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IWPS 2009 Sponsors

East Bay Express

Splash San Francisco

GotPoetry.com

Bakesale Betty

Trader Joe's

Firefly Web Design

Faultline Brewery

IWPS 2009 Non-profit Partners

Berkeley Poetry Slam

Nucleus of IWPS 2009 is the home town slam, and their venue, the Starry Plough. Widely considered to be one of the most important slams in the world, it is recipient of many editor’s picks and “Best Of” awards. The home-town slam team is feared by rivals and winner of many regional championships. This year, the “Berzerkeley” Slam celebrates 10 years of packed houses, spell-binding performance poetry, live music, and touring talent from around the world. It is the only weekly poetry slam in Northern California.

www.berkeleypoetryslam.com

Cal Slam

Cal Slam is a student-run organization that hosts popular and boisterous regular open poetry slams on the U.C. Berkeley campus.  These slams are open to everyone, not just students!  They also produce major poetry events in the Student Union, hosting the top touring names in Performance Poetry.   In 2001, they hosted the College Union Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI, a.k.a. the Collegiate National Slam) to sold out audiences.   Cal Slam is not only an important part of the Bay Area poetry scene, they are a major component of IWPS 2009.  We are very grateful to have them on board!

www.myspace.com/calpoetryslam/

Epic Arts

Epic Arts is a non-profit based in South Berkeley. They produce many creative arts events, including the “How Berkeley Can You Be?” Parade. Epic Arts is also the nucleus of the South Berkeley Arts Association.

www.epicarts.org

Local Poetry Slams

These local poetry Slams either have organizers on our Host City Committee, volunteers involved in IWPS 09, or will help promote the festival. Most local slams plan on organizing events the week of IWPS 09 for poets and fans who wish to arrive early or stay late. Some are based on college campuses, some in bars, but all are open to anyone who wishes to sign up. Together, they constitute a world-famous community of mutually supportive organizers and poets who regularly join together to produce events such as the Battle Of The Bay and West Coast Regional Poetry Slam. Perhaps this is why folks speak of “Bay Area Love” when describing our venues.

Berzerkeley Poetry Slam — www.berkeleypoetryslam.com

Oakland Poetry Slam — www.oaklandslam.com/

City Slam (in San Francisco) — www.myspace.com/thecityslam

Cal Slam (on the UC Berkeley Campus) — www.myspace.com/calpoetryslam

San Jose Poetry Slam — www.myspace.com/sanjoseslam

Tourettes Without Regrets (in Oakland) — www.myspace.com/touretteswithoutregrets

Chico Poetry Slam — www.chicopoetryslam.com

Mahogany (in Sacramento) — www.myspace.com/mahoganyurbanpoetryseries

Fairfield Poetry Slam — www.myspace.com/3rdeyecollective

Golden State Slam (in Oakland) — www.myspace.com/goldenstateslam

Indi Slam (in Santa Cruz) — www.legendarycollective.com

Kinetic Poetics (on the UC Santa Cruz Campus) — www.legendarycollective.com

Slam On Rye (in Modesto) — www.slamonrye.com

Lyrical Minded

Lyrical Minded is a youth literacy program that brings hip hop, theater and spoken word to high schools in New York and California. The project has several goals. Bryonn Bain, the New York City spoken-word poet, author, and activist (and former member of the Boston Slam Team) conceived it along with members of the Black Out Arts Collective and Priya Parmar, an assistant professor of adolescence literacy at Brooklyn College's School of Education. The two wanted to use art forms that resonate deeply with these kids to inspire literacy, critical thinking, and aspirations for college and career.

www.blackoutartscollective.com

Poetry Flash

Poetry Flash is a calendar and poetry journal listing events across California, with a circulation of 32,000. A non-profit 20-year old institution, they are as well-known to academic and page-poets as they are to open mic regulars. In recent years, they have included slam poets in their events.

www.poetryflash.org

Youth Speaks

Youth Speaks is the premier at-risk youth literacy program in the nation, bringing poetry and writing workshops to thousands of kids and hosting the biggest poetry slams in the world. They are the primary organizers of Brave New Voices, AKA the Youth Nationals. They also organize free open mics, poetry slams, and workshops for minors around the Bay Area.

www.youthspeaks.org