BERZERKELEY POETRY SLAM -Every Wednesday.
*2007 West Coast Champions * Best of the E.Bay*
Ekabhumi checks in:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

----THIS WEEK: ****FINALS**** Hot Pizza, Irish Beer &
Mayhem! Three Blind Mice deliver live Jazz, Jamie
DeWolf & Nazelah Jamison emcee:

----7 Months.
----25 qualifying slams.
----100's of hopeful poets.
----9 POETS REMAIN.
----The 9th Annual Berkeley Slam Team FINALS!

----We have one of the most respected and
highly-ranked teams in the world: We are the defending
NorCal and West Coast champions.  Usually, it's a pack
of hardened veterans carefully calculating their
strategy before the event.  This year, however, we
have five new poets losing sleep before the battle;
three have been slamming LESS than a year!

----WHO will be your new Team Berkeley?
----Who will win the Coveted Golden Macaroni Belt?
----WHO WILL SHINE IN OUR MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF THE
YEAR?
-----------YOU, the audience, choose!

----The 9th annual Team Finals is a fundraiser for our
team.  Every penny of your $15 entry goes to pay for
the ridiculous cost of airfare and inflated gas prices
needed to send your poets to the National Poetry Slam
in Madison, WI.  This show is guaranteed to be the
most fun you've ever had watching nine intelligent and
talented people metaphorically rip their guts out on
stage.  Please tell your friends, bring your family,
and ARRIVE EARLY if you want a seat!

----Here are your contenders (alphabetically):

----Jason Bayani: Veteran champion who has been on
many teams and has a wide choice of weapons in his
arsenal. Will he go for the kill or use untested new
work?

----Matt Blesse: Upstart UC Berkeley collegiate power-
house who delivers intense political work.  Does he
have deep enough pockets to go toe-to-toe with the
veterans?

----Christian Drake: This year's top dawg & grizzled
veteran of three Berkeley Teams. He broke the storied
"Berkeley Curse" last year; this time, no one is
betting against him.

----Dre: fearless competitor who brings the same no-
holds-barred attitude to his hiphop-flavored rants
against injustice.

----Joyce Lee: Powerhouse presence on the stage who
tells it like it is, yet makes the hard truth of love
gone wrong funny as a sitcom.

---Abe Loc: a veteran of two Collegiate teams, his
confessional work is delivered with the emotional
intensity of heart attack.

----Andrew Lowe: Veteran poet of several teams
(including Berkeley) and coach (of team Santa Cruz),
he addresses social issues with the fervor of a
preacher.

----The Poet "I": our top-ranked newbie in a year of
hot new blood, she is a storyteller and a poetic diva
of the first order.

----Laura Yes Yes: she earned a direct trip to Team
Finals by winning our Indi Finals last December. She
embodies a rare mix of attributes for a slam poet:
intelligent, comedic, and NOT a shouter.

----Based on the turnout last week (150+), and how
enthused folks were, I'm guessing Finals WILL SELL
OUT! Arrive early, or be listening from the doorway
until after the break.

----UPCOMING: May 14: open slam featuring Queen Sheba
& Jared Paul, hosted by Lucky 7.  May 21: open slam
featuring Kim Johnson & Alma Powe, hosted by Christian
Drake.

------STARRY PLOUGH. 3101 Shattuck. 510-841-2082.
(1 block uphill of Ashby BART). EVERY WEDS.
8:30-11pm. Sign-ups: 7:30. ALL AGES before 9pm.
Hosts: Charles Ekabhumi, Betsy Gomez, Jamie DeWolf,
Christian Drake, Lucky 7, & Joshua Walters.
Music: 3 Blind Mice, & DJ Agana.
http://www.myspace.com/berkeleypoetryslam
http://www.berkeleypoetryslam. com
Contact: voluptuary @ hotmail.com