PAST EVENTS
Looking Back
SUPPORT FOR BAM FEST PROVIDED BY:
BLACK ARTS MATTER FESTIVAL 2019
The following images and descriptions showcase the inaugural BAM Fest from 2019.
BAM POETRY SLAM
B.A.M (Black Arts Matters) Slam to be held in Madison, Wisconsin is a 2 day poetry event a part of the larger Black Arts Matters Interdisciplinary Arts Festival. This space has been created specifically for Black poets to shine and share out.
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Friday, March 8
Bout 1 & 2: 7:30-9 pm
Bout 3: 9:30-11 pm
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Saturday, March 9
Madison Public Library
201 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703
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REGISTRATION & PRIZES
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
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36 spots are open to competitors. Poets can only solidify their spot by paying the full registration fee. Registration will not . Please contact us under extenuating circumstances.
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the event that from the slam . B.AM Fest reserves the right to deny and/or remove anyone's registration with notice.
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Poets must perform original works, and will for plagiarism. No musical instruments or pre-recorded music. No costumes or animal acts. No props. props.
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Prizes
1st Place: $1,000
2nd Place: $300
3rd Place: $200
JUDGING
The judges will be randomly and/or pre-selected by the bout staff. Each judge will be asked if they have any affiliation with the competitors. Each poet will have a chance to approve each judge. The judges will give each poem a score from 0.0 to 10.0, with 10 being the highest score. The high and the low scores will be dropped and the remaining three scores will be added together. In the event that only 3 judges are selected all the scores would be added.
PRELIMS
There will be 3 preliminary bouts with 12 poets in each bout. Each bout consists of two rounds. Each of the 12 poets will go in both rounds. There will be a random pull to determine which poets go to which venues. At each prelims, random draw determines the order for BOTH rounds. The performers will be called up one by one, in the designated order of each round, and read a single, three minute poem ( with a 10 second grace period).
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Once the two rounds are completed the scores will be added and the top 4 from each prelims will compete on final stage.
In the event of a tie for 4th place, an additional “head to head” will commence. The tie breaker poems will be 1 minute ( with a 10 second grace period). Judges will score these the tie breaker poems.Ties in higher positions (e.g. 2nd) will not go in a head to head round.
FINALS & CLOSING CEREMONIES
The final stage consists of three rounds of competition. All 12 finalists will be guaranteed one 3 minute poem in the first round. Random draw determines the order. The 8 highest scoring poets will move on to the 2nd round. Each round is clean slate. The order for the SECOND and THIRD round will go in order from the highest scoring poet to the lowest scoring poet. The third round will consist of the top four highest scoring poets from the second round.
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Each round, poets will have up to 3 minutes and 10 seconds (3:10) to perform.
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The finals will also be broken up with musical artists and interdisciplinary performances to mark the end of the Black Arts Matter Festival!
OTHER RULES
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Final stage poets may repeat one poem from Prelims
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The penalty for time penalties is as such: For every 10 second over the allotted 3:10, the poet will receive a .5 deducted from their score.
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In the event of ties, the order of performance will be the reverse of the order before it. Example: Poet A and Poet B are tied in round 2, they will perform in reverse order from round one.
OUR GENEROUS PARTNERS
MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION
The Madison Public Library Foundation supports and celebrates the city's library facilities, services and programs in an effort to develop and sustain a world-class library system. The Madison Public Library Foundation has provided grant support for the Poetry Slam and provided both a venue and promotional support for the Film Screening of "Bamboozled" and the Poetry Slam Event.
STUDIO CREATIVE ARTS AWARD
The Studio Creative Arts Community is an immersive artistic laboratory and residence hall for 64 first-year undergraduates to experiment and explore their talents. In May 2018 BAM Fest Producer Shasparay Lightheard received The Studio Creative Arts Award for Service at the Division of the Arts Creative Arts Awards at UW-Madison.
UW-MADISON DIVISION OF THE ARTS
The Division of the Arts and its affiliates advance the arts by leading and promoting arts engagement across campus and beyond. In May 2018 BAM Fest Producer Shasparay Lightheard received The Studio Creative Arts Award for Service at the Division of the Arts Creative Arts Awards at UW-Madison.
EDGEWOOD COLLEGE
Edgewood College has underwritten the residency of artist Porsha O and provided a venue for the performance of her show, "Black & Ugly as Ever."
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FIRST WAVE HIP HOP & URBAN ARTS LEARNING COMMUNITY
Bringing together young artists and leaders from across the United States and beyond, the First Wave Learning Community offers students the opportunity to live, study and create together in a close-knit, dynamic campus community.
The First Wave Faculty Mentorship grant award provides support for a project created/proposed by a First Wave scholar in collaboration with a UW-Madison faculty member.
UW-MADISON CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES HEX U PROGRAM
The Public Humanities Exchange for Undergraduates (HEX-U) is a high-impact program for undergraduate students at UW-Madison who wish to make meaningful connections between their humanities scholarship and the needs of the local community through new models of social engagement.
BLACK CULTURAL CENTER
Black Cultural Center (BCC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison serves Black students by facilitating opportunities for academic and social support, co-curricular programming, and community building.The BCC is providing a venue for the Black Arts Matter Festival Opening Panel and Event and assisting with the opening night reception.
TCSA IN UW-MADISON THEATRE & DRAMA
Founded in 2004 by Professor Patrick J. Sims, Theatre for Cultural and Social Awareness (TCSA) is an interdisciplinary service-learning and outreach effort of the Department of Theatre & Drama and the Assistant Vice Provost’s Office for Equity and Diversity.