Location: 2005 National Poetry Slam, New Mexico
photo by David Huang

So This years nationals has been so intense, I have not had an opportunity to keep you up to date on events. I should be posting some pictures soon of the events with my team and fellow slam poet fam from across the country but until then please read the details on the Lizard Lounge website:

http://poetryjam.com/blog/poetryjam.html

Members of the Seattle Team: Christa Bell, Matt Gano, Daemond (Slammaster), and Raj.
This crew was hot...
Seattle was a team I was actually looking forward to slamming against once the top 20 Slam Team Semi-Finals bout was posted.
Boston has always revieved nothing but love from the Seattle Slam Team camp.
And I had already recieved the heads up on Christa from my buddy Bryonn Bain.
He described her as pure fire. I finally had an opportunity to watch her perform in indies where she delivered multiple incredible performances.

...So as the week went on the Lizard Lounge Slam team slowly began to recognize Ross Johnson's inability to take a serious photograph...here are just a few highlights in no particular order (Us trying to order breakfast, RJ and his endless crank calls-multitasking w/ repeated failed attempts to stir a sleeping Adina//RJ "pretending" to burn his ass with the iron//RJ deciding to connect with the iron//RJ striking a "serious one" with smiling Joyce... I literally have about 15 other pictures just like these.

Iyeoka, Adina, and Jared Paul on the late nite walk from Hotel Blue to La Posada.
Jared, from Providence, being the perfect gentalman he was raised to be, donated his shoes to Adina who discovered around 4am that choosing cute over comfort comes at a price

NPS 2005-Joyce,Kit,Iyeoka,Adina, Marlon,Ross...Round one, kicked ass with long sentences, literally, with the point of course, being the poetry.

NPS 2005 Albuquerque Day 1

We arrived.
I slept heavily on the plane.
I'm still freaked if I'm wide awake during pockets of terbulence.

Anyway, we made it...we arrived.
New Mexico is beautiful.
First thing that caught my eye were the mountains.
I almost didn't call them breathtaking...
But they caught me by surprise...I just hadn't expected to see them here.
I don't know anything about geography.

Second thing that caught my eye was the friendly aura of the organizers of this year's National SLAM. From a local Volenteer driving a convertable who offered to take us to the welcome party hosted by Albuquerque the Magazine
to the ex-military security guard at the museum in the National Hispanic Cultural Center who offered background and insight to art we admired in the exhibit.

Tonite I caught up with old friends and introduced myself to new ones.
Tonite felt like a logical beginning.
Free food, free tequilla, sangria, and lots of beer.

A gracious way to initiate a week of competition. With the point being the poetry of course.
74 teams, poets from all around the country, everyone there for a reason.

Everyone mostly hoping to be remembered by someone for something more than unforgettable, concrete, or amazing...