here is the living and there is the plan, here is the moment and hence did I ran, did I run, did i go and you know that the end was just near, the time when abiding a timing was clear, that we were here for the taking and hence we were took by the crooks who would seek to find permanent nooks, for our craniums in cranies our bellies in bug stew, and here is the place where in the silence i met you, we danced and survived the apocalypse now, and knew we would and worried still and soon we allowed our voyage away to the tune of the day of the rising of spring from our offering to a ship to a sail to sing to avail the peace and the jowl of the song birds trowel, dig the porcelain cap hadder mack of the destiny you are the one who has had the best of me. with our warents unguarded our truth unfurled we let loose the intricate matrix of curls and culture shifted in spirals and turns in twists of the sounds of the name of the nerd and the dorks and the jocks, and the ones who would seem in the flocks danced round the graves and spit out there names ancestral cousins here are they made, to modes to maves and moles rising undergound is hiding still days they be dawing spring up like the flock is the tending unhid, spring up as the rulses of the town thus forbid, the great oz has lifted the vails are all shifted the focus is gifted to mommies of size. great mommies silver mommies and golden jelly girls we ride to the end of the start of the rolls. on one on one   on …

Duality – SLAM POET LESSON 

Start off asking the class what Duality or Dualism means. Then go off of there words to get to the point that Duality means two opposites. At this point draw the typical yin – yang symbol on the board.

Ask the students what they think the symbol means. The idea is that no matter how much yin there is in the world there is always a little bit of yang and vise versa. So no matter how dark things get there is always light. No matter how sad or unloved one may feel, once they get to the end of a good cry they usually feel at least that essential self love (at least i do).

This is when we do the all important example. Play, or read a poem that has a good sense of navigating extreme opposites. I like to use Andrea Gibson’s DIVE. She is my favorite living poet and this piece grabs anyone with a spine.

From here we are going to make a list that we can also use as a word bank. On one side of the board create a list of Dualities that are Nature based, on the other side of the board create a list that is Emotion based.

Finally give the students some decent writing prompts and let them write a poem using one or more sets of Dualities. Ask them to go from one extreme to the other in their poem, or to find the elements of one side in the other within the poem.

Next have them read their poems in small groups to each other. Then ask who would like to share in front of the group.

Link to More Young Slam Poet Examples

http://www.blessitup.com/store

Slam Lesson:Repetition (using a Hook) & Street Talk (common speech poems)

Overview: A repeating phrase is often used in music and poetry to provide a base for a piece. Students learn to identify a hook, discuss how it is used and then try it in their own original poetry. The language of a poetry is often very flowery and over the heads of the readers. How using common words can make a poem more accessible.

Gil Scott Heron & Street Talk: Begin the lesson introducing Gil Scott Heron. He is a founder of spoken word and rap as we know it. His stuff is still contemporary and the themes are very relevant. Acknowledging Gil is a nod to the history and culture of spoken word poetry. All of Gil Scott Heron’s poems are written in the language of the street. This means that no big vocab words were used. This was a very conscious choice by the poet to make the poems reach a larger audience.

Play the Gil Scott Heron Track ‘Whitey on the Moon’, while the track is playing its helpful to put the lyrics up on the board.

Discuss the poem: What is the poet talking about? What is repeated? Why is this hook repeated? On one hand is ‘Whitey on the Moon’ on the other is hand is…? Can you give a contemporary example of two contrasting interests in today’s news?

Now play another Poem: ‘Rock out’ by Anis Mojgani.  This is a modern poem, by a New York based poet. It is helpful to put the lyrics up especially for this one, as there are plenty of words spoken quick.

Discuss the poem: What is repeated? Why?

Compare the uses of repetition in each poem. Compare the language – Are there any words that we did not understand? Why do the poets use street language or simple language?

Create a word bank of words the students would call their own street talk.

Ask the students to write a poem of their own using words from in the word bank and including the repetition of one phrase or word – this should emphasize the theme of their poem. (during this session I suggest playing a simple rap beat in the background with no words)

Once the students are done (about 5 – 10 minutes) ask them to share their poems with a buddy and give feedback.

Ask the students to share their poetry aloud in front of the class.

Applaud the students like crazy when they come up to the class and after they are done reading.

Have fun, See – see@blessitup.com

garble, gargle garbage, garumph

Hollah! Hi, hello from a far moon

walk whispers

steering, stayed long sentences off parchment

patch worked and parted, for four part pierced peel parsnips, raw with real.

We divulge ourselves under selves of certain inane intuition that baffles bouncing –

Balls become ball, become red drifting wanderers over our vision sack,

as relations run raw with word wasting. We will them wrangled with words –

we wake them to so dismiss the few whose sounds have hindered and delivered so much so much, she beautiful, she sweet, she beautiful, she sweet, she beautiful, she sweet,

she sheds her skin for polish –

I polish these words behind the words screen flashing colorless bright –

Narrating my life in my life story shaking, shackling sheets suck dry sheet

sieving my seething conceiving my sex – did I give you my sex? –

my body is your counterpart, so I count the parts and add the right angles to right actions- the story blings ready.

I am a jaguar, you are elming – you are hedging your bet, black jack,

slim, cool slim, shady Slim, slim pitching,

take a jaguar home, panthering bright, biting bright, leopard pattern blue bright cast your eyes, avert your sight avert your gaze from light, say word now, say jaguar now, say cat, say shut, say shut open – say my shit shut open –

as I beautiful sweep your, beautiful sweep sweet sweep off feet and I

sheathe entomb and old sickness poets wrangled.

But I’m not a poet, I’m a program – a code sentence – a fast decipher,

a gimmick a challenging gimick, a nod, an eye stare in the check out line

waiting for your eyes to answer me answering,

for you to fake it better to forget it faster to master the answers and answer the master with still word, forgotten word, no word.

it is a dream-sickle lullaby on breasts, naked chest, naked limbs

drawing honey from moonlight. but soon it is our moonlight past,

moonlight it is moonlight story, a story a time that day night, day long hard forgotten, now worded in rhyme of insult to the forest

that made the trees the air the breath the people cleaning words, like trees are paper,

like pulverized crushed pressed, crushed pressed dyed bleached, pressed pulverized trees are something like trees they are nothing like trees! like I am nothing like human man – and in darkness over darkness, shrouded shredded shrill shackled voiceless pages you write it is ok, you will say nature you will say mother, you will say to your own saying nature mother, mother nature, nurture, nurture mother, mother nurture,

and you will forget,

and the story will continue of you when you heard mother word mother, word nature, nature word, until there is pain, there is only pain and you will say stop the pain, the pain is wrong and you will say stop.

I am locked and found.
shrouded, kept, my teeth gnaw air.
my neck is stone.
slurping familiar tea in new habitats, the people are themselves
the children are alive without remorse for their freedom of expression and I champion there divinity, this is better than good
i read about forests demolished for wine, and people demolished for money
i want to help, i want to stop this greed from overtaking the forest
with the children we write letters
i want to stop the people from being devoured
with the children we learn earth things
I’m pushed forward by the sun, the children are passionate and funny
my heart aches and softly i hold it gently like a seedling. letting it cry. letting it ooze. beautiful.

Now we are doing our own show and want you to come.

Thursday Dec 8th, from 5.30pm – 7.00pm @ the MARSH Theatre in the Mission
San Francisco | 1062 Valencia St (@22 St) SF, CA 94110

Free

Listen to the poets of tomorrow today.

OPEN MIC IS ON HOLD _ THE COLD IS TOO COLD  Will Resume Again Soon!!!!!

Oh Yes Expression Sessions have begun. Its outdoor or indoor or both, either way its one wide open open mic. The PLACE for Sustainable Living in Oakland hosts this vibrant gathering every Sunday Night 8pm – Midnight. Plus a Souper Sunday Potluck from 6-8pm. This means jam sessions, poetry, food, performance of types shapes, sounds and forms are welcome.

1121 64th Street near San Pablo Ave. in Oakland

New State of the Art SOUND SYSTEM on Premises – Drum Set on Site too!

Your Host is SEE - Cristian Ellauri

otes from our first jam:
Tony approached the mic and serranted the lovely potlucking feast, he is suddley and sublty joined by Stephfun. They cajole we lookers on with flute interludes dropping into known melodies. But who would anticipate the approach of a frenzied mob of talent? Who would have guessed that the debut of this unpublicized night would become a feast of dance, thought and mirth? The kind of eve that wraps storytelling, and heart felt poems into freestlye hip-hop and dope beats. Perhaps we knew in the quiet of ourselves that we are surrounded by hearts and minds that long to sing, to express, to share their inspiration and convey our souls journey. Bringing this intuition to light is so freakin fun. All are invited to Sunday Night Expression Sessions at the PLACE 8-midnight.

Outdoor by the fire we sinG!

Come Play and listen to music in a laid back Irish Pub/Coffee Shop

13 Draft Beers available plus Ritual Coffee, Organic Milk and Tea.  Open for spontaneous collaboration and improvisation. All experience levels welcome.

We have a very simple set up, nice space. But no full bands just yet. Solo-Duo, and yes we will have an open jam. Please No Covers. Free. Lets play.

Brøøkie Bretschger brings the peeps

“This is our first open mic- the first of many eclectic and diverse performance nights at the Creamery. We are building a network of professional and amateur musicians, artists, writers, comedians, and performers- and we have serious plans to make the Creamery a new unique space in SOMA. Our open mics will be emceed by See.”

Comedians HA! & Poets all welcome