Oxford's Hammer and Tongue (activist-orientated poetry slam) is kicking off this month with the uncompromising punkpoet Atilla the Stockbroker and the official poet of this summers anti BNP marches, at The Zodia Tuesday 7th 7pm.
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1. Attila The Stockbroker to open new season at The Zodiac
2. The Open Poetry Slam
3. Workshops
4. Website launch
5. Coming Events
6. Slam on Telly
7. Are you a teacher?
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1. Hammer And Tongue is back!
September 7th is the date for your diary and every FIRST TUESDAY of the month from now on.
We have moved to THE ZODIAC, and to kick us off we have persuaded ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER to take us on a comicsurrealistpunkanarcho poetry journey that brings together the best of twenty-four years of work.
New for Hammer And Tongue now we are at the Zodiac:
Non-smoking auditorium and separate smoking lounge
Disabled access (at last!)
DJ and MC’s till 2am
Organic Vegetarian Food
The gig is particularly special to co founder Steve Larkin as Attila was one of the people that first influenced him to take up performing as a poet, and to join the anti nazi league.
May he inspire many more to come.
On the bill to make the night even more special is DREADLOCK ALIEN, back by popular demand after captaining Birmingham’s New October Poets at The Big Slam! in May. Dreadlock (the nicest man in the poetry business) was the 2003 Oxford Allstars Champion and is and an important emerging British voice as he has become the unofficial poet in residence for the anti-BNP campaign.
2. The Open Poetry Slam opens it’s door to any one who wishes to take part. The rules:
a) original work only
b) 3 minutes on a microphone from the moment you speak
c) enjoy yourself
Any style of spoken word is warmly welcome, five randomly selected judges will score you 1 to 10, but the point is not the points the point is the poetry. If you have not done it before you will find that this audience is a warm and friendly bunch. If you have done it before, please do it again – we are starting from scratch again (but please try and bring new work). First eight people to sign up at the door enter.
This season we are giving away a free ticket to the next event to whoever enters the slam and we are going to try to encourage an audience member to cook dinner for the winner!
Previous slam contestants have gone on to perform at Womad and Glastonbury and of course the winner goes through the final next spring and so on .. it’s well worth a go.
3. Many of you have expressed an interest in taking part in workshops. We at Hammer And Tongue are stepping up our workshop activity; this may be the ideal chance for you to go through some ideas for pieces to perform at the slam. We will be running workshops on a weekly basis geared towards success in writing for slam and performance, we will also offer a bespoke service to interested parties and will visit you at your home should you have immense difficulty in attending our regular sessions, please check out the new improved website for details.
4. The website that we have “run” is getting a much needed revamp in the next few weeks, please keep checking www.hammerandtongue.org to see brand new flashy site complete with full events listing and poet profiles.
5. Coming Hammer and Tongue events include
October 5th Black History Month Special with TUGGS.T.A.R, Ebele, Traditional African Poetry, and Caribbean food.
October 26th Screening of Slam Nation and USA v UK slam (TBC)
November 2nd Radical Jamaican Poet, Jean Binta Breeze
December 7th Buddy Wakefield (International Slam champion)
6. Slam on Telly
A one-off high profile poetry slam is being filmed at The Mean Fiddler on the evening of September 2nd to be broadcast on BBC3. The organisers are giving out free tickets because they want a lively slam audience – if you want a free ticket phone 0208 324 2700 or check www.kasting.co.uk/slampoets . Competitors include past Hammer and Tongue guests Dreadlock Alien, Chloe Poems, Phenzwaan, Jude Simpson and Kat Francois.
7. Are You A Teacher?
If so then please contact us, as we have been working on a number of different workshop ideas for schools for citizenship and literacy. We have poets eager to inspire your pupils.
See you on the 7th.
Boomshanka
The Hammer And Tongue Team
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