Denver's vibrant slam poetry community has deep roots. Minor Disturbance is where the youngest poets grow into their words -- poets like former East High student Libby Olga Howard, who's gone on to find her future at Lewis and Clark College. Howard, a Minor Disturbance mainstay of a few years ago, will be the featured guest at tonight's weekly youth open mike, downstairs at Hooked on Colfax.

See also:
- Minor Disturbance: 2012 MasterMind award winners
- The Minor Disturbance youth slam poetry team rules the nation at Brave New Voices 2012
- Ken Arkind and Minor Disturbance rep Denver in HBO's Brave New Voices
Weekly open mic, brought to you by Minor Disturbance!

More »

Jake Adam York, in better times.

"The things we fear about poetry are the things that are good about poetry."
-- Jake Adam York

Those words inspired me as a dabbler in poems, though the genteel poet and educator Jake Adam York, who died unexpectedly yesterday of a stroke, couldn't have known that about me. And I'm sure he inspired many, many others, whether inadvertently or in the line of duty. We were talking about a lecture series he was preparing to deliver for now-MCA chief Adam Lerner at the old Lab at Belmar; his goal was to detangle the mysteries of the poetic voice for a misunderstanding audience.

See also:
- Verse-atile Map
- Nickel and Dimed
- Big, Bad Words
- Sweet Mixers

More »

LIP prototypes

Poetry can be a form of catharsis, but often the poems are forgotten after they're written, banished to a closed notebook in a dark drawer. Lesbian Inspired Poetry wants to make those poems public -- by sharing them in a free publication. The first issue of LIP is scheduled to hit the streets in January, and will be available at various venues around the city.

See also:
- From the Archives: the prison poetry of Minoru Yasui
- Serena Chopra's new poetry chapbook examines geology, language, and trust
- Bullying: Analysis shows only 37 percent of school policies protect LGBT kids

More »

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/

The Youth Connection will host a poetry slam/open-mike event at 4 p.m. today in Civic Center Park, in conjunction with Senator Mike Johnston's Summer of Safety program. The slam is the last in a three-part event series designed to provide local youth with healthy, safe and exciting activities -- and given the tragedy Colorado has faced this summer, it could not come at a better time. "When we feel torn apart by violence, we must come together to love back," says Johnston. "Summer is a critical time when we can make a difference for all youth, and these events are a great start."

Mayor Michael Hancock will be on hand to kick off the free event.

See also:
- Gang violence concerns prompt "Summer of Safety" flag football game, open mic night

---

Follow @WestwordCulture

Slam Nuba, itching to break out.

Update: What a difference a year makes. Both Slam Nuba and the Denver Mercury Poetry Slam team went down in their semifinal rounds on Friday night, Slam Nuba in a sudden death slam-off against Da Poetry Lounge of Hollywood. Saturday Night's winner? Slam New Orleans.

Hopeful and pumped full of their best words, the Slam Nuba and Denver Mercury Poetry Slam teams both headed to the 2012 National Poetry Slam in Charlotte last week. So far, so good: They both did well in their preliminary rounds on Wednesday and Thursday nights, ranking fourth (Slam Nuba) and ninth (Mercury) in the overall standings among the 72 teams participating.

Also see:
- Meet your 2012 slam poetry teams: Slam Nuba, Mercury Cafe and Minor Disturbance
- Denver's Slam Nuba wins the National Poetry Slam
- The Minor Disturbance youth slam poetry team rules the nation at Brave New Voices 2012

More »

Slam Nuba is ready to rumble.

The 2012 Slam Nuba slam poetry team has a big reputation to uphold when it heads to Charlotte on August 7 for this year's National Slam Poetry Meet: It's a new and differently configured team that will be defending the group's 2011 first-place title.

See also:
- Meet your 2012 slam poetry teams: Slam Nuba, Mercury Cafe and Minor Disturbance
- Denver's Slam Nuba wins the National Poetry Slam
- MasterMinds: Slam Nuba, Denver poet
- Slam poet Suzi Q. Smith brought a national championship to Denver

More »

Denver's proved, again, that it's a straight-up poetry town, and also that it takes a village to make it that way. The city's stellar Minor Disturbance youth slam poetry team crowned its weekend by taking it all at the Brave New Voices 2012 national slam-off, following in the footsteps of Denver's Slam Nuba adult team, which took last year's nationals and is headed back to compete again this year. The Mercury Cafe is also sending a team to the 2012 National Poetry Slam -- proof that we've got local talent and serious mentors to shed light and inspiration on the young poets coming up in the ranks.

With nowhere to go but up, Minor Disturbance (also one of Westword's 2012 MasterMind award winners) took that support and inspiration and ran. See them in action in the following video clips, beginning on the next page.

See also:

- Minor Disturbance: 2012 MasterMind award winners
- Meet your 2012 slam poetry teams: Slam Nuba, Mercury Cafe and Minor Disturbance
- Denver's Slam Nuba wins the National Poetry Slam

More »

Tattoo-Haiku wants to make its mark on Denver. Joseph Carman, founder of the 555 Collective, which promotes the arts and also raises money for trauma victims, is advertising a haiku contest on fliers posted around town. To enter, you must pay a $5 submission fee -- which Carman plans to give needy veterans.

And the winner of the contest is in line to get a diamond ring, and also the honor of seeing the winning haiku tattooed on Carman's arm.

See Also:
-- Songwriting camp helps veterans transition to civilian life
-- Fallujah the opera about war in Iraq
-- Allow medical marijuana for veterans with PTSD

More »

With fires raging across Colorado, many artists are putting their talents by holding fundraisers or using events to simply send good vibes to those affected by the fires. Tonight Denver's youth slam team, Minor Disturbance, a 2012 MasterMind winner, will use what it's got to bring awareness (and raise some money) for Colorado wildfire relief in a no-holds grudge match against Albuquerque Youth Slam Team.

More »

Tongo Eisen-Martin

Steamrolling toward the August nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina, the 2012 Slam Nuba slam poetry team (and 2011 national winner) is just back in town after snagging a first-place victory in the Southwest Shootout in Tulsa. The Slam Nuba crew will celebrate tonight, with help from guest poet Tongo Eisen-Martin of San Francisco, at Crossroads Theater.

More »