The Bam youth poetry slam coming to Vaughan, York Region

Yorkregion.com
March 24, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Listen up young pups who like to rhyme, there’s an event happening in Vaughan that might be worth your time.

Bam! The Toronto Youth Poetry Slam, which usually takes place monthly downtown, is heading north of Steeles Avenue for the first time next weekend.

“This is an amazing opportunity for (kids) to express their creativity through spoken word,” said Karine Rashkovsky, owner and director of language arts at Brain Power Enrichment Programs Ltd., who is the driving force behind the local poetry slam.

Dubbed Bam! The Toronto Youth Poetry Slam - North, the event is intended for poets aged 12 to 19 and takes place Saturday, March 29 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., in room 2123 at the Schwartz-Reisman Centre, 9600 Bathurst St.

A poetry slam is a competition at which poets read or recite original work. Previously selected audience members judge the performances.

Poets have three minutes to recite their poems, with a 10-second grace period. After that, time penalties are assessed.

No costumes, props or musical accompaniment are permitted and the poetry must be memorized.

This event is a two-round slam with up to 12 poets in the first round and five in the second round.

After the slam, points are awarded based on standing. The poets with the most points at the conclusion win prizes.

For those who want to perform, but not compete, there’s also an open mic session.

“This is playful. It is competitive, but in a very fun way,” Ms Rashkovsky said. “And this is an amazing way to allow their experience to be heard. I don’t know of any avenue that these kids have - social media, etc., etc. - none of those things offer that intimate sharing that this allows for.”

Ms Rashkovsky has been taking students to youth poetry slams in downtown Toronto for several years and decided it was time to host an event for suburban youth.

She contacted organizers of the Toronto Youth Poetry Slam and invited them to join forces to put together an event in Vaughan.

“The enthusiasm for slam poetry is rampant up here. Kids talk about it all the time,” she said. “I’ve brought in slam poets to Brain Power every year to do workshops and it’s been super, super successful. So, I thought, hey, we just need to host our own slam.”

Hosted by spoken word artist Patrick de Belen and the 2014 Youth Bam! Slam Team, the event has a pay-what-you-can cover charge. Check out this poem, written by Mr. de Belen, entitled Macaroni Pasta.

Aside from the competition, attendees will be treated to feature performances by some well-known Canadian slam poets.

Ms Rashkovsky expects at least 100 people to attend and, based on the response so far, she’s confident there will be more poetry slams here in the future.

“I am so certain the kids are going to want to continue,” she said. “These kids are so stoked and just loving the idea."