Disclaimer. Even though I hate those.

Okay, sssooooo

One of my students/men-tees/friends, whatever she wants to consider me.  I asked her to let me know what she thought of my blog that I wrote yesterday.  And her answer was "u have a lot of misspelled words in your blog" .  How thoughtful of her.  

If you are wondering what does this have to have to with Slam, poetry, or a guild then my answer is "I don't know"?  But, she was on my PV Slam Team so, i figure this is valid.  Poetry is an essence all on it's own.  While in college I started writing poems so often that they found their way into my essays, reports, and any thing else that had to be graded.  It's like poetry is all that I knew how to write.  

Now with writing blogs on a some what regular basis some may say my spelling has became of below average.  In poetry, one does not have write nor spell correctly because we're (the poets) hiding behind the wool of ARTISTRY.  Blogging is NOT WRITING AN ARTICLE!  Right?  What do think?  

I plan on writing, no venting on these a lot.  If people start coming to slampoetryguild.blogspot.com just read my articles/blogs for how many errors I have.  GREAT!! I am not tripping.  I hope you enjoy the blogs to come.

Outspokenbean.com

peace.

Meta-FOUR & the History behind.

My opinion on the Meta-FOUR's Slam off.

A small disclaimer.  This the first time I have ever made a blog off any kind other than what's on my website now, www.outspokenbean.com.  But, I'm going to give this whirl.  

I am the slam-master for Houston's youth poetry slam team, Meta-FOUR.  What is "Poetry Slam" you ask? Good question.  Poetry Slam is spoken-word competition.  Where contestants are summoned to stand in front of an audience and recite a poem (of their own construction) for 3 min and 10 sec.  Afterwards, they scored from 0-10 for their efforts from 5 anonymous judges, hand picked randomly.

That is out the way.  I am going to share with you my professional opinion on how I thought my students did.  I might be a little bias because I was working all of them to get to this point but i think they phenomenal!  Were there some better than others?  

YES!  Of course there was.  None of them were complacent.  None, of them gave up.  

I heard an interesting quote yesterday off of "Twitter" (www.twitter.com/outspokenbean).  The quote read "Don't be afraid of striving for perfection/Because you will never reach it"  What my goal is to do with Meta-FOUR Houston is to enrich and enlighten these kids minds.  Growth is on my side.

Sidebar-  Brief background information on my self and Meta-FOUR.  First, me Emanuelee "Outspoken Bean" Poet/Performer/Sound engineer/Coordinator/Slam-Master(Coach).  I where a lot of hats at one time.  I started performing spoken-word while in 2005 at Prairie View A&M.  Started Slamming in 2006 made the Houston Poetry Slam Team & San Antonio's Puro Slam Team, in the same year.  Then created, formed, founded, organized Prairie View's first Poetry Club which housed Prairie View Productive Poets.  These Students went to Regionals and won 1st place then for the first time ever went nationals and obtained 8th place in the country the first HBCU (Historically Black College and University) to do so.

Second, Meta-FOUR Houston, first named Houston's Young Writers was founded by the Houston Chronicle editor Shannon Buggs.  There was no representation for Houston Youth and Spoken-Word.  In 2008 different groups and non-profits came together and pasted a team hire the great Marcel Murphy (my first mentor) to be the slam master and went to D.C.  The effort was admirable however, the results were harsh.  Houston Young Writers came dead last in the entire competition.  The main factor was "Time was against them".  Not all was lost.  A fire of hope was lit and now it is spreading.

Well, this year we have a new coach (Outspoken Bean), new name (Meta-FOUR), new focus (Growth), new blood, (students with a hunger), more support (Houston's elite is pitching in) and the attitude is definitely there!

With all that said, I think I am going to enjoy this blogging thing.  Sorry I really didn't speak to much on the details of the slam.  I promise next I will.  I'm going to leave you this.

"In this life

it can be ugly

it can be beautiful

it can be worthless

it can be useful

Why can't life 

be like- how it used to

I love my nieces

but I hate envying

where they are

innocent eyes look 

into the sky

all they see is the stars

not the big or little dipper

all they see is the stars

They tell me 

'That's where i want to be'

I tell them that's where u r

Ur beautiful-

and you have been beautiful"

-Outspoken Bean.