2002 Update

All good things must come to an end, and we darken the torch for another year.  The competitors gave it their best and the winners have been crowned for the 2002 Poetry Olympics!  Thanks to all our judges and venues, and congrats to all the winners and participants who made this such a great event.  And the 2002 winners are.....

Form Event: Gold Medalist: John Swaile
Silver Medalist: Ophelia Thompson
Bronze Medalist: Joyce Lewis

Modern Event: Gold Medalist: John Swaile
Silver Medalist: Joyce Lewis
Bronze Medalist: Mike Trapp

Performance Event: Gold Medalist: Joyce Lewis
Silver Medalist: Mike Swinkey
Bronze Medalist: Ophelia Thompson

Slam!:Gold Medalist: Arnie Koester
Silver Medalist: Lady J
Bronze Medalist: Lucy Owens

2002 Poetry Olympics

April is National Poetry Month, so we’re putting on the Second Annual Poetry Olympics to find the best poets in the world. Poets can enter any or all events.  Judges can enter the events they are not judging.  There is a $3.00 entry fee per event.  All entries read must be the original work of the reader.  There is a limit of 15 entrants per event.  Pre-registration is recommended, but not required.  Minstrel Soup will choose 3 judges per event except for the Slam (see details below).  Scores and times will be kept by the score keeper.  Judges may not keep track of the scores.  This is a single elimination competition consisting of three rounds:  Round 1: Each entrant will read one poem, maximum length of 3 minutes and receive a score between 1 and 10.  Round 2: is a repeat of round 1.  After round 2, each entrant’s scores will be totaled.  Round 3: The five entrants with the top combined scores will read one poem, maximum length of 4 minutes and receive a score between 1 and 10.  The top three scores in round 3 will be the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medallists with Gold receiving 50% of entry fees for that event; Silver receiving 30% of the entry fees for that event and Bronze receiving 20% of the entry fees for that event.  Poems over the time limit for the round will receive a ½ (.5) deduction for each 10 seconds over the limit from their TOTAL score.  There will be 4 events in the Olympics.  

Registration forms are available at Brewed Awakenings A Coffeehouse, Happy Badger Trading Portal, Sufficient Ground Westgate, Boogie Records, Barry's Bagel's Westgate, Sanger Library, Calvino's Restaurant, Maxwell's Coffee House, and Thackery's Books

Saturday, April 6, 2002 at 8:00 p.m. at The Original Sub Shop & Deli, 402 Broadway, Toledo, OH – SLAM!  If you’ve never seen one, you’re in for a treat.  Standard Slam Rules apply - no costumes, props or music.  Just the poet and the poems.  Teams and individuals will compete at the same time.  All three rounds do not have to be performed as a team.  Entries are judged on content, originality, poetic and performance craft, poetic and performance skill and entertainment.  5 judges will be selected at random from the audience.

 Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 4:00 p.m. at Calvino's Restaurant, Cricket West Shopping Center, Toledo, OH - The Modern Event  Imagine if Ann Sexton and Charles Bukowski were in the same room.  All modern poetry is included.  Entries will be judged on content, originality, craft, and poetic skill. Entries will NOT be judged on the reading/performance of the poem.  Judges: Steve Marsh (Ann Arbor Slam Team), Casey Keta (Brewed Awakenings), Hod Doering (Poetry Barn)

 Saturday, April 20, 2002 at 8:00 p.m. at Brewed Awakenings Cafe, 2636 W. Central, Toledo, OH - The Performance Event  The “almost anything goes” event including costumes, props, dance, or music.   Multiple performers are acceptable.  “Teams” must compete as “teams” for all three rounds, but individual performers can use multiple media throughout the competition, such as dancers for round 1, musicians for round 2 and another reader or a solo reading for round three.  Poems can be in any type or style: formed or unformed.  Entries will be judged on content, originality, poetry and performance craft, and poetic and performance skill.  Judges: Mercury Rising (Renaissance Poets), Brett Collins (City Paper); Jeremiah Majo (Sixth Stone Productions)

Friday, April 26, 2002 at 8:00 at Toledo Museum of Art, Grand Gallery, 2445 Monroe Street, Toledo, OH - The Form Event  Poets face off with classical forms of poetry. Entrants must bring 3 typed copies of each poem they will be performing for the judges.  The official “definition” for each form will be taken from “The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics”.  Entrants do not have to use the same form for each poem in the competition, but can if they wish.  Entries will be judged on content, originality, poetic skill, craft and compliance with the rules of their chosen form.  Entries will NOT be judged on the reading/performance of the poem.  Judges: Carol Brikmanis, Joel Lipman (University of Toledo/Toledo Poet's Center), Michael Kocinski II (Cornfed Angel)

2001 Update

The torch has been put out for another year, and the winners have been declared for the 2001 Poetry Olympics!  In the Form Event: The Gold Medal went to Star Bowers, Silver to Carol Brickmanis, and Bronze to Jack Troutner.  In the Modern Event, John Swaile took the Gold, Michael Kocinski II took Silver, and Stephanie Feldstein took Bronze.  In the Performance Event: Sam Martinez (X Avier) took the Gold, Arnie Koester took Silver, and Martin Koop took Bronze.  In the Slam!:  Tigga took Gold, Mike Swinkey took Silver, and Sweets took Bronze.  Thanks to all our judges, and congrats to all the winners and participants who made this such a great event, we just have to repeat it next year.