PROSE SLAM

Come and be a part of History! The world's first prose slam!

VoXboX PROSE SLAM RULES

Please note that these Slam rules are important and you must read them. VoXboX slams will be run as knock out competitions. Where writers battle it out, one on one to be the people’s champion, chosen by the audience. The rules will also vary a little dependant on the nature of the SLAM event e.g. prose, poetry or team etc. It will take place in the Mercat Bar nr Haymarket on the 3rd April 08 @ 8pm please arrive 15mins before show.

PROSE PIECES / WRITERS

All prose pieces must be written and read/performed by the author of the work. You may repeat the same prose piece in each round. Or continue on the same story in sections. But we recommend that you have more than one prose piece prepared as it might limit your chances of winning. You must perform on your own and are not allowed a backing track or backing vocals digitally or acoustically.

TIME LIMIT

The time limit on each prose piece read/performed at the Prose Slam is up to 5 mins. Timed from the first word you say, including introductions (be warned). There will be no exceptions to the rules. Once you have reached the time limit, you will be whistled off by the Slam Master and will leave the stage. We suggest that you practice the timing of your reading to avoid disappointment.

HEATS & ROUNDS

There will be 2 battling writers in each heat. The Number of heats and rounds will depend on the number of writers competing.

Therefore with 16 writers entering will create 8 heats in first round, 4 heats in second round, 2 heats in third, and then the final. If there is an odd winning writer left over from any round then the wildcard* will come into effect. *(See Wildcards)

The order in which the competing writers will go on and who they will battle against will be decided by a hat draw,that will take place before the event starts and between each round. Until the final 2 remain and there is a winner. Each competitor will display his or her allocated armbands for that round.

WILDCARDS*

The Wildcard is given when a round creates a remainder, winning writer. In this event a losing writer from the previous rounds and heats will be chosen from the hat. Picked at random by a member of the audience who is not a judge. E.g. 14 poets, 7 heats in the first round. Means 1 winning writer will remain. There for the Wildcard will come into effect, and a random writer who has lost in the last round will have an opportunity to continue and another chance to win.

SCORING

It’s writer against writer battling it out 1 on 1. Therefore there will be no points system. It will be either IN or OUT.

An odd number of Judges will be chosen from the audience on the night by the Slam Master and event organizers. They will be given judging cards of either black or white. Which will correspond with the colour armbands allocated to the poets at the Slam draw before the event/round. After the two battling writers in each heat have finished the judges will be ask to make their decision, who they think, should go on to the next round (with help of some audience response). They will not confer with other judges or members of the audience. To help them judge they will be asked to use the loose criteria of content, reading/performance and audience response.
When they have made there decision they will indicate this to the Slam Master and all the judges will then hold up the corresponding colours of the writer they would like to go through to the next round e.g. white or black at the same time. In front of the audience
The Slam Master will then declare which writer will go through to the next round.
The slam master and events organizers reserve the right to change the judges between rounds should they deem it necessary and for whatever reason. The Slam master and events organizers decision is final.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

The SLAM MASTER is host and referee of the competition their word is final.

SLAMS, were created by MARC SMITH (So What!) at the Greenmill, Chicago, USA in the 80’s. I think it’s important to note the founder’s words. Firstly ‘ the best poet/ writer never wins’ and ‘ that if the competition takes over the poetry/ writing, then it has lost, its purpose and intent, to invigorate and stimulate’.

This is the first Prose Slam we know of, ever happening in Scotland maybe even in the UK. So it is history in the making. Come and be a part of History! Let’s make it a good one.

We aim to make it fun and exciting for the audience. So please don’t take it too seriously, many very good poets/ writers have entered but never won a Slam. So gloating winners & bad losers, please be warned.

To this end VoXboX does not give cash prizes. We hope to provide the winner with a winner’s trophy, paid gig and published Chapbook of their work. To sell to friends and family which will have an ISBN No

VoXboX

VoXboX is kindly supported by the Mercat Bar, but at present is not funded by anyone. It is a non-profit organization that only exists due to the support it receives. We endeavor to keep cost of events as low as possible, while paying poets/performers/writers fees as much as we can. We the organizers of VoXboX reserve the right to change anything & everything as we see fit with as much notice as possible, to those whom it may concern.

If there is anything you are unclear about or would like to know please ask. VoXboX would like to thank you for entering this Slam and wish you the best of Luck.

Contact VoXboX at voxboxinfo@yahoo.co.uk Mob 07962 912 590