ASilent Artists Entertainment ProductionsLong ago, in a Kalamazoo far, far away....Dear Readers, This site used to be dedicated to an art community looking for different ways to promote themselves and their various crafts. Well, the artists involved weren't so dedicated. The site became various other things, most recently, the homepage of the Kalamazoo Poetry Slam. I still believe in the principals of the original idea behind ASilent Artists and want to work towards the goals I had in mind when it all started. Artists are lousy at promoting themselves and getting their works out there where they have the most power, in the community. Most of the fun, underground art scene stays hidden simply because no-one there knows how to get found. Maybe this will help. I'd also like to keep the history of Kalamazoo's poetry scene alive. Since I'm about the best person in Kalamazoo to do it, because of my long, close association with it, I suppose it's up to me. I'm also one of the few in the scene with even the slightest clue about making web sites that aren't completely annoying and ugly. So, this site features simply crafted (less is more) pages of essays and memorabilia in the Kalamazoo Poetry Scene Museum. I warn you now, it's not an entirely objective view. More so it is a personal memoir of the period between 1992 and 2000, focusing on the most crucial time for the scene, Dirty's Outhouse Poet's Cafe and the birth of Slam in Kalamazoo. Poetry Slam is something with which I have had a fair amount of experience. Even though I've retired from the Kalamazoo scene, I still keep my hand in here and there. One of the things I saw most lacking in the slam scene was a clean, well written, informative introduction to Slam. What of it there was on the Internet, was contained in web pages so badly designed and written it was an unbearable chore to excavate. In response, I've written an education in Slam for beginners and, along with articles submitted by others in the Slam Family, built the Slam School. I hope you find the content here useful, entertaining and well presented. That was my goal, and if I've missed the mark, please let me know, constructively. Yours, The Kalamazoo Poetry Slam has moved
to a new website. If there's any information in particular you are looking for and can't find, or to report a broken link, e-mail me: kevincharles@poetryslam.com This site lovingly built and maintained by Kevin Charles. |
