March 3, 2010
CONTACT:
Rose McAleese, Outreach Coordinator
Robin Park, Spokes Coordinator
Chris Zweigle, Mentor
kartma@comcast.net
Don’t miss the Youth Speaks Seattle Grand Slam Finals at the Moore Theatre!
(Seattle, WA) – Literary history will be made at the Moore Theatre on March 19th at 7pm. Seattle's most talented young poets will take the stage to compete in the Youth Speaks Seattle's 2010 Grand Slam Finals. This exciting evening will feature the most brilliant and original poetry performances in the Northwest.
Twelve youth finalists aged 13-19 will compete for a chance to represent all of Seattle at the 2010 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival held this summer in Los Angeles. The popularity of these national festivals has grown tremendously every year since they began in 1998. The 2008 Brave New Voices in Washington D.C. was the subject of an eight-part HBO documentary narrated by Queen Latifah and produced by Russell Simmons.
The Youth Speaks Seattle Slam Series, which runs from December through March every year, culminates with The Grand Slam. Last year's Grand slam was so popular it sold out Town Hall. Poetry slam is a competitive poetry reading where competing finalists will perform before a slate of judges who will score the quality of their work and select 5 winners to represent Seattle.
“This year, we’ve seen an incredibly talented group of young poets competing at the preliminary slam events,” said Rose McAleese,Youth Speaks Seattle Outreach Coordinator. “When I was competing at the national slam last year in Chicago, everyone was talking about all the great writing that comes out of Seattle every year. They were all wondering if maybe there was something in the water out here!”
“Anyone who is interested in the future of poetry, performance and youth literacy in Seattle should not miss this show,” McAleese added.
The Grand Slam will feature Rocky Rivera, aka EyeASage, a Pinay emcee and hip-hop journalist from the Bay Area, who will perform songs from her recent self-titled debut album, which will also be available for purchase. The slam will be hosted by Karen Finneyfrock, Writer-in-Residence at the Richard Hugo House and three-time member of the Seattle Adult National Poetry Slam Team. Finneyfrock will also read from her new book of poems, Ceremony of a Choking Ghost, which will also be available for purchase.
Proceeds from the Grand Slam will support Youth Speaks Seattle which provides programs and workshops to encourage self-expression and empowerment among young people of all genders, races, and economic backgrounds throughout the Seattle area.
Admission is $10 for Youth and $15 for 21+ when you order tickets in advance at: http://purchase.tickets.com/
Youth Speaks Seattle – Grand Slam Finals
March 19, 2010 7pm
The Moore Theatre
1932 Second Avenue
Additional news and information about Youth Speaks Seattle is available at: http://www.youthspeaksseattle.
