A Poetry Slam will be held as part of the first annual Poverty Bay Arts Festival from Noon – 3pm on Saturday, Sept. 25th at Auntie Irene’s.

There will be prizes, and poets (or attempted ones) can register at the door.

According to Wikipedia:

A poetry slam is a competition at which poets read or recite original work (or, more rarely, that of others). These performances are then judged on a numeric scale by previously selected members of the audience.

Typically, poetry slam is highly politicized, speaking on many issues including current social and economic issues, gendered injustices, and racial issues. Poets are judged not only on the content of their slam but the manner of delivery and passion behind their words.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Poverty Bay Arts Festival Poetry Slam.

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 25th from Noon -- 3 pm.

WHERE: Auntie Irene’s, located at 22504 Marine View Drive (206-824-0249).

INFO: From a flier:

PRIZES:

• Grand: $75
• First: $50
• Second: $25
• Third: 25

REGISTRATION AT THE DOOR:

• Registration at the door begins Noon -- 12:30 pm • First group presentations 12:30 -- 1 pm • Second group presentations 1 -- 1:30 pm • Third group presentations (if needed) 1:30 – 2 pm • Four finalists present from 2 -- 2:30 pm.
• Winners announced at 2:40 pm and awards presented
• Order of appearance determined on first-come signup
• Poetry will be judged by audience reaction and a three- judge panel

Guidelines for Performers:

• Poets must perform their own original work
• No props, costumes or musical accompaniment
• Poets have three minutes to perform their piece

INFO: Contact Luisa Bangs at the Des Moines Arts Commission at 206.733.0306 for more information, or visit the PBAF website here.

VIDEOS:

For those Readers who haven’t seen nor heard of a Poetry Slam before, here are some examples that might inspire you:

Here’s a video of a film called “National Poetry Slam”:

Planning for the first ever Poverty Bay Arts Festival is now shifting into high gear. With just weeks to go the list of participating businesses and artists is now firmed up and we’ll be bringing you additional information and participant profiles as the clock ticks down to this exciting arts event.

“The Poverty Bay Arts Festival committee thanks our premier sponsors, the Des Moines Arts Commission and the Associated Students of Highline Community College for making the inaugural Poverty Bay Arts Festival on Saturday, September 25, a reality” said Cora Morrison one of the event organizers.

Major sponsors who have generously contributed include: The Waterland Blog, The Print Place, John L. Scott Real Estate, Edward Jones (7th Ave.), Balloon Wizards, and Snure Law Office.

Business sponsors and non-profit organizations involved to make this event happen include:

• Auntie Irene’s
• Bodle Chiropractic
• Breeders Theater
• Des Moines Dental Associates
• Des Moines Florist
• Des Moines United Methodist Church
• Dushan’s, Kaihana Sushi Saki
• Marvin Osterhout, DDS
• New Tokyo Teriyaki
• Pauline’s Nail Spa
• Salon Michelle
• Sound Gynocology
• Spyros Gyros
• State Farm Insurance/Vicki Bergquist Insurance Agency
• Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce
• Tuscany at Des Moines Creek
• Waterland Wellness and Massage

Ms. Morrison of Des Moines Florist told WLB, “This is the first of its kind for the Des Moines community and we hope that it is just the beginning of a long tradition for the area businesses and artists.”

The Waterland Blog will keep our readers up to date on bands, artists and participating businesses as we get closer to the event.

It’s not too late to be part of the first Poverty Bay Arts Festival in September. The deadline for artists and businesses to signup to participate has been extended to this Friday, July 30.

Sponsored by the Des Moines Arts Commission and the Associated Students of Highline Community College, the one-day arts festival will be held throughout the downtown Des Moines Marina District. It will showcase the incredible pool of local talent and feature the works of professional, college, secondary school and elementary school artists. Art will be displayed at various businesses and special venues.

For further information, contact Cora Morrison at desmoinesflorist@gmail.com or Vickie Bergquist at Vickie@vickieinsurance.com.

Des Moines’ newest arts event is the Poverty Bay Arts Festival, which will happen Saturday, Setp. 25th from 10am – 4pm around the Marina District, and the festival committee has issued an official Call For Entries for Artists and their Artwork.

Sponsored by the Des Moines Arts Commission and the Associated Students of Highline Community College, the one-day arts festival will be held throughout the downtown Des Moines Marina District. It will showcase the incredible pool of local talent and feature the works of professional, college, secondary school and elementary school artists. Art will be displayed at various businesses and special venues.

Also scheduled are street performances and a Poetry Slam.

Anyone interested in participating should visit the festival website at www.povertybayartsfestival.com for more details and download the Call for Entries application (direct link here, PDF file).

The deadline for entries is Friday, July 23rd.

For further information, contact Cora Morrison at desmoinesflorist@gmail.com or Vickie Bergquist at Vickie@vickieinsurance.com.