Farrago International SLAM!:
UK vs. Canada vs. World Select

Wednesday, 2nd February, starting at 7:30
RADA Foyer Bar, Malet St, WC1
nearest tube: Goodge Street

Farrago Poetry is proud to welcome Canada’s National Slam team to London. Canada will be taking on the UK and a World Select Team for the Farrago International Slam! Championships, the longest running International title in World Slam.

Ten years ago Farrago took a team to San Francisco and won the first International Slam match. This will easily be the finest team slam in the UK for years, two rounds, twelve poets, three top teams, with only one winner!

Representing Canada: Barbara Adler; CR Avery; Mark Berube; and Brendan McLeod.

Representing the UK: Kat Francois, BBC Slam Champion; Crysse Morrison, Farrago West of England Slam! Champion; Phaze, Farrago New Year Slam! Champion; and Ross Sutherland, Liverpool Slam! master.

And on the special World Select team: Connie Bell, Jamaica, Donal Dempsey, Ireland, David Morgan, USA; and Nii Parkes, Ghana.

Before the slam there will be a multilingual open mic, open to ANY poet, any language, including English! With special guest Isabel del Rio. Emcee: John Paul O’Neill. Tickets: £6/4. This event is supported by Forward Press.


Canada Team

Barbara Adler: The author of three books, Barbara is a four-time member of the acclaimed Vancouver Poetry Slam Team, which took first place at this year's Canadian Spoken Wordlympics. She has performed all over North America, including regular stops at the US Nationals and as a notable feature performer at NYC's Bowery Poetry Club.

C. R. Avery: C.R. can, among other things, play harmonica while beat-boxing and rapping at the same time. The author of three hip hop operas, he has toured all across Europe and North America as a musician and spoken word artist. He is a five time member of the Vancouver Poetry Slam Team.

Mark Berube: Mark is one of Canada’s foremost singer-songwriters, a multi-instrumentalist who plays seven different instruments on his second critically acclaimed CD, Sketches from the Sidewalk. He hails from Vancouver and has toured extensively through Canada.

Brendan McLeod: Brendan was the 2004 winner of the National Individual Final at the Canadian Spoken Wordlympics, awarded to the top slam poet in Canada. He currently performs as the singer/songwriter of the Vancouver funk band, New Foundation. Excerpts from his first novel were published in the journal Sophia in May 2001. He received his MA in Philosophy from the University of Waterloo a year later. He is a member of the Vancouver Poetry Slam team.


UK Team

Kat Francois: Kat is the queen of UK slam, a former Farrago UK SLAM! Champion, she won the BBC Television Slam Poetry show last October and has performed extensively around the UK and overseas.

Crysse Morrison: The reigning Farrago West of England Slam Champion, and runner up in last year’s Farrago UK final. She is an experienced performer and organiser. She is the host of the Frome Poetry Café in Somerset.

Phaze: The winner of the Farrago New Year Slam! he is one of London’s finest young poetry performers, intelligent words and silky smooth delivery make him one of the slam scenes finest prospects for 2005.

Ross Suthterland: A former Farrago UK SLAM! Championship runner up and Liverpool slam master, his work is wry, ironic and razor sharp.


World Select Team

Connie Bell: From Jamaica she is a new comer to the London scene and is studying at the Central School of Speech and Drama. As well as building a reputation for her excellent writing and exciting performance she ran Kingston’s main performance poetry club.

Donal Dempsey: Originally from Ireland but now a stalwart of the London slam scene he is the reigning Farrago Haiku Champion. He is a strong writer and consummate professional performer having performed regularly live, on radio and television.

David Morgan: A US ex-pat David is the current Farrago Champions SLAM! Champion and a former London Slam Champion, he Edinburgh show last year received excellent reviews.

Nii Parkes: A former Farrago UK SLAM! Champion Nii is a dynamic force on London’s literary and performance poetry scene, running events, editing journals and having just recently completed his first novel.


This event is supported by Forward Press. For further info, call the RADA box office: 0207-908-4800. (10:00 AM - 6:00 PM) Credit cards accepted.

Click here for directions.

 

    
John Paul O'Neill

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108, High St
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Kent. BR4 OND.


Pictured on the left: Farrago MC John Paul O'Neill