“Things that sucked:
The venue, the judges, the drama”
I can personally vouch for . Eirik is one of the nicest guys in the world and (his poems not withstanding) not given to hyperbole. If he has something negative to say about something, I’d tend to trust him.
I’m thrilled that I got to see the best slam poets in the country without having to leave home, but I’m sad that most of my city missed it and many of the poets have vowed never to return.
After the finals were over, there was this weird, end of summer camp feeling of being relieved it was all over and being sad that everybody was gonna go. I wanted the poets to pack me up and take me with them.
I wanna move to another city
Oy vey.
As someone out of the loop, what the hell happened? I had friends from Mesa, Arizona that headed that way for Nationals. We haven’t had a chance to talk much about it yet. Help?
Mesa, you say? I met a couple Mesa chicks at the Nationals ( and ).
You can click on any of the quotes in this entry and get the different people’s takes on it.
Long story short: the events were extremely under-promoted and not very well attended, which lead to all kinds of problems with finding judges to score bouts, tension with the venues cause they were loosing money, ect.
I spent a good amount of time on Thursday
convincing the Oklahoma team to not pick fights with idiots on the landing, or hurt the “St. Louis Officials”. It took a long time before I told them I was from here…. but then offered to show them some St. Louis fun – but I think they thought I was hitting on them – yet another “great” impression of out fair city.
I’m sure this was a tough thing to pull off, so props to Mike and the crew.
I thought WM and myself would be moving soon – but it looks like I lost him on the idea… damn.
Visit! Visit!
Don’t move here but by all means come out and visit!
Listen, we’ll do Flagstaff, we’ll do Jerome, Bisbee, Nogales, of course Tucson and then that big monster known as Phoenix.
Baby, please . . .
heh.
Re: A random sampling of what people are saying about the National Poetry Slam in Saint Louis
St. Louis can be awesome. Don’t blame the city- blame the organizers.
Actually it’s just Lanclede’s Landing that was rough. I do think the shows may have went better in the arts district.
I still think the Landing could have worked if the shows had been promoted and the audiences for poetry had outnumbered the frat boys. Problem is, most of the arts friendly venues aren’t within walking distance of each other or a decent hotel.
Truth be told, I’ve lived in St. Louis all my life and other than going to a half dozen or so shows at Mississippi Nights, I NEVER go to the Landing. I threw my brother-in-law a bachelor party down there when I was 17, and it totally gave me the creeps. Even now, walking to the venues for NPS, all these drunk, blonde, sorority girls hitting on me just made sick.
I dident go, I’m not into slam poetry stuff, but I read your post, and everyone elses.
I think that the Landing a just a shitty place.
Hm… I drove through St. Louis on Tuesday during the great cross-country journey. I crashed with a friend of my mother’s and then was up and out early. It hasn’t changed. I think that might be one of the reasons I left.
St.Louis changes, but what replaces what was there can be so inconsequential or frustrating because of what it could be.
The tribe of St.L ex-pats is larger than anyone thinks, we rarely let folks know about our past, hoping it’s going to stay in that rear view mirror.
*smiles* Thanks for that… it was insightful and sweet. I hope St. Louis remains in the rear view mirror, and that California is only a memory after grad school. I miss the East Coast already.
The east coast is so addicting, you get the sun and the ability to see what’s around you before the rest of the country. But the Left coast gives you the last bits of light. Guess it’s all relative.
St. Louis sucks…that’s why after 33 years I bolted to come to Chicago. A real city. 😉
Bonnie
Only slightly overexaggerating about the suckiness of the S-T-L…