langston Hughes, with live music — for kids of all ages!

Portsmouth music and poetry maven Bruce Pingree will be reading works of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes. The reading will be accompanied by live music played by Larry Simon and Groove Bacteria. The whole family will love this event. Recommended for people ages 2-100.

Additionally, the reading will be followed by a juggling jazz bass player. That’s right!!!

For more info, contact G. Willikers Toys:

13 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801

603.436.7746, http://www.gwillikers.com
Thursday, April 22, 2010, 7 p.m.
at Portsmouth Public Library, presenting the film Jazz on A Summer’s Day - proceeded by a short set of live poetry and jazz
175 Parrott Avenue
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603.427.1540, http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/Library/

Friday, April 23, 2010:
11 a.m. to noon – Coffee break reading at Breaking New Grounds, 16 Market Square, Portsmouth
6 p.m. - Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program (PPLP) – Spring Hill Tavern, 13 Bow Street, Portsmouth
8 p.m. – The Press Room, John Sinclair and Chris Humphrey, jazz vocalist, 77 Daniel Street, Portsmouth (http://www.pressroomnh.com)

Jeremy Helfin’s Jazzmouth photography exhibit can currently be viewed upstairs at The Press Room, 77 Daniel Street, Portsmouth. The exhibit will be available through the end of the festival.

Saturday, April 24, 2010:
11 a.m. – Kids at RiverRun Bookstore, 20 Congress Street (http://www.riverrunbookstore.com)
1 p.m.   - Jazzmouth Workshop: Slam – Myth and Reality at the Portsmouth Public Library*
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.   – Jazz Jam, with Larry Garland, at The Press Room (http://www.pressroomnh.com)
4 p.m.   – Teen Jazz Band – The Press Room
5:30-7:00 p.m.   – Riverrun Bookstore signing with Young Dawkins followed by an open mic
8 p.m.   – Main Event at The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, tel. 603.436.2400, www.themusichall.org, featuring Michael McClure & Ray Manzarek (co-founder of The Doors with Jim Morrison) and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. Also Larry Simon & Groove Bacteria, Iyeoka Okoawo and Young Dawkins.

Tickets are now on sale and are $26 and $32 in advance, $28 and $35 at Door. For more information click on “6th Annual Extravaganza” above or http://jazzmouth.org/jazzmouth-press-releases/.

Sunday, April 25, 2010:
11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Jazz and Poetry Brunch at The Library at Rockingham Restaurant, 401 State Street, Portsmouth 603.431.5202, http://www.libraryrestaurant.com/

*Jazzmouth Workshop (Saturday, April 24, at 1:00 p.m. at the Portsmouth Public Library): Come learn about the mysteries of the poetry slam. Bring a poem or two that you feel confident presenting aloud. Panel presentation with Q&A followed by Workshop & Performance.

There’s No Such Thing as Slam Poetry: Debunking Poetry Slam

The poetry slam was invented in Chicago in 1986 by a construction worker named Marc Smith. His goal was to make the traditional poetry reading more exciting by making it competitive, akin to Olympic sports like diving and gymnastics that are judged on a scale of 0–10. In a poetry slam, he envisioned, poets would perform original works and then be judged by five members of the audience selected at random before the contest began.

What started nearly twenty-five years ago at the Green Mill in Chicago has grown exponentially ever since. There are now poetry slams in nearly every major American city, a yearly National Poetry Slam, a yearly Individual World Poetry Slam, the newer Women of the World Poetry Slam, the non-profit Poetry Slam Incorporated, YouthSlam / Brave New Voices and many other series. Somewhere along the way, though, the original message was lost and the poetry that poets were using to compete in slams became its own genre, slam poetry.

It’s become misunderstood as a nasty derivation of poetry, declaimed by most academics, even given another name, not “poetry” anymore but “spoken word.” If anything, poetry should be spoken, to honor its own roots, back when poetry was an event at the first Olympic games. There is no such thing as slam poetry. There is poetry that is used in slams. You don’t have to scream and swear, you don’t have to confrontational or speak a million miles per hour.

At this workshop, a panel of poets from Manchester, NH; Boston, MA and elsewhere will examine these myths and trends in poetry slam, all in an attempt to explain where along the line and how the art form may have gotten lost or at least, turned around. We will debunk the largely misunderstood and malpracticed poetry used in slams.

Featuring: Artie Moffa, Mike McGee, Cara Losier and others.

Format

1-1:15 — Introduction and Welcome by Matthew P. Gallant

1:15-2:00 — Panelists talk about their experiences in poetry slam, addressing concerns/questions given to them beforehand by Matthew P. Gallant, as well as perform one poem each

2:00-2:15 — 15-minute break

2:15-3:00 — Each panelist leads a workshop group with the focus of prepping poets’ performance to compete in a poetry slam.

3:00-3:45 — The first ever Jazzmouth Poetry Slam, hosted by Matthew P. Gallant

3:45-4:00 — Final thoughts, conclusions, congratulations, thanks by Matthew P. Gallant

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The Seacoast Poetry & Jazz Festival, April 22-25, 2010

2010 Schedule

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