Ever since I've got involved with the Vancouver Poetry Slam, I have wanted to go to a national/international event. Poets travel to these things to meet, compete, participate in showcases, hang out and absorb each other's presence, talent and friendship.
Being a working mom and wife with teenagers and a dog and cat and house, I have chosen not to go. If I ever made it onto a team, I'd go of course, but that's not likely at the moment, with all of the talented poets in Vancouver who dedicate a lot more time and work than I do to writing, performing and touring. I'm happy with my place in the Van Slam scene. I compete when I want to, volunteer, and even host once in a while. We have a growing pool of talented performers right here in Vancouver, so any time I go to the slam, I'm sure to hear new work from poets I know already and see new faces joining the scene. My friends in the slam community are probably the best thing about it. We are good people who well work together and have a lot of fun. Still, I'm jealous when poets head out on tour to perform at venues in other provinces or countries, and especially when they go to Nationals or the Individual World Poetry Slam - the big slam competitions that draw poets from all over North America and beyond.
So far I have satisfied my craving for poets from out of town by enjoying the feature poets who come to Vancouver from other cities to perform at our slam and other events. In 2005 we hosted the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. I met poets from all across Canada and Great Britain and heard more voices in one week than I thought I could in a whole year. That was good.
Also in 2005, our Vancouver spoken word community, organized in Vancouver Poetry House, decided to put in a bid to host the Individual World Poetry Slam in 2007. Our bid was accepted and we've been planning and preparing ever since. I guess if I couldn't go to Nationals or Indies, I could help bring them here to Vancouver.
Today is the day. Early registration and the Aboriginal and Last Chance Slams are this evening. The official competition begins tomorrow and runs through Saturday and there are daytime and late night showcases, even a skating party and ball-hockey game. And here I am, in the middle of it. As a member of the Host City committee I'll help make sure everything runs smoothly. I'll also get to meet more poets, hear more poems and find out what it feels like to be part of THE BIG SHOW! Sitting here in my pajamas at the computer it still doesn't feel real, but it will soon enough. Today I will run a few errands for the festival, then arrive at the festival hotel late-afternoon for a meeting and to help with registration. My plan is to soak up as much of this as I can, meet as many people as I can and have fun with my Vancouver friends, and all of the new ones I'll be making this week. At the end of it I can say, I have been to a national poetry slam event.
It's not every day that I get one of the things on my "I have always wanted to..." list. Today is one of those days.
question: did you ever find a way to do something that you thought was un-doable?
mompoet - lucky, lucky, lucky (oh yeah, and smart too)
No comments:
Post a Comment