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Seattle Poetry Slam Presents Down to the Bone: The 2010 Grand Slam w/ World Poetry Slam Champion Joaquin Zihuatenejo

Town Hall
Seattle, WA

ONLINE TIX ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE - PLEASE PLAN TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS AT THE DOOR. DOORS OPEN AT 6PM.

Seattle Poetry Slam Presents its Annual Grand Slam: the final competition to determine who will comprise the four-member team of performance poets to represent Seattle at the National Poetry Slam in St. Paul, MN this August. The event will feature a performance by poet JoaquÃn Zihuatanejo along with a tribute to the late Seattle poet Gabrielle Bouliane.

A Poetry Slam is a performance poetry competition invented in the 80s by a Chicago construction worker named Marc Smith. Poets are judged on content, originality and performance by randomly selected audience members. Audience members are encouraged to try to influence the judges through their applause or boos. The result is raucous, inspirational, and moving.The Seattle Poetry Slam has been operating since 1992 and is Seattles longest running weekly show. Currently it operates every Tuesday night at Re-bar in Downtown Seattle.

Featured Poet Joaquin Zihuatanejo is a husband/father/poet/award winning teacher. Always in that order. He was born and raised in the barrio of East Dallas where his grandfather, Silas C. Medina, showed him what the novelist, Rudolfo Anaya, describes as the Path of Light. Through his poetry he strives to capture the duality of his culture, the Chicano culture. His is a mestizo culture that is steeped in duality, and in his poetry he depicts the essence of barrio life, writing about subjects as varied as his grandfather's garden to the experiences of a youth that was plagued by gang violence His is a heritage that is steeped in sacrifice and haunted by borders. He writes of borders both actual and metaphorical that plague a people seen as immigrants in their own homeland.

IIn 2006 he received a perfect score of 30 in the final round of the Individual World Poetry Slam. In that round, he read for 3 minutes and 11 seconds (you are only allowed to read for 3 minutes and 10 seconds). He received a one second time penalty. He placed second in the world that year. In 2008, he returned to The Individual World Poetry Slam and received a perfect score of 30 in the final round. He read for 3 minutes and 9 seconds and became the 2008 World Poetry Slam Champion. Joaquin also appeared on the 5th season of HBO's Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry.

Where/When: Sunday April 25th, (doors at 6pm, show at 7pm) at Town Hall - 1119 8th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101

Note: 100 Early Bird Tixx are available for a discounted price of $12.
General Admission is $15
Under 21 tixx are only $10 - tix holders will need to show ID to prove their age

Kid Friendly: No

Dog Friendly: No

Non-Smoking: No

Wheelchair Accessible: No

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