Saturday, October 17th, 2009, 7 pm, The Independent 501 Studios, 501 Brushy Street

They Speak Youth Poetry Slam Presented by the Texas Youth Word Collective. Finally, after a summer of sweltering heat and a September that saw both the start of school and some heat and humidity that had us all confused, the air is crisp, the wind is blowing and it is time to enjoy all of the benefits that fall has to offer. On of those benefits is the beginning of the youth poetry slam season. Last month we had a last minute glitch but our God send, Tova Charles, saved the day, and for that we are grateful. Now, back our home base we hope to kick this thing off for real. Like Friday Night Lights, we expect the competition to be fierce as competitors jockey for position to place in the finals of the They Speak Youth Poetry Slam in the spring.

The Chinese consider the number 8 to be a lucky number, signifying sudden fortune, prosperity. This being our 8th season, the Texas Youth Word Collective (TYWC) is looking to make this year’s youth slam just that – a sudden fortune of poetry prosperity. This season will bring some new twists, starting with the name of the slam: the They Speak Youth Poetry Slam. Why the change? Because we wanted the name to be a worthy identifier instead of a simple descriptor; a name that exemplifies the character and motivation of youth slam and its participants. We will also be looking to add local musical acts to the youth slam on and off during the course of the season.

Another twist on the new season: monthly writing workshops. TYWC will be conducting monthly writing workshops so that youth can hone their writing skills and prepare their work for the slam. Through the workshops, we hope to not only encourage youth to write more new work but to produce more challenging, quality writing for performance. This, we hope, will raise the participation and competition in the youth slam. These are just some of the upcoming changes/improvements we are making this season.

So, we invite you to come help us continue to launch this, our 8th season of the city wide youth poetry slam,, the They Speak Youth Poetry Slam See what all the excitement is about and be inspired by the voices and leaders of tomorrow. Those participants between the ages of 13 and 19 will be eligible to compete for a spot on the team we take to Brave New Voices 2010 in the home of the stars, the City of Angels , Los Angeles , California

Please come for a night of stirring, thought-provoking poetry. This project is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

ADMISSION: $5 cover (free to slam participants and children under 5).
CONTACTS: Tova Charles (514) 554-3720, Project Coordinator
Dr. Sheila Siobhan (512) 422-6653, Co-Director
E-Mail: u21slam@yahoo.com
Website: www.txywc.org