It’s nearly that time again. The Ann Arbor Poetry Slam is next Tuesday! Our feature will be Jamie Kilstein from New York City. I caught him when he performed at the Indie Finals at NPS, and you don’t want to miss him.
Jamie Kilstein
At the age of 24 Jamie Kilstein has become one of New York City’s top slam poets, and was just ranked 5th in the nation at the 2006 National Poetry slam. He is touring internationally and was recently a featured headliner at the Brighton Arts Festival in Brighton England . Jamie was also featured in the largest French Newspaper Le Monde, England’s The Fringe Report and Australia’s Wo! Magazine . He has taught workshops for The Brighton Festival and at Brown University.
After making a living with stand-up comedy, he quickly exiled himself after the war due to political censorship. Because — to quote a club owner– “The people don’t come here to think. they come here to drink.” While working the stand up circuit he worked with such greats as: Dave Chapelle, Lewis Black, Marc Maron, Doug Stanhope, and Dave Attell. Jamie has been featured on MNN/PBS 102.7 WNEW NEW YORK The syndicated Ron and Fez show, The Boston Comedy Festival and The New York Underground Comedy Festival. His writing has been published in Mcsweeney’s literary journal and the upcoming Still not making a living as a poet? National release — summer of 07. This year he was in all three New York City slam poetry finals including The Bowery Poetry Club’s URBANA team, The LOUDER ARTS team, and The Nuyorican Poets team. He will be going to the 2006 National Poetry Championship as the URBANA GRANDSLAM CHAMPION, and will be featured on the 2006 Best Of Urbana CD. He has somehow managed to find a career that pays less than standup comedy, but now has a book, CD and soon to be DVD. He has no idea how his wife hasn’t left him and his parents still support him.
“Jamie Kilstein is amazing. Incredibly impressive. He takes on big important issues with humor, heart and balls.”
-James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, #1 New York Times Best Seller
“Kilstein’s hilarious performance proves that when it comes to saving the world from itself, mockery is the sincerest form of warfare.”-Josh Kilmer-Purcell New York Times Best Selling Author of “I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir”
“Jamie Kilstein defies taboos in a muckraking fashion. His Cometry is a combinaton of Lenny Bruce, Allen Ginsberg and Audre Lorde. He’s not for the fainthearted.” -Bruce George, Co-Founder of HBO’S Def Poetry Jam
“Jamie Kilstein has taken over the poetry slam I have never seen anyone go so far, so fast.” - Taylor Mali, SlamNation 4 time Slam Champion
“You’re a funny fuck.” - Doug Stanhope, Comedy Central, The Aristocrats
“Self-assured, Stylish, and very funny.” - Mark Doty
I am also looking for volunteers who would like to compete in a head-to-head bout against Detroit on March 13th. See Erik at the Slam, or reply to this email if you are interested.
Dear friends of the Ann Arbor Poetry Slam,
Tonight is the night! It’s the first Tuesday of the Month and we are excited about poetry.
Brave the cold and get yourself to the Heidelberg by 7:30PM to share some poetry with us. We will have a brief open mike, followed by a phenomenal feature, and finally the Slam. Time is running out to qualify for the Semi-finals, Slam tonight!
We have a BIG feature tonight. Five of Ann Arbors finest poets are dropping by to show you what this city can do.
Don’t miss it.
Jeff Kass is a teacher of English and Creative Writing at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor MI and currently works as the Poet-in-Residence for Ann Arbor Public Schools. A graduate of Yale University with a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University, he has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence for Ann Arbor District employees for his teaching and organizing of poetry programs; and was also named the 1995-96 California Education Placement Association’s New Teacher of the Year for Northern California Secondary Schools.
In addition, Jeff directs the Creative Writing Program at Ann Arbor’s Teen Center, The Neutral Zone, where he founded and continues to direct The VOLUME Youth Poetry Project; The VOLUME Summer Institute; The Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam; Poetry Night in Ann Arbor; NO COMMENT magazine; the performance poetry troupe Ann Arbor Wordworks; and The Second Tuesdays Visiting Writers Series. He was the Ann Arbor Grand Slam Poetry Champion in 1999 and 2000 and the runner-up in 2001 as well as the Champion at the inaugural Ann Arbor Book Festival Poetry Slam in 2004.
He was selected by readers of Current Magazine as the runner-up for 2006 Best Poet of Washtenaw County and also by readers of the Ann Arbor News as the runner-up for Best Poet of Ann Arbor for 2006. He has performed his work all over the country and has delivered keynote addresses at numerous conventions and conferences. His poems have been published in several literary reviews, magazines and anthologies and he has taught poetry workshops to thousands of young people in schools, juvenile detention centers and synagogues. He was also the winner of the 2005 Current Fiction Contest, a runner-up in the 2006 Georgetown Review Fiction Contest and an editor’s honorable mention for the 2006 E.M. Koeppel Short Fiction Award. He is the Poetry Director in the acclaimed theatrical production Lay Your Comfort Down and recently co-edited the anthology Unsquared: Ann Arbor Writers Unleash Their Edgiest Stories and Poems.
Angel Nafis is a graduate of Huron High School in Ann Arbor and a two-time member of the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam team. She is the newest member of the performance poetry troupe Ann Arbor Wordworks and a cast member of the poetic drama Lay Your Comfort Down. She has appeared on stage at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, at the San Francisco Opera House and with such luminaries as Saul Williams, Ross Gay, Patrick Rosal, and Roger Bonair-Agard.
Claire Forster is a graduate of Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor and a two-time member of the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam team, as well as the 2005 Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Champion. She is a member of the performance poetry troupe Ann Arbor Wordworks and a cast member of the poetic drama Lay Your Comfort Down. She has appeared on stage at the San Francisco Opera House and with such luminaries as Saul Williams, Ross Gay, Patrick Rosal, Regie Gibson, Jeff McDaniel, and Roger Bonair-Agard.
Ben Alfaro is a junior at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor and a member of the 2006 Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam team. He is recently returned from a mini-residency at Bates College in Lewiston, ME where he taught workshops and gave performances. He is a member of the Board of Directors at The Neutral Zone, Ann Arbor Teen Center.
Maggie Ambrosino is a senior at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor and a three-time member of the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam team, including being the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Champion in 2004. She is a cast member of the poetic drama Lay Your Comfort Down and has appeared on stage at the San Francisco Opera House, and with such luminaries as Saul Williams, Ross Gay, Patrick Rosal, Regie Gibson, Jeff McDaniel, and Roger Bonair-Agard. Her poem in Unsquared has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
See you tonight!
-Erik
The Ann Arbor Poetry Slam
http://a2slam.com