For the first time, the voice of Tucson will be heard on a national stage at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival. Held in a different city every year, this July six poets from the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam will be traveling to San Francisco to compete in the judged poetry competition––this year the TYPS is the only team from Arizona that has been accepted to compete.
The six poets who will be representing the TYPS community at Brave New Voices in 2012 are:
Araceli, 18, Sunnyside HS
Alexia, 19, Pima Community College
Zack, 17, Sunnyside HS
Kay, 16, homeschool
Sam, 18, Tucson Magnet HS
Enrique, 17, Pueblo HS
Coached by Director Logan Phillips and Community Coordinator Sarah Gonzales, these poets were selected for the honor based off of their placement in the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam Championship, held at the University of Arizona Poetry Center in April, as well as their evident dedication to community and leadership.
The Tucson Youth Poetry Slam advocates literacy, critical thinking and youth voice through poetry competitions, workshops and community showcases. The program recently celebrated the end of its second season and regularly collaborates with diverse organizations across Tucson. The monthly poetry slam competition is open to all youth 19 & under and is held every 3rd Saturday at Bentley’s House of Coffee & Tea, 1730 E Speedway. Crowds at the TYPS regularly top 100 people.
Poets: we want you to perform in the Championship!
REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED! Poets interested in competing in the 2012 Tucson Youth Poetry Slam Championship are asked to have competed in at least one regular monthly slam this season. If that’s you, please:
the TYPS celebrates NATIONAL POETRY MONTH 2012 with big events every weekend!
You’re going to be hearing from us a lot this month! The TYPS is celebrating NaPoMo in style with a big event every weekend of April!
Fri. & Sat. 4/6-4/7 30th: Annual Tucson Poetry Festival The Ocotillo Poetry Slam Championship is Friday night at 9pm at Main Gate Square. TYPS poets are also specially invited to a workshop given by slam legent PATRICIA SMITH at noon on Saturday at the UA Poetry Center. Check the full schedule here.
Sunday April 15th: Tucson Youth Poetry Slam Benefit Dinner Our first-ever fundraising event! A formal three-course dinner served by Casa Restaurante Casa Español with poems from TYPS poets. Organized from the youth-led TYPS Fundraiser Committee and students from the UA Blue Chip leadership program. Recommend the event to those interested in supporting youth voice in Tucson, and buy your tickets today! Want to help TYPS grow? Click here!
Friday April 20: Workshop & Open Mic 4-7pm at the Pennington Street Block Party, downtown. Workshop given by TYPS poets, plus an open mic for the masses!
Saturday April 21st: Last slam of the regular season 2011-2012 The last open slam of the regular season! AKA the last chance anyone to participate & thus qualify for the 2012 Championship. Featuring Jasmine Cuffee of Albuquerque! The info will be posted here.
Saturday April 28th: 2012 Tucson Youth Poetry Slam CHAMPIONSHIP This is it! The biggest slam of the entire year! Hosted again by the UA Poetry Center and featuring Jessica Helen Lopez of Albuquerque, New Mexico! To qualify to compete, poets must have participated in at least one regular slam during the 2011-2012 season. Watch the TYPS Group on Facebook and the TYPS Blog for info on how to register!
Saturday April 28th Tucson Youth Poetry Slam CHAMPIONSHIP 1pm FREE!
University of Arizona Poetry Center 1508 E Helen St (at Vine Ave) MAP: http://g.co/maps/snvcv
THE BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR, don’t miss it! Tucson’s most dynamic poets 18 & under rock the mic in a judged competition. The event will also feature a preformance by nationally-recognized performance poet Jessica Helen Lopez from New Mexico! Who will be the 2012 All-City Champion?
Poet registration now closed. Deadline: 4/25 11:59pm
1st Annual Tucson Youth Poetry Slam Benefit Dinner
Come see for yourself what all the buzz is about––poems like you’ve never heard them performed before! Some of Tucson’s most talented youth poets will take the stage for a special one-night-only event to benefit the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam––you won’t be disappointed! The TYPS is a dynamic program which helps young people from across the city learn self-expression, literacy, and performance. Ticket price includes full three-course Spanish dinner and a chance to support new opportunities for youth voice in Southern Arizona. All donations are tax deductible!
A collaboration between the youth-led TYPS Fundraising Committee and students from the Blue Chip Leadership program at the University of Arizona.
http://tucsonyouthslam.blogspot.com
Sunday, April 15th 2011 Cocktail hour 5pm, dinner served 6pm
Hosted by Casa Vicente Restaurante Español 375 S Stone Ave
Tickets are $35 per person and include both admission and the meal. Please call 602-478-0980 to order tickets and specify any necessary dietary needs before space runs out!
–
Can’t make it to the Dinner? Tax-deductible donations to the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam can always be made by writing a check to Ocotillo Literary Endeavors, PO Box 44000, Tucson, AZ 85733 Please include “TYPS” on the memo line.
SATURDAY APRIL 21st 2012 The last open slam of regular 2011-2012 Season! Last chance to participate and qualify for the 2012 Championship! Featuring Jasmine Cuffee all the way from Albuquerque!
A native of Albuquerque’s South Valley, Jasmine Sena Cuffee has been active in the Metro arts community for nearly 10 yrs. She was a member of the 2004 Poetry Slam team, 2005 Youth Poetry Champion, 2007 City Slam Champion, and player coach for the 2008 UNM Collegiate Slam team. As a performance poet and slam poetry champion, Jasmine has led numerous writing workshops and performances throughout New Mexico and the Western U.S. She has appeared in the Bigger Boat Anthology, Earthships: A New Mecca Poetry Anthology, and ¿De Veras?. She is currently working on her first manuscript Where the Arroyos and Train Tracks Meet which will be the follow up to her first and only chapbook Sunshine and Rapture released in 2007. When she is not poeting, she manages Public Allies New Mexico, an AmeriCorps program that promotes social justice by developing the next generation of community leaders to strengthening non-profits communities and civic engagement.
SATURDAY APRIL 21st 2012
SLAM WORKSHOP and Volunteer Meeting 5:00-6:30pm POETRY SLAM: 7:00-10:00pm, signup at 6:30 Featured poet: Jazz Cuffee of Albuquerque! Slam hosted by Logan Phillips & Amy Briseño At BENTLEY’S 1730 E Speedway near the UofA, across from McDonald’s, extra parking behind the building and in the UofA lot on Cherry and Speedway
2012 ALL-CITY CHAMPIONSHIP Sat. Apr 28, 2011, UA Poetry Center. Participate to qualify!
The Every Voice in Action Foundation, Bentley’s House of Coffee & Tea, UA Poetry Center, Tucson Pima Arts Council, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Tucson Youth Poetry Slam – February 18, 2012! Featuring Progreso Barrios of the RebelArte Collective!
Un poeta nacido en Agua Prieta Sonora Mexico, residente de Tucson, Arizona expresa su energía poetica en conjunción con la musica Hip Hop. Manejado por motivos de cambio social y envolucracion politica, ProGreso representa la palabra del afonico–
A poet born in Agua Prieta Sonora Mexico, now residing in Tucson, Arizona, expresses his poetic energy in conjunction with Hip Hop music. Driven by hope of inspiring social change and political involvement, Progreso represents the voice of the voiceless.
Listen to some of Progreso’s music here:
…
SLAM WORKSHOP & Volunteer Meeting 5:00-6:30pm Led by Progreso Barrios!
POETRY SLAM: 7:00-10:00pm, signup at 6:30 Featured poet: Progreso Barrios! Slam hosted by Amy Briseño and Enrique Garcia!
At BENTLEY’S 1730 E Speedway near the UofA, across from McDonald’s, extra parking behind the building and in the UofA lot on Cherry & Speedway
2011-2012 TYPS dates, every 3rd SATURDAY: Mar. 17 • Apr. 21
2012 ALL-CITY CHAMPIONSHIP Sat. Apr 28, 2011, UA Poetry Center. Participate to qualify!
The Every Voice in Action Foundation, Bentley’s House of Coffee & Tea, UA Poetry Center, Tucson Pima Arts Council, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Experienced poets from the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam lead an exciting writing and performance workshop for any interested middle and high school students! Free! All are welcome.
This is a unique opportunity for YOU to explore slam poetry in a youth-centered environment and become part of the TYPS community!
SLAM 101: Youth-led Poetry Writing & Performance Workshop
A part of UA Poetry Center’s Family Days in collaboration with Voices, Inc. and made possible in part by a grant from the Every Voice in Action Foundation.
A new year, and a the second-half the TYPS season has begun! City-wide competition! Calling all poets, writers, rhymers, coffee junkies and spoken word lovers for your words, dreams, applause and screams. Tucson’s hottest microphone open to all youth 18 & under. Cash prizes! Featuring TC TOLBERT! …
SLAM WORKSHOP & Volunteer Meeting 5:00-6:30pm Led by TC Tolbert!
POETRY SLAM: 7:00-10:00pm, signup at 6:30 Featured poet: TC Tolbert! Slam hosted by Logan Phillips and Amy Briseño!
At BENTLEY’S 1730 E Speedway near the UofA, across from McDonald’s, extra parking behind the building and in the UofA lot on Cherry & Speedway
2011-2012 TYPS dates, every 3rd SATURDAY: Feb. 18 • Mar. 17 • Apr. 21
2012 ALL-CITY CHAMPIONSHIP Sat. Apr 28, 2011, UA Poetry Center. Participate to qualify!
The Every Voice in Action Foundation, Bentley’s House of Coffee & Tea, UA Poetry Center, Tucson Pima Arts Council, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.