Bnv 2013 Insiders Guide

INSIDERS GUIDE 路 brave new voices 2013

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Welcome to Brave New Voices 2013 Welcome to the 16th Annual Brave New Voices Festival. For the third time we have come to Chicago to share in the art and creativity that this great city is known for.

A core principle of Brave New Voices is Life as Primary Text, the idea that the life of each young person serves as the central narrative to our understanding of the present and the future. At Brave New Voices we see both on and off stage, online and off line, on and off page, examples of how young people use words to resolve both internal and external conflicts. At a time of unrest, young people use words to speak peace into existence in Chicago. We encourage you to take these messages of peace home when you return.

You are the primary purpose that the Festival exists. The events, activities and opportunities are exclusive to this experience. Without your full attendance and participation these events will not be possible.

We are humbled by your commitment to the craft of writing, and to the expression of your words, stories and ideas. We know you represent hundreds, even thousands of young people with journals and pens, writing to themselves and for others and identifying themselves as poets. We know young people from cities all over the world are inspired by what you bring to this Festival. We are hoping your words of peace will foster peace in cities, schools, and communities one poem at a time. We will document your words and make them available for teachers, youth programs, schools, and community centers to be used in lesson plans.

Everyone is always talking about the future, but you - the future - are rarely in the conversation.

As we grow this movement together, we at Youth Speaks are dedicated to creating as many spaces as possible for your voices to be heard. We will share some of those spaces this week, and then all through the year we will grow them together.

It is clear – knowing what the state of poetry was before you and thousands of young writers beforehand started writing and sharing your poems – that your voices matter.

But it is up to you to determine what that looks like and whether or not you’ll apply your voices as leaders for positive social change and show the world just what 21st Century storytelling is. The arts need you. The schools need you. The stages need you. The word needs you. And the world needs you too.

We thank you for coming and we look forward to hearing what you have to say.

In peace, poetry, and progress.

James Kass Founder & Executive Director, Youth Speaks / Co-Executive Producer, Brave New Voices Hodari B. Davis National Program Director, Youth Speaks / Co-Executive Producer, Brave New Voices

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

Welcome to Brave New Voices 2013 Welcome to Chicago.

We are a proud city, honored to host the Brave New Voices Festival for the third time. We hope the third time’s a (good luck) charm for a city in need of some.

Chicago is a great american city, which is to say it is two-faced and unjust in its duplicitous maintenance of grand inequities. It is also a city of those stuck on grind mode, a city of workers, working artists and hustlers, a de-industrialized city gentrifying and reimagining itself again (always), a city at the epicenter of an epidemic of youth violence and in the midst of a hip-hop cultural renaissance. There are millions of people who carry stories the mayor, his tourism board, the corporate media, universities and museums will ensure you never hear. Chicago is pre-Brown v. Board of Ed and remains the country’s most segreagated city.

In Chicago, the city’s bureaucracy, police force, real estate moguls and captains of industry wage the same war being fought in cities across the country and around the world: war against poor and working bodies of color and youth. Chicagoans, the people who are of this skunk land, are a brash and brave lot. We are a city of characters and soul singers, house music makers and foot workers, innovators of art and architecture, Second City improvisers and Sun Ra free jazz heads. We are the children of Gwendolyn Brooks and Studs Terkel and committed to a socially engaged literature that “seeks to change the stories we have to tell,” as the young poet/activist Malcolm London might say.

Welcome here. Welcome home. Step in. We Steppin. We encourage you to take from Chicago what you might use to make your city better, more livable and just and equitable for all.

Kevin Coval Poet. Artistic Director, Young Chicago Authors. Co-Founder Louder Than A Bomb.

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About YOuth Speaks / BNV STAFF Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks creates safe spaces to challenge youth to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as creators of social change. Ultimately, we hope to shift the perceptions of youth by combating illiteracy, alienation, and silence, creating a global movement of brave new voices bringing the noise from the margins to the core.

BRAVE NEW VOICES STAFF: James Kass - Founder and Executive Director Hodari Davis - National Program Director/Executive Producer Rebecca Hunter - YCA Executive Director Joan Osato - Producing Director and Line Producer Kevin Coval - Artistic Director YCA / Chicago Curator Kat Evasco - Production Manager Paula Smith Arrigoni - Managing Director and Conference Director Dennis Kim - BNV Artistic Director and Workshop Coordinator Brandon Santiago – BNV Youth Development Manager Nick James – BNV Marketing Director Isa Nakazawa - BNV Social Marketing Manager Susie Lundy – BNV Development Manager Chinaka Hodge – BNV Grand Master Slam Thayer Walker - Technical Director Haldun Morgan - Technical Director Jose Vadi - Off Page Project Manager Joshua Merchant - Off Page Associate Weyland Southon - Voices of Witness Project Director April Kateri Chavez - Voices of Witness Associate Mariah Neuroth - Producing Director YCA / BNV Production Manager Jennifer O’Sullivan-Arranaga - Corporate Partnerships Demetrius Amparan - YCA Director of Communications Shea Love - YCA Outreach Coordinator Tammy Job - YCA Volunteer Coordinator Nina Coomes - YCA Production Manager Anna Festa - YCA Director of Programs BNV ASSOCIATE STAFF: Bayana Davis, Moira Pirsh, Edgar Miranda, Joshua Merchant, Teni Ugbah, Daniel Lamere, Evie Dalexis BNV ONLINE STAFF: Dimitri Moore - BNV Media Director Mike Hawkins - BNV ONLINE Director

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BNV STAFF Future Corps: Shannon Matesky - Director, Danez Smith - Associate Director, Gabriel Cortez, Jean Teodoro, Tee Amos, Malcolm London, Saju Ahmed, Diego Mosquera, Yarminia Rosa, Keonte Bishop, Aaron Samuels, Cydney Edwards, Eli Lynch, Natasha Huey, Simone Crew, Zhalarina Sanders, Selina Johnson, Tariq Luthun ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE: George Watsky, Dahlak Braithwaite, Carvens Lissant, Khalil Anthony, Daveed Diggs, Michael Wayne Turner, Dion Decibels, Kelly Tsai, Roger Bonair-Agard MEDIA SPONSOR: WBEZ SPECIAL THANKS TO: Akili Lee (Digital Youth Network), Youth Speaks Inc Staff - Michelle Lee, Erika Cespedes, Angelina Acevedo, SPOKES, Bill Michel, Emily Hooper Lansana, Shaan Heng-Devan, Greg Redenius, Ashley Clement, Rebecca Hunter (YCA Executive Director), Christina Bourne, CJ Dillon, Julio Villegas, Katie Brown, Steve Sell, Kari McDonough, Candice «Antique» Wicks, Giselle Mercier, (Elevarte Executive Director), Kuumba Lynx, Jacinda Bullie, Jaquanda Villegas, Justin Glasson, Adam Nemac, Pemon Rami (Dusable Museum), Joaquin Alvarado, Phil Bronstein, John Logan, Arien Wu, The Center for Investigative Reporting, Theaster Gates, Chip Conely, Hotel Lincoln, Kate Dumbleton, Michael Orlove, Louder Than a Bomb, Mary Mazza, Will Oren, Deputy Chief Kevin Booker (UOCPD), Sergeant Queenola Smith (UOCPD)

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TaBLE OF CONTENTS History of Poetry Slam..........................................................Pg 7 Event Descriptions...............................................................Pg 8 Slam Schedule & Venues................................................... Pg 18 Festival Schedule..............................................................Pg 11 Writing & Performance Workshop Schedule.......................Pg 26 Quarter Final Bout Schedule............................................... Pg 36 International Youth Poetry Slam Rules.................................Pg 41 Team Rosters.....................................................................Pg 45 Festival Staff Contact........................................................ Pg 51 Maps & Directions.............................................................Pg 52

Brave New Voices Festival Description Welcome to the 16th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival.

Brave New Voices exists to bring us all together for a week of workshops, performances, conversation, and building of a movement. Here in Chicago we gather together, speak to and with each other, learn about and from one another – and bust.

This year’s festival features over 500 young poets from over 50 parts of the United States and cities across the globe, representing thousands more young artists in their local communities. Through the workshops and the slams, the ciphers and the many conversations, we can hear the sounds of what it means to be a cultural leader in the 21st century.

Brave New Voices embraces diversity not as a trend but as a core value, crossing and challenging notions of ethnic, gender, racial, orientation, and socio-economic divisions. Brave New Voices is for a generation of young people who reflect a new ethic of mutual respect, cross-cultural communication, sincere expression, social justice and radical love. Brave New Voices is for youth who are not afraid to speak for themselves. pg. 6

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

HISTORY OF THE SLAM How Did Poetry Slam Start? (a brief history) In 1984, construction worker and poet Marc Smith started a poetry reading at Get Me High Lounge, a Chicago jazz club. Smith was looking for a way to breathe life into the open mic format. The series—with its emphasis on performance and the democratization of the art form—laid the groundwork for what would eventually be known as poetry slam.

In 1986, Smith established the weekly poetry competition at the Green Mill, an infamous jazz club and former haunt of Al Capone’s. The Uptown poetry slam, which started the trend of 5 judges, high and low score dropped, etc, continues to run every Sunday in Chicago to this day.

In 1996 ten years later, James Kass founded Youth Speaks Inc in San Francisco, and hosted the first Teen Poetry Slam. In the same theater as the city’s adult poetry slam (Intersection for the Arts), the Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam was exclusively for youth 13 - 19 years old. This slam modified the rules slightly, and brought oversold crowds from day one.

With that immediate success, the SF event served as the template for the establishment of Brave New Voices in 1998.

How does the Brave New Voices Slam work?

The poets in the slam at Brave New Voices represent the best of the best from their respective cities, as determined through a local competitive process.

At BNV we start with a Quarter Final Round consisting of 2 bouts. Each Bout has 4 or 5 teams, each with a minimum of 4 poets as members.

All bouts have 4 rounds, and each team participates in 2 Quarter-Finals. A calibration (sacrificial) poet will perform before the first round of each bout and the order in which the poets perform shifts in each of the four rounds.

At Brave New Voices, there are 20 Preliminary Bouts—all happening in one day.

20 teams from the Quarter-Final rounds then advance to the Semi-Finals.

All Semi-Final bouts also consist of 5 teams. The winning team of each Semi-Final moves on to be one of the 4 competing teams in the Brave New Voices Grand Slam Finals.

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BNV EVENT DESCRIPTIONS

Brave New Voices Registration

Wednesday, August 7 / 1:00pm - 5pm | 8:00pm - 12:00am SOUTH CAMPUS RESIDENCE HALL / University of Chicago All the teams of BNV and all BNV Participants are required to check in, receive their meal cards, swag and additional information. Teams and participants are encouraged to log in to receive the Mobile Insider Guide, sign up for BNV workshops and events, and move into their dorm rooms. Participants are then encouraged to go to The Logan Center to participate in several BNV Networking events.

BNV Peace Rocks

Wednesday, August 7 | 1 - 5pm THE LOGAN CENTER COURTYARD and SIDEWALK BNV Participants will be encouraged to sit in cross team clusters and paint rocks together. Each rock should have words of peace, decorative colors and inspiration to combat violence. Poets are encouraged to write and scribe haikus on rocks that will be planted in communities around Chicago throughout the week by local youth who attend the Brave New Voices Festival. This event will be facilitated by members of Future Corps.

OFF Page Booth

THE LOGAN CENTER // University of Chicago The Off Page Project will have a booth for young people to make statements about ending violence and fomenting Peace. During Registration and throughout the week BNV participants will be able to make statements in the Booth that will be broadcast on both the OFF Page platform and on BNV ONLINE.

Brave New Voices Speak Peace

Wednesday, August 7 / 6:00pm-8:00pm MANDEL HALL / University of Chicago Brave New Voices 2013 kicks off with an opening committed to peace and resolving conflict with art. The event will feature winners of the BNV Speak Peace Poetry Contest, and special guest speakers including Ameena Mathews (The Interupters), Kiara Lanier (BNV Future Corps and American Idol), Roger Bonair-Agard, Kelly Tsai and other special guests.

Word Becomes Flesh

Wednesday, August 7 / 8:30pm – 10:00pm LOGAN PERFORMANCE HALL / University of Chicago Join BNV in this special performance of Marc Bamuthi Joseph's award winning first play Word Becomes Flesh, performed by an ensemble cast of BNV alumni and former staff. This play has been touring the United States to packed audiences and receiving rave reviews all along the way. pg. 8

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BNV EVENT DESCRIPTIONS

Brave New Voices Conference Opening Plenary

Thursday, August 8 / 8:30 - 9:30am LOGAN PERFORMANCE HALL // University of Chicago The Opening Plenary is an opportunity for the community to hear the direction of the day, get any last minute announcements and set the tone for the Town Hall and Writing Workshops. The Plenary will feature presentations from BNV Executive Directors James Kass and Hodari Davis, as well as an introduction to the day by Off Page Project Director Jose Vadi. We will also have a special presentation from BNV Alumni FM Supreme and the International Youth Peace Movement.

BNV Town Halls

Thursday, August 8 / 10:00am – 11:30pm Booth 1 - 10 // University of Chicago This year's Townhalls are being conducted as part of the the Off/Page Project, a BNV Network affiliate program designed to capture the activity of the BNV community off stage and off page. This year we focus primarily on the ways young people are impacted by violence. We will examine 5 topics in 10 rooms all related to issues of violence and how they manifest themselves in your daily lives. These conversations will be supported by media from the Center for Investigative Reporting, recorded by the BNV ONLINE team, and will be facilitated by members of Future Corps.

Brave New Voices Writing & Performance Workshops

Thursday, August 8 / 1:00pm – 5:00pm BOOTH HALL AND THE DAVID AND REVA LOGAN CENTER // University of Chicago Artistic writing and performance workshops led by leading poets, writers, spoken word artists, teaching artists, and educators in Chicago and the Brave New Voices network. All BNV participants are required to attend two workshops, providing you with intensive opportunities to get to share your self - and meet other writers from across the land. Workshop participation is mandatory for teams who will participate in the slam.

Redmoon brings THE SONIC BOOM

Thursday, August 8 / 5:00pm – 7:00PMpm Logan Center / Midway (Outside) Redmoon, Chicago's premiere spectacle performance and public events institution partners with Young Chicago Authors, the Chicago Parks District and others to bring a unique public performance to Brave New Voices. This free performance vent focuses around a Redmoon device called THE SONIC BOOM, a massive mobile speaker system and giant soap box. Featured performers include YCA Poets and Hip Hop Artists, the Bucket Boys and a INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

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BNV EVENT DESCRIPTIONS DJ to inspire all participants to celebrate and dance.

Queeriosity: A Queer / Questioning Open Mic

Thursday, August 8 / 7:00pm – 9:00pm LOGAN PERFORMANCE HALL // University of Chicago Hosted by Shannon Matesky and Danez Smith Feature Performers include Marty McConnell, Avery Young, Denice Frohman, and other surprise guests.

We are investing in a conversation where those who stand to lose the most are not policed and asked to tone down their intelligence or fervor. We want allies—yes, but allies that are challenged, transformed, and engaged. We want safe spaces—yes. We want ones where we—all of us—can be fully ourselves.

5th Annual Brave New Voices MC Olympics Finals

Friday, August, 9 / 10:00pm – 12:00pm LOGAN PERFORMANCE HALL / University of Chicago BNV's top young Em Cees flex their lyrical skills to be named as the BNV MC Olympics Champion. In this event competitors will be expected to demonstrate a diversity of MC skills including Mic Control, Lyrical Content, Vocal Projection, Free Styling, Writing and general MCness. Featured judges and performers include Deja “Super Bad” Taylor, Rhymefest, Dennis “Denizen Kane” Kim, Lamar Jordan, and other surprise guests. This competition is open to all BNV participants including entourage members.

The first round starts at 9pm Thursday, August 8at the Logan Center.

The Encyclopedia Show

Friday, August 9 / 10pm - Midnight LOGAN PENTHOUSE // University of Chicago Back by popular demand this Chicago tradition was founded by long time BNV Teaching Artist and Coach Robbie Q. This years show will be hosted by former Program Director for First Wave, Future Corps Member Danez Smith, and feature many surprise performers from in and outside of the BNV community. This event will be an exclusive opportunity for 130 lucky BNV attendees.

BNV Art as Activism Conference ft. AfriCobra

Saturday, August 10 / 9:00am – 12:00pm LOGAN CENTER and THE DUSABLE MUSEUM These Critical Writing workshops will connect the current BNV Movement to the largest Chicago Poetry Movement of the 60's accentuated by the visual art of AfriCobra. This event will include interactive workshops that pg. 10

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BNV EVENT DESCRIPTIONS feature famous Poets (Roger Bonair-Agard, Avery Young), dynamic films including Louder Than A Bomb (Kevin Coval, Nate Marshall), and two art exhibitions (Kin Killing Kin and AfriCobra). Participants will also get the opportunity to see and engage with the oldest African American History Museum in the world, The Dusable Museum.

Bus Ride Ciphers

Saturday August 10 | 12:30 - 1pm | 4:30 - 5pm | 930 - 10pm BNV Participants will ride buses to various locations on Saturday with the BNV ONLINE Film crews. Bus rides will be facilitated as ciphers and riders will be encouraged to share poems, lyrics, beatboxes and generally make the rides as fun and exciting as possible. Some buses will not be officially activated so for those who need a rest from poetry may want to get on one of the quiet buses. (see bus schedule page)

The We Are Hip Hop Festival

DVORAK PARK, PILSEN COMMUNITY, CHICAGO Saturday, August 10 / 1pm-4pm Elevarte is a 35 year old Arts Organization based in Dvorak Park in Chicago's Pilsen District. In partnership with the Chicago Parks District, and many other local organizations, including YCA and Kuumba Lynx, the 8th Annual We Are Hip Hop Festival will feature live Graffiti, Breakdancing, Community Arts, Live Poetry and an extended visit from the Brave New Voices community. Come share in the creation of art with a local Chicago organization, and celebrate peace, community and Hip Hop with a Festival designed and promoted by youth, for youth. (Bus from Dvorak goes directly to the Grand Slam Finals at the Auditorium Theater at 4pm)

BNV ONLINE Presents: The Best Of BNV 2013

Logan Performance Hall This show will feature many of the best poems of the 2013 Brave New Voices Festival that did not make finals stage. Teams that receive 30's or near 30's in the Semi Finals and especially the Quarter Finals should expect to be tapped to perform in this dynamic event that is being filmed for broadcast by the BNV ONLINE crew. Let's celebrate the art and incredible writing of the BNV community. This show will feature an extended performance

by BNV Grand Slam Finals MC, Independent Recording Artist and Youth Speaks Legend George Watsky.

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BNV EVENT DESCRIPTIONS

Conversation with James Kass

Saturday, August 10 8:30am - 9:30am THE LOGAN CENTER All BNV participants are welcome for a conversation with Youth Speaks and Brave New Voices Founder and Executive Director James Kass, although the conversation is for young people only (adults can listen, but this is a space for youth to speak). Come and ask any question you want, provide any feedback about Brave New Voices and/or what's going on in your local community, and let's talk about the coming years and what we all hope to see. This is a safe space, so speak freely.

Brave New Voices Meal Schedule Wednesday August 7 Dinner at South Campus Dining Hall Thursday August 8 Breakfast at South Campus Dining Hall Lunch at the Logan Center DINNER ON YOUR OWN ($5 w/ BNV Discount at RedMoon) Friday August 9 Breakfast at South Campus Dining Hall Lunch at TBA DINNER ON YOUR OWN Saturday August 10 Breakfast at South Campus Dining Hall Lunch at We Are Hip Hop Festival Late Night Food post Finals

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

LATE NIGHT EVENTS

LATE NIGHTS EVENTS LOGAN CENTER / University of Chicago These late night activities are optional and not mandatory. They are designed to provide additional opportunities for poets and teams to be heard and to have fellowship. We need chaperones to be present to make these events successful, and we encourage everyone to participate and perhaps be blessed to hear surprise performances in intimate settings from unexpected features and guests.

We encourage you to take the microphone and perform but to also take the time to listen to your peers. At BNV as in life, it is as important to listen as it is to speak.

Wednesday Night August 7th | 10pm-12am Rookie Open Mic (Plus Special Coaches Performances)

Logan Performance Penthouse Rookies to BNV, and Rookie teams at BNV will be encouraged to take the stage, share their poems, and celebrate their first Brave New Voices experience. Selected Coaches will give feature performances during the event to showcase the level of talent and artistry in the BNV adult community.

Coast to Coast Cross Team Open Mic (Plus Special Coach Performances)

Logan Performance Hall This first BNV Open Mic will focus on highlighting and introducing BNV attendees and teams. Participating poets and teams are encouraged to introduce themselves to the community with team and individual presentations that shed light on who they are and where they are from.

Participants will be encouraged to role as individuals and to meet and greet as many BNV participants as they can during the 2 hour event. Participants will be encouraged to write and perform together across teams.

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LATE NIGHT EVENTS The Official BNV Cipher

Logan Center Courtyard This event is an attempt to gather the MC's and performance poets in a space for a large Hip Hop Cipher in the courtyard of the Logan Center.

This Cipher will feature dynamic MC's from the BNV Community, and be fueled by the beat box, and energy provided by participants. Remember the cameras are on, the world is watching, so bring your best freestyles to the mix. This event will be hosted by Chicago Legends and feature many surprise guest MC's (No Splinters, do your part and share the mic).

Thursday Night August 8th | 9pm-12am MC Olympic Qualifier

Logan Performance Penthouse The 5th Annual Brave New Voices MC Olympic Qualifier will feature over 50 MCs from teams all over the world competing to be named the BNV MCO Champion. The first round features a round robin battle 4 MCs at a time spitting their best 16 bars, and being judged by a committee of high powered MC's and BNV Alum. Featured judges in the event include Dennis “Denizen Kane” Kim, Dahlak, Tee Amos (2009 MC Olympic Champion), Eli Lynch (2010 MC Olympic Champion), FM Supreme (Chicago MC / BNV Future Corps 2009, 2010), Eli Lynch (2010 MC Olympic Champion), and hosted by FM Supreme (Chicago MC and BNV Future Corps 2009, 2010), and other special guests. In the end 10 MC's will be selected to represent in the BNV MC Olympic Finals tomorrow night.

Film: We Are Poets

Logan 201 WE ARE POETS is a Award Winning film that features a radical story of youth, art and freedom of expression covering a remarkable team of six British Teenagers who represented the UK at Brave New Voices in 2007.

Cinematic, Imaginative and deeply poignant, WE ARE POETS is a unique portrait of multicultural Britain and a testament to the power of creativity, community and the desire of youth. Come get a glimpse into the world of Leeds, England and gain an understanding of why they are the premiere and most consistent International Team in the BNV community. This presentation will feature a talk back from the film maker and one of the stars of the film Saju Ahmad, who is currently on Future Corps.

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

LATE NIGHT EVENTS New Sh** and Notebooks Open Mic

Logan 801 BNV Participants will be encouraged to share works in progress, including the pieces they wrote in the writing workshops. This is a poetry reading that will feature you. Poets will be encouraged to sit on the floor, open their notebooks and read, and open their ears and listen.

Friday Night August 9th | 10pm-12am BNV MC Olympic Finals Logan Performance Hall

The Encyclopedia Show

Logan Performance Penthouse Hosted by Danez Smith

Saturday Night, August 10th | 10pm-1am BNV ONLINE Presents: The Best Of BNV 2013 Logan Performance Hall

BNV After Party

Saturday, August 10 / Immediately Following the Finals LOGAN CENTER PENTHOUSE / University of Chicago This dance party is the last celebration of the BNV community. Participants will be expected to sweat, dance, groove, cheer, and express their passion for BNV through movement. This is the last chance to network, socialize and gather contact information. Coaches are expected to “hover” and allow their students the freedom and space to be themselves while mindfully monitoring their behavior. We encourage everyone to remember the age of participants is 14 - 19 and to act appropriately. If the poetry is done for you, then let the partying begin.

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BNV ONLINE PROGRAM BNV ONLINE TEAM: Under the Direction of Media Director Dimitri Moore (Youth Speaks), and Program Manager Mike Hawkins (You Media) this team of Chicago youth is a collaborative association of various Chicago youth media organizations. Made up of photographers, videographers, bloggers and other media specialists, the ONLINE Team is responsible for the capture and broadcast of all BNV media and social media throughout the BNV Festival. These young people will be documenting the festival, and providing the content for the BNV ONLINE Platform.

BNV ONLINE Registration

Wednesday, August 7 | 12 - 5pm THE LOGAN CENTER // University of Chicago All teams will be required to establish a profile page on the BNV ONLINE platform. This platform will make it possible for organizations to stay connected and eventually for BNV to have a closed circuit social marketing network. This platform will also house all of the media from the BNV Festival that is broadcast throughout the year.

BNV ONLINE Media Drops

Thursday, Friday, Saturday 7 - 9am THE LOGAN CENTER // University of Chicago Anyone with a professional camera and media access (as secured through the video release form), is required to dump the documentation they collect at the BNV ONLINE dump site. This laboratory located in the Logan Center has a hard -drive where we will collect the documentation of BNV events throughout the week to ensure we have the best footage of BNV Events and that we as a Network own our own media

BNV ONLINE Presents: The Best of BNV Show Saturday August 10 | 10 - 1am LOGAN PERFORMANCE HALL // University of Chicago (See Special Events Page) Hashtags for Brave New Voices 2013: #BNVspeakpeace • #BNV2013 • #BNVChicago pg. 16

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BNV ADULT SCHEDULE BNV Chaperone Meeting

Wednesday August 7 | 10 - 11pm THE LOGAN CENTER // University of Chicago This is a Mandatory Meeting for all BNV adults who are responsible for children at the Festival. While the youth engage in the first hour of Late Night Activities we will run through the Insider Guide, provide any necessary inserts, discuss special meals and opportunities, handle outstanding logistics and answer questions to help make the experience more fluid and safe. Please be sure to bring your Insiders Guide to this meeting.

BNV Network Meeting

Thursday, August 8 | 10:15am (during Town Halls) THE LOGAN CENTER Room 104 // University of Chicago This meeting facilitated by Youth Speaks Executive Director James Kass will feature a report on the future of the BNV Network and Festival, including presentations on the Off Page Project, a new Corporation for Public Broadcasting Project, Louder Than a Bomb, and other new opportunities exclusive to the Network.

BNV Coaches Meeting

Thursday August 8 | 1 - 230pm The Logan Center // University of Chicago This meeting is mandatory for BNV Coaches and all competing teams must be represented in the room in order to participate in the International Youth Poetry Slam.

We Live Here Teachers Workshop featuring Jeff Kass

Thursday August 8 | 3 - 4:30 THE LOGAN CENTER // University of Chicago When we think about the places where we live, if we want to let people or smells or sounds or fresh air inside, we open up a door, or a window. In this workshop (designed for teachers/mentors as well as folks who just want to write) we’ll generate new poems and examine how poets can open up doors or windows in their work in order not only to let in fresh ideas, images and associative leaps, but also to create a welcoming (and open) space for the reader.

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SLAM SCHEDULE & VENUES

QUARTER-FINALS August 9, 2013 | 10am-12pm & 2pm-4pm

50 Teams, 20 bouts, 10 stages, 7 venues, 2 rounds all to determine which teams will be among the 20 to move on.

Locations: Logan Performance Penthouse Logan Center Room 801 Logan Center Theater East The Cloister Club Noyes Hall Theater

Noyes Hall East Noyes Hall West Booth Hall 101 Booth Hall 103

SEMI-FINALS August 9, 2013 – 7pm-9pm

20 battle tested teams compete simultaneously in 4 different venues.

The Logan Performance Hall Logan Center Penthouse Noyes Hall Cloister Club Noyes Hall Theater

BNV GRAND SLAM FINALS August 10, 2013 6pm

Auditorium Theater Tickets: Youth $6 | Adults $20 | VIP $50 Hosted By Dennis Kim | Emceed By George Watsky The largest youth poetry event in the history of the world. The top 4 BNV teams who have competing and won throughout the Slam take center stage to compete for the bragging rights of being the 2013 International Youth Poetry Slam Champions. After a week of slams and ciphers the Finals take place at the Auditorium Theater in Downtown Chicago. Four additional teams from throughout the festival that had deserving poems will also hit the stage. pg. 18

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE / Wednesday August 7th Brave New Voices Events will take place at the University of Chicago. Transportation to the Finals is covered, as a part of BNV. Time

Event

1pm – 5pm & 8pm – 12am

Registration

University of Chicago

6pm – 8pm

Speak Peace: Opening Ceremonies

Mandel Hall

8:30pm – 10pm

Word Becomes Flesh

10pm – 12am

Late Night Events

INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

Location

Logan Performance Hall

The Logan Center

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FESTIVAL SCHEDULE / Thursday August 8th Time

Event

Location

7:30am – 8:30am

Breakfast

Cathey Dining Commons

8:30am – 9:30am

Opening Plenary

Logan Performance Hall

10am – 11:30am

BNV National Town Hall

Booth Hall 1 – 10

12pm – 1pm

Lunch

Logan Center

1pm – 4:30pm

BNV Writing and Performance Workshops

Booth Hall The Logan Center

5pm – 7pm

RedMoon Presents ‘THE SONIC BOOM 5’

The Logan Center The Midway

7:00pm – 9pm

Queeriosity

Logan Performance Hall

9pm – 12am

MC Olympic Preliminaries

The Logan Center

* All youth are required to participate in the writing and performance workshops. Teams that do not participate in workshops will be disqualified from slam participation.

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE / FRIDAY August 9TH Time

Event

Location

7:30am – 9:00am

Breakfast

10am-12pm

International Youth Poetry Slam Quarterfinals - First Round*

Noyes Hall The Logan Center Booth Hall

12pm-2pm

Lunch

TBA

2pm – 4pm

International Youth Poetry Slam Quarterfinals – Second Round*

The Logan Center Booth Hall

7:00pm – 9:30pm

International Youth Poetry Slam Semi Finals

The Logan Center Noyes Hall

10pm – 12am

MC Olympic Finals

The Logan Center

Cathey Dining Commons

*All teams are required to travel with their bout and will not be allowed to leave the bout or their team either as audience or as competitors during the Slam.

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FESTIVAL SCHEDULE / Saturday August 10th Time

Event

7:30am – 9am

Breakfast

Location Cathey Dining Commons

8:30am – 9:30am

Conversation with James Kass

Logan Center

9am – 12pm

Arts as Activism Conference

The Logan Center The Dusable Museum

1pm – 4pm

We Are Hip Hop Festival

The Dusable Museum

3pm – 4pm

Bus Ride to The Finals

The Dusable Museum

4pm – 5pm

BNV Community Dinner

The Auditorium Theater

4:30pm - 5pm

Bus Ride to Grand Slam Finals

Dvorak Park

6pm – 9pm

Brave New Voices Grand Slam Finals

The Auditorium Theater

10pm – 12am

The Best of BNV Show

Logan Performance Hall

10pm – 12am

BNV After Party

Logan Performance Penthouse

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE / SuNday August 11th Time

Event

8am – 12:30pm

CHECKOUT • • •

Location

Return Keys Return Meal Cards Complete Evaluation Form

INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

South Campus Residence Hall

pg. 23

The Off/Page Project Presents:

BNV TOWN HALLS About The Off/Page Project combines the groundbreaking storytelling of Youth Speaks with the analytical lens of The Center for Investigative Reporting.

Living at the intersection of youth voice and civic engagement, the Off/Page Project provides a multimedia platform for young people to investigate the issues and stories that would otherwise be silenced. An unprecedented collaboration between poets and investigative journalists, the Off/Page Project is a nexus point for poets to report their stories and push the boundaries of 21st century American storytelling. Whether the facts are found in CIR’s reporting or the primary text of Youth Speaks’ poets, the story is yours to tell.

BNV Townhall Overall Description The next generation can not only speak for itself, but can outline the future of 21st century American society.

As part of Brave New Voices’ theme of Speak Peace, the Off/Page Project is curating ten town halls addressing five topics critically impacting today’s youth. Through multimedia presentations and discussions spearheaded

by Future Corps, the goal of each town hall is to create local, state, and national solutions to each of the five topics, emphasizing the power of peace and hope, with young people at the center of the conversation.

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BNV TOWNHALL / TOPIC DESCRIPTIONS 1. Armed Violence Goal: Creating and promoting youth-driven peace solutions to the many forms of armed violence in America.

Topics include: gun violence; drone strikes; mental health and background checks; violence in media 2. Immigration as Violence Goal: Finding ways to overcoming the borders between ‘American’ and ‘Immigrant’ through the power of youth voice, action, and mobilization.

Topics include: DREAM act Impact; defining ‘American’; violence against immigrant women 3. Economic Violence Goal: Recognizing the economic power - and targeting - of young people; developing ways for young people to advocate for greater economic authority.

Topics include: Food Access & Food Deserts; Poverty; Youth Unemployment; Bankruptcy’s impact on youth 4. Violence Against Women Goal: Creating awareness and engagement campaigns on local, state, and national levels to address the targeting of young women in America.

Topics include: Gun Legislation’s & Domestic Abuse; War on Women’s Reproductive Rights; Female Immigrant Populations 5. Bullying Identity Goal: Identifying the many ways young people’s identities are being threatened, and ways for young people to combat hateful behavior through open, peaceful dialogue, education campaigns, and direct civic engagement.

Topics include: (Violence against Transgender community; Homophobia; Power of Oral Testimony; Youth-on-Youth Solutions; Surveillance of American citizens; Racial Violence through discrimination and profiling)

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WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOPS All workshops will take place on Thursday, August 8th.

Session 1 will take place from 1:00 – 2:30pm.

Session 2 will take place from 3:00 – 4:30pm.

Booth Hall is located at 5807 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637.

Logan Center is located at 915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637.

Please write down the workshops you sign up for and remember when you arrive at the writing workshops.

Workshop 1

1pm - 2:30pm Title: Facilitator: Room:

Workshop 2

3pm - 4:30pm Title: Facilitator: Room:

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS Title: Word Becomes Flesh - Fatherhood and the Absence of Fathers Facilitator(s): Word Becomes Flesh Cast: Daveed Diggs, Dahlak Brathwaite, Michael Turner, Khalil Anthony, Carvins Lissaint Room: Booth 1 Description: Fatherhood is a prevailing and poignant theme in Word Becomes Flesh, playwright Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s brilliant meditation on Black men in conversation with, to, and about themselves. Part of the urgency of WBF is its insistence on portraying black men—sons and fathers—as participants and not victims. This workshop deconstructs the relationships individual cast members have with the father-son dynamic and address the phenomenon of fatherlessness in the black community.

This is a performance driven, text heavy workshop focused on sharing stories and discovering truths.

“Word Becomes Flesh is a series of letters from father to unborn son, and specifically, unwed father to unborn son,” says playwright Marc Bamuthi Joseph. “It serves, through poetry, music, and dance, as a look at pregnancy from the perspective of the father.” WBF’s current cast is a collection of the best and brightest in spoken word, theater, and music. Google any single one of them to discover new artistic horizons.

Title: What is Originality?

Facilitator(s): Alana Benoit Room: Booth 2 Description: This workshop will explore what originality is using examples of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards winning works. Participants will have an opportunity to create experimental poetry focused on developing a creative voice during the second half of the workshop; as well as learn how to submit to the Awards. The nature of creative reinvention makes originality hard to define. Works of high originality challenge conventions, blur the boundaries between genres, and shift our notions of how a particular concept or emotion can be expressed. We encourage our jurors to look for works of art and writing that surprise them. Many of the works submitted to The Awards begin as classroom assignments. A functional definition of originality is work that goes beyond the classroom assignment and demands its own reason to exist in the world.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923. The Awards are an important opportunity for students to be recognized for their creative talents. Each year, the Alliance partners with more than 100 visual and literary-arts focused organizations across the country to bring The Awards to local communities. Teens in grades 7 through 12 can apply in 28 categories of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published. In the INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

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WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS last five years alone, students submitted nearly 900,000 original works of art and writing, and over $40 million in scholarships and financial aid has been made available to regional and national Awards winners by over 60 partnering top arts institutes and colleges.

Title: The Decolonized Mind: Talking Story and the Future of Tradition Facilitator(s): April Chavez and Weyland Southon Room: Booth 3 Description: Through interactive writing exercises, group storytelling, peer coaching, and vision stands we will explore the intersection of perception and creation. A good writer or storyteller is able to create a true imagined world because of an ability to perceive the actual world on a very deep and profound level. This part of the craft can be a heavy burden for those who live with the legacy of colonization, genocide, and stolen land. Our workshop will share mental tools designed to increase personal ecology which will help inspire a healthy soul, ready to heal the world with words of wisdom.

Please respect that this workshop is reserved to honor BNV participants and Chicago area youth who identify as Indigenous, Native, or Traditional people and come from communities that identify as Indigenous, Native, or Traditional people.

Please note: this workshop is only offered during Session 1.

Title: Champions After the Title Facilitator(s): Chinaka Hodge Room: Logan 201 Description: Can anyone name the winners of BNV Finals in 2001? Yeah.

That’s what I thought. I was there, and I honestly don’t know. We put a whole lot of focus on the poems we craft for the competition, often neglecting the shortest, bravest, most fledgling of truths buried at the bottom of our notebooks. This workshop will be for the neglected poems we are scared to write, or too timid to perform. The ones that aren’t quite right for the slam, but just might sustain us, save us, keep our neurosis at arm’s length, even after the glory and lights fade. This workshop is for champions who struggle to figure out what to do when the competition goes away. It will be a challenging 90 minutes. Bring your truth and we’ll make a poem of it.

Chinaka Hodge is a poet and playwright. Originally from Oakland, California, she was named Best Poet by the East Bay Express in 2008, and received her BA from NYU’s Gallatin School and her MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Her first independently written play, Mirrors in Every Corner, pg. 28

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS commissioned by SF’s Intersection for the Arts, is a 2010 Rockefeller MAP Fund grantee. Her work has been featured in Teen People Magazine, Newsweek, The San Francisco Chronicle, Theater Bay Area Magazine, San Francisco Magazine, Scholastic Magazine, Current Magazine, The Annual Women of Color Film Festival, PBS, NPR, CNN, C-Span, and in two seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry. Chinaka’s youth poetry career is the stuff of BNV legend and she has since become a leading light of a new generation of exceptional, multi-dimensional writers. She aspires, above all else, to be an outstanding great-grandmother.

Please note: this workshop is only offered during Session 2.

Title: Victim Blaming Facilitator(s): Malcolm London Room: Booth 5 Description: According to an Afrikan proverb, ‘Until lions tell their tale, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.’ People, young people, and marginalized young people, especially, need to tell their own stories before someone else does so incorrectly or exploits it. This workshop examines poetry, music, television media and history, aiming to provoke authentic dialogue, poetic questioning, and reason around victim blaming in some facets of American rhetoric.

Malcolm London has served as a teaching artist for Young Chicago Authors for the past three years.

Title: Things We’d Rather Not Say Facilitator(s): Lamar Jorden Room: Booth 6 Description: The workshop is centered on exploring the therapy of writing.

Participants will be prompted to write the poem that says something they’ve kept bottled inside, either through an expression of combustible anger, or a suppressed letter to a former close friend.

For the 2012-13 school year, Lamar was Teaching-Artist-In-Residence at Simeon High School and at Austin Career Academy Alternative School, leading weekly writing workshops from an original curriculum created by Young Chicago Authors for youth ages 13-20.

Title: The Art of Chance Operations Facilitator(s): Krista Franklin Room: Booth 7 Description: ‘The Art of Chance Operations’ is a workshop designed to teach writers how to create new literary works from preexisting texts. With Dadaist INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

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WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS and Surrealist roots, chance operations are composed through cut-up texts and selection. The process encourages writers to break out of their writing habits, subjects and comfort zones in order to develop new kinds of writing that they may not otherwise make.

Krista has taught creative writing and visual art to Chicago youth and adults for over a decade through such notable organizations as Neighborhood Writing Alliance, After School Matters, CAPE and Young Chicago Authors.

Title: Go Off/Page: Writing from the Intersection of Storytelling & Investigative Journalism Facilitator(s): José Vadi and Joshua Merchant Room: Booth 8 Description: As poets, we have the possibility of being a lens through which anyone can experience and analyze a piece of our reality in a single, three-minute poem. Some of the best poems illustrate the best sides of storytelling: compelling, character-driven, and honest narratives that speak to larger, and often hidden, truths. Investigative journalists do the same by uncovering injustices and holding those in power accountable through their reporting.

José Vadi is a writer, performer, and educator living in Oakland. Since the age of nineteen, José has served as a Poet Mentor for Youth Speaks, and was the recipient of the Shenson Performing Arts Award for his debut play, A Eulogy for Three, produced by the Living Word Project. José has served as the Editor and Curriculum Developer of The Bigger Picture since 2010 and recently completed his MFA in Creative Non-Fiction at Mills College. He is currently the Project Director of The Off/Page Project, a new collaborative project between Youth Speaks and the Center for Investigative Reporting. Joshua Merchant is a writer, activist, and native of East Oakland.

Combining a masterful eye for detail, startling vulnerability, and unflinching courage, Joshua explores queer issues, black identity, and the complexities of their intersection. In 2011, he won the title of Youth Speaks Grand Slam Champion and represented the Bay Area at Brave New Voices. Later that year, he became the Berkeley Slam’s youngest Individual World Poetry Slam (IWPS) representative. He represented for the Golden State Slam’s (GSS) first venues in the 2012 National Poetry Slam. Joshua is currently preparing his debut book to be published by Youth Speaks First Word Press this year.

Title: BNV MC Wreckshop Facilitator(s): Adam ‘Defcee’ Levin Room: Booth 9 Description: An extension of the YCA Saturday Writing program, emcees will pg. 30

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS be able to hone their craft and explore the work of other emcees and have a chance to create their own in addition to building with other members of the international hip-hop community present at Brave New Voices.

Adam Levin (Defcee) is a rapper, published poet, and teaching artist. He has shared the stage with everyone from Saul Williams and Amiri Baraka to Wale and The Cool Kids everywhere from Panama City, Panama to London, UK. He currently teaches workshops on rap and poetry around Chicago.

Title: Trapdoor Poetry: Unlocking Your Writing Voice Facilitator(s): Jamila Woods Room: Booth 10 Description: Poets should never become bored with their own writing or process of writing. This workshop will challenge you to step outside your creative ‘comfort zone’ and find new ways to approach the act of writing. As Audre Lorde said, ‘You don’t always have to enter a poem through the front door.’ This workshop will provide exercises to encourage you to take risks and find alternative entrances into your poems.

Jamila Woods is a poet, singer, playwright, and teaching artist from Chicago, IL. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her poetry has been published in a variety of journals, including MUZZLE and Radius. Jamila was named Best Female Poet (CUPSI) in 2009, and is the two-time winner of the Louder Than A Bomb College Slam (2008 & 2010). She is a founding member of Young Chicago Author’s Teaching Artist Corps, where she teaches poetry writing & performance at high schools throughout Chicagoland. Her first chapbook was released in 2012 by New School Poetics Press. Jamila’s theater credits include dramaturgy work on By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at the Goodman Theatre (May 2013) and assistant directing Tartuffe at the Court Theatre (June 2013). Her first full-length play entitled All Who Have Sinned was produced at Brown University’s Black Lavender Festival in 2012. In 2011, Jamila became the frontwoman of soul-duo band Milo&Otis. Their first album The Joy, was hailed as “mold-shattering” by the Washington Post, and is available for online listening at hellomiloandotis.bandcamp.com.

BNV Pedagogy Workshop

Thursday August 8 | 3 - 4:30 THE LOGAN CENTER // University of Chicago BNV Coaches, Teaching Artists and Arts Educators are encouraged to attend this workshop. Collectively participants will discuss various programming and service models that exist in the network, and to explore the pedagogical principles and models that exist at the foundation of the work. The workshop will feature a “Panel” of pedagogues from the network who work to apply these principles to their youth development practice and INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

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WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS programming.

Title: The Cultural Artifact (Culture & The Art of Facts) Facilitator(s): James Kass Room: Logan 28 Description: A foundational Youth Speaks workshop, this workshop challenges young people to develop shared and individual definitions about loaded terms, and asks youth to engage deeply with personal storytelling.

We will examine what is vast and difficult to define through the small and tangible, do a lot of writing, and come up with a new way to see yourself.

James Kass is an award-winning writer, educator, producer and media maker. He is also the Founder & Executive Director of Youth Speaks, and is widely credited with helping to launch the youth spoken word movement, working with tens of thousands of young people from across the country – and helping launch over 50 programs nationwide – to help them find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as leaders of societal change.

Title: Going to War with the Melting Pot: Odes and Celebrations of Cultural Specificity Facilitator(s): Kevin Coval Room: Logan 401 Description: The myth of the american melting pot is wack and assimilationist.

What truly makes this country/world fresher is the radical particularity of its immigrant and forced migrant communities often marginalized in dominant white supremacist culture. Here, we will work to dead that. Get your bars up.

Kevin Coval is the author of numerous poetry collections and chapbooks, including the American Library Association Book-of-the-Year finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica and most recently, L-vis Lives! Racemusic Poems, described as a “stunning, and very personal, piece of literary work that should be required reading in every high school in America” by Impose magazine. In his early twenties, Coval founded “Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival,” now one of the largest youth gatherings on the planet, recently the subject of an award-winning documentary of the same name. Coval currently serves as Artistic Director of Young Chicago Authors, the non-profit home of Louder Than a Bomb, and numerous other youth writing and hip hop programs. He is a native of Chicago and teaches at the School of the Art Institute and is a frequent contributor to WBEZ: Chicago Public Radio.

Title: Radical Revision: re-imagining poetic identities Facilitator(s): Marty McConnell pg. 32

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS Room: Logan 502 Description: One of the most revolutionary things we can do as writers and performers is to break out of our preconceived notions of who we are as artists, using poetry as a way to eradicate the barriers between us and those we perceive as ‘other,’ and even between our multiple interior selves. In this workshop, we will experiment with ways to explode and expand our notions of personal poetic identity through radical revision and re-imagining the poet’s voice.

Marty McConnell is the author of wine for a shotgun, released in October 2012 on EM Press. Part of the vanguard of poets fusing and refusing the delineations between literary and oral poetry, McConnell’s work blurs the lines between autobiography and personae to comment on and illuminate what it means to live and love outside the lines in early 21st century America. “Wine for a Shotgun” is a finalist for both the Audre Lorde Award (Publishing Triangle) and the Lambda Literary Award for lesbian poetry.

A member of seven National Poetry Slam teams representing New York City and Chicago, McConnell is the 2012 National Underground Poetry Individual Competition (NUPIC) Champion. In 2011, she completed her first European tour and debuted her one-woman show, “vicebox.” She is a two-time recipient of the Community Arts Assistance Program grant from the City of Chicago’s Office of Tourism and Culture, and received a 2013 grant from the Illinois Arts Council.

Title: Stop Screaming: Writing Towards a New Slam Aesthetic Facilitator(s): Nate Marshall Room: Logan 601 Description: This workshop will be part performance and part writing exercise. Often in the world of poetry slam we find that stories steeped in displaying trauma are privileged by judges/audiences. While recognizing the importance and vitality of those stories, this workshop will explore how young writers can challenge that expectation of traumatic or heavily emotional material to further their artistic growth and add more depth to their work.

Nate Marshall has been a teaching artist with Young Chicago Authors, Southern Word (Nashville), and Inside Out Detroit. He has performed and workshopped across the US, Canada, and South Africa, and is a graduate student instructor of Creative Writing at the University of Michigan.

Title: One Moment in Nine Sides Facilitator(s): Britteney Black Rose Kapri Room: Logan 603 Description: Students will be asked to choose one significant moment from INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

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WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS their past and describe it with nine different key words (Smell, Desired, Lost, Heard, etc.). Then, using their nine-word responses and a ninenumber Sudoku sequence, participants will write a nine-line poem. Come find form, function, and freedom in nine sides.

Britteney Black Rose Kapri is a poet, playwright and teacher based out of Chicago. Currently, she is working on her first solo book project and is a teaching artist for Young Chicago Authors.

Title: Doing You Facilitator(s): George Watsky Room: Logan 703 Description: An open and casual discussion about how to best figure out what makes each of us unique and apply that to our work.

George Watsky is a rapper, writer and performer from San Francisco now living in Los Angeles. A versatile lyricist who switches between silly and serious, technically complex and simply heartfelt, George won the Brave New Voices National Poetry Slam in 2006. In January 2011 George’s fast rapping went viral and led to two appearances on the Ellen Show, a slot on Last Call with Carson Daly, and an exploding online profile. Watsky’s social media presence made him one of only 23 artists dubbed by ‘The Next Big Sound’ as a ‘Big Sound of 2011,’ alongside Mac Miller, Kreayshawn and Skrillex. George graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in “Writing and Acting for the Screen and Stage.”

Title: The Silence Is The Sound: Spoken Word, Narrative & Re-Creating Your Creative Voice Facilitator(s): Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai Room: Logan 801 Description: Growing up in spoken word, we often speak of silence as a negative force, but in this workshop we will explore how thoughtful and reflective use of silence and stillness can allow us to hear the truth of our poetry far louder than ever before. If you’ve been getting a little weary of the sound and fury of spoken word or are looking for a way to refresh your craft through incorporating listening and movement into your writing and performance practice, come through to this fun, dynamic, and interactive workshop where we will dig deep into our creative processes via writing prompts and exercises that draw from spoken word, theater, dance, music, martial arts, and more to create a performance style that is truly your own, beyond the noise of the competition. pg. 34

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS KELLY ZEN-YIE TSAI is a Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based award-winning spoken word poet, multidisciplinary theater artist, and filmmaker who has been featured at over 500 venues worldwide including the White House, World Social Forum, Apollo Theater, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Tyra Banks’ Flawsome Ball & three seasons of ‘Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry.’ For more info: http://www.yellowgurl.com, http://www.youtube. com/kztsai.

Title: Poetry Saves Lives Facilitator(s): John S. Blake Room: Logan 802 Description: Participants will discuss the all-too-often underestimated effects poetry/spoken word has on the reader/listener. They will then be asked to take a risk, engage in vulnerable topics to first save their own lives, and possibly help others through their personal experiences.

John Survivor Blake writes from an open chest wound. Prodigal son turned poet, Mr. Blake grew up to learn we are all living breathing, moving targets.

‘This life is all about what we dodge.’ His writing style has been described as ‘making ugly things beautiful’ and many would accuse him of dropping full first drafts of poems on accident.

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BOUT SCHEDULE / Quarter-final round 1 Unversity of Chicago Friday, August 9th :: 10:00pm – Noon

FIRST ROUND BOUT 1

BOUT 2

Logan Performance Penthouse

Logan Performance Hall

Stockton Taos Kansas City Guam Fort Worth

Baton Rouge Chicago Toronto Birmingham Madison/Milwaukee

BOUT 3

BOUT 4

Logan 201 Bermuda Chapel Hill Ann Arbor Atlanta New York

Logan East Theater

SF Bay Capetown Twin Cities Houston Albuquerque

BOUT 5

Ida Noyes Theatre (3rd Floor)

Los Angeles Denver Austin Louisville Pomona

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BOUT SCHEDULE / Quarter-final round 1 Unversity of Chicago Friday, August 9th :: 10:00pm – Noon

FIRST ROUND BOUT 6

BOUT 7

Ida Noyes Cloister Club Philaelphia Detroit Columbia Providence Asheville

Ida Noyes (East Lounge) Miami Columbus Hampton Roads Tunkhanook Richmond, VA

BOUT 8

BOUT 9

Ida Noyes (West Lounge) Sacramento

Booth 104 A San Jose Phoenix Seattle Dallas

Nashville Anchorage Des Moines Leeds

BOUT 10

Booth 104 C Flint Washington DC Greensboro Baltimore Tampa

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BOUT SCHEDULE / Quarter-final round 2 Unversity of Chicago Friday, August 9th :: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

SECOND BRACKET ROUND WESTERN BOUT 11

BOUT 12

Logan Performance Penthouse

Logan Performance Hall

BOUT 13

BOUT 14

Logan 201 Washington DC Madison/Milwaukee Asheville Atlanta GA Tunkhanook

Logan East Theater

New York Birmingham Flint Richmond, VA Providence

Capetown Kansas City Nashville Seattle Los Angeles

Philadelphia Bermuda Miami Baltimore Baton Rouge

BOUT 15 Ida Noyes Theatre (3rd Floor)

Alburquerque Guam Pomona Sacramento Dallas

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BOUT SCHEDULE / Quarter-final round 2 Unversity of Chicago Friday, August 9th :: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

SECOND ROUND BOUT 16

BOUT 17

Ida Noyes Cloister Club Detroit Chapel Hill Tampa Chicago Columbus

Ida Noyes (East Lounge) Twin Cities San Jose Des Moines Austin Fort Worth

BOUT 18

BOUT 19

Ida Noyes (West Lounge)

Booth 104 A Ann Arbor Toronto Hampton Roads Columbia Greensboro

Leeds Denver Houston Stockton

BOUT 20 Booth 104 C SF Bay Taos Anchorage Phoenix Louisville

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BOUT SCHEDULE / SEMI-final BOUTS

Fridday, August 9th :: 7:00pm – 9:00pm Bout 1: The Logan Performance Hall Bout 2: Logan Center Penthouse Bout 3: Noyes Hall Cloister Club Bout 4: Noyes Hall Theater

Semi Bout 1

Scores

Totals

Grand Slam Finalists

Semi Bout 2

Semi Bout 3

Semi Bout 4

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BRave new voices rules & regulations • Teams must attend all of the festival events. We have put together an incredible lineup of performance and growth opportunities. We strongly encourage you to participate in all aspects of the festival.

• There is to be no alcohol or using of illegal drugs at any point as part of the festival. Any person caught violating this policy will be asked to leave, and will serve a probationary period of one year before being eligible to be a part of future BNV festivals.

• We encourage everyone to be as gregarious and outgoing as possible.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet, share, and build with a community of young writers, leaders, and educators from across the country (and beyond). Please take advantage of this.

• There are no wrong answers and the standard is yourself. Please show us all how dope you really are.

• The poetry slam is a mechanism to attract audiences to write, perform and listen to poetry. By design it works to create a space for young people to be heard, however it is not the whole of what Brave New Voices is. BNV is a Festival committed to creating safe spaces for young people to find, develop, present and apply their voices, and all of the stages, venues, activities, workshops and events have been established for this reason.

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH POETRY SLAM RULES AND REGULATIONS Although we de-stress the competition, we have come up with the following guidelines. Please abide by them so as to avoid controversy and keep the focus on the fun and expansive nature of poetry and the festival as a whole.

• There must be a minimum of four people on each team, a maximum of six. No alternates. All 6 can be on the team. We do this so as to encourage the involvement of more youth from your area. Teams can bring other youth, who can be incorporated into all aspects of the festival except the slam itself. Additional youth may be sacrificial poets.

• No more than 4 poets on the stage at any time (during the slam). By “on the stage,” we mean as a part of the poem.

• Team members must between 13-19 years old (cannot turn 20 before August 8, 2013).

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BRave new voices rules & regulations • Teams must have a minimum of one adult sponsor/ mentor over the age of 21 for every 4 youth.

• Teams must prepare at least one individual poem per member.

• All of the work used in the Slam must be original writing by the individuals slamming. Teams that plagiarize will be disqualified.

• Plagiarism, as defined by Miriam-Webster, is to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own; use (another's production) without crediting the source; to commit literary theft; present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

• Group pieces constructed and performed as duets, trios, and quartets are not only permissible, but also encouraged. Each performing member of a group piece must have participated in the writing of the group piece.

• The Slam is about the poet(s) and the mic(s). Props may not be used in the Slam. Props are defined as any non-body piece of equipment.

Musical accompaniment (excluding mouth/body percussion) may not be used in the Slam.

• Each individual and group piece must be under three minutes in length. We will have a 30 second grace period, after which significant time penalties will incur.

• If individuals or teams go over the time limits, their scores will be penalized .5 for each 10 seconds beyond 3:30 minutes, starting at 3 minutes 40 seconds. (e.g. up to 3:39 – no penalty; 3:40 to 3:49 - .5 point penalty; 3:50 to 3:59 – 1 point penalty, etc.)

• There is no censorship whatsoever, but gratuitous use of profanity could work against you when it comes to scoring. It is recommended that teams regulate themselves and try to avoid excessive violence, sexually explicit content and/or language that is degrading to any group of people. Please, do it for the love.

REPEAT RULE: • Teams as a whole can repeat a maximum of 2 poems throughout the slam, except for the teams who make finals. Finalists will be allowed to perform their best pieces regardless of how many times they have performed them in the earlier rouds of the Poetry Slam. Bring your best pieces to the Finals.

• Choose wisely. We do this to encourage young folks to push your pg. 42

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BRave new voices rules & regulations creativity and write/perform new work. *To clarify, this means that a maximum of two poems can be performed twice per team, not per individual. Because there are two Quarter-Final bouts (8 poems per team), the Semi-Finals (4 poems), and the Finals (4 poems), each team should prepare a minimum of 10 poems for the Slam itself. There are many opportunities for open mic’s and other readings as well.

PRELIMINARY AND SEMI-FINAL BOUTS (word courtesy of Taos Poetry Circus): • Each team will compete in TWO Quarter-Final bouts and 20 teams will participate in the Semi-Finals. 4 Teams move on to the Grand Slam Finals.

• Bouts are 4 rounds each and will have a scorekeeper/timekeeper, bout manager, and emcee.

• The Slam will be judged by a mixed panel of poets, adults and young people who are in no way affiliated with the teams who participate in the Slam. Many judges will be pre-selected, and some will come from the audience. We will shoot for diversity in the judging panel.

• Team bouts will be drawn randomly. Each bout will consist of five participating teams.

• Bout order is drawn before the start of the bout. Teams draw either an A, B, C, D or E. Bout order goes as follows:

Round Round Round Round

1 2 3 4

– – – –

Team Team Team Team

A, Team B, B, Team C, C, Team D, D, Team E,

Team Team Team Team

C, Team D, Team E D, Team E, Team A E, Team A, Team B A, Team B, Team C

• Every member of the team must be physically present and checked in with the Slam organizers at least 25 minutes before their bout begins.

• After each bout, each team will earn a place ranking of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in order of high to low score. At the conclusion of the Quarter-Final bouts, we will add each team’s rankings for a cumulative rank score. (e.g. If a team places 1st in their first bout, and 2nd in their second bout, their cumulative rank score is 3).

• The 20 teams with the lowest cumulative rank score will advance to Semi-Finals.

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BRave new voices rules & regulations • In the event that there is a tie in cumulative rank score, tiebreakers will be determined according to each team’s total points for the two bouts. (i.e. it is just as important to score high in your bout, as it is to win or place high in your bout.)

• Winners of each of the Semi-Final Bouts will advance to the Grand Slam Finals. In the event of a tie in the Semi's, there will be a one-poem slam-off between the tying teams.

• In the event a team wants to lodge a protest against another team for an infraction of any of the rules, it is the responsibility of the protesting team to contact a slam organizer prior to the conclusion of the bout (for this year, this is Chinaka Hodge or her designee). WE STRONGLY DISCOURAGE this unless you really mean it. We will schedule a protest meeting if need be. Remember, it’s not the points that count.

• No recording equipment is allowed during the bouts except by Youth Speaks Inc., and others authorized to film. Film or audio recordings cannot be used as evidence in any protest or grievance with regard to the Slam.

Some notes: • We encourage you to become intimately familiar with the poems you will compete with. Memorization is not required (music stands will be available at all venues), but you do want to really bust your piece.

Rehearse! Know your poem.

• Judges will be given criteria for judging on both writing and performance quality, and will serve more as encouragers of young writers than judges. This will be as standardized as possible, but like each of us, judges come with their own biases for and against certain topics and styles. Remember, the standard is yourself. Be your own best “judge.”

• Judges will be seated together at a table in front of the stage. Their scores will be passed down to the event host, who will read them off from low to high. We do this because we want to allow the judges some anonymity, and to not have poets get angry or too happy with any one judge. We will have a panel of well-known writers as judges throughout the week.

• Take responsibility for your words. We’re offering you packed stages.

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

BRave new voices rules & regulations • Be respectful of yourself, the youth writing community and the group you represent.

• Have fun in this process. If you don’t get high scores, so what? It says nothing about your abilities and potential as a writer, thinker, and cultural leader.

2013 TEAM ROSTER Anchorage, AK (Brave New Alaskan Voices) Albuquerque, NM (ABQUnidos (To the Last Word) Poets: Mercedez Holtry, Eva Crespin, Davonte Quintana, Matthew Brown, Jude Marx, Emily Bjustrom Coaches: Damien Davies Ann Arbor, MI (Volume Youth Poetry Project) Poets: Rachel Kerby, Alex Kime, Edith Zhang, Rianna Johnson-Levy, Amelia Diehl, Aaliyah Jihad Coaches: Aimee Le Asheville, NC (Slam Asheville) Poets: Liam Kelley Black, Shanita Jackson, Matt Kerber, Bryan Head, Oliana Luke, Colin Miller Coaches: Heidi Freeman Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Word Works) Poets: Janetta Hill, Nadia May, Aurielle Lucier, Chelsea Jackson, Morgan Ritson, Itsel Lira Coach: Adam Tolliver Austin, TX (They Speak) Poets: Jennine Krueger, Amaris Diaz, Olivia Slusher, Charles Stephens, Shasparay Lee, Arati Warrier Coaches: Christopher Michael INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

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TEAM ROSTER / 2013 Baltimore, MD Poets: Nakia Brown, Lemell Powell, Erin Harris, Najah James, Sadiyah Bashir Coaches: Victor Rodgers and Kenneth Morrison Baton Rouge, LA Poets: Chloe Matthews, Julia Powell, Bria Johnson, Cassie Huye, Julia Spaht, John Brown Coaches: Chancelier Skidmore Bay Area, CA (Youth Speaks) Poets: Obasi Davis, Nyabinga McDowell, Denise Robinson, Alisson Kephart, Marje Kilpatrick, Tassiana Willets Coaches: Fish Vargas and Hadeel Ramadan Bermuda, HM Bermuda (The Chewstick Foundation) Poets: Tenae Hassell, Marquedelle Rodriguez, Kevin-Lorae Davis, Hannah Smith, Makeem Bartley, Dascha Choudhury Coaches: Gavin Smith Birmingham, AL (Real Life Poets) Poets: Justin Wright, Eboni Wallace, Randy Smith, Miaya Webster, Jeramie Scott, Patrice Talley Coaches: John Paul Taylor Chapel Hill, NC (The Sacrificial Poets) Poets: Kamaya Truitt-Martin, Aaron Kreizman, Julia McKeown, Will Stewart, Christian Prosperi, Erik Aus Coaches: CJ Suitt Chicago, IL (Kuumba Lynx / Young Chicago Authors) Poets: Sejahari Saulter-Villegas, Jahleigh Bullie, Tanya Smith, Sahara Burton, Tatiana Serrato, Vania Guttierez Coaches: Jaquanda Villegas and Jacinda Bullie Columbia, CT (OneWord CT) Poets: Evan Knoll, Sophie Dillon, Olive Kuhn, Coree Shields, Emily Falkowshi Coaches: Elizabeth Thomas Columbus, GA (Fountain City Slam) Poets: Genario Johnson, Khadejah McClellan, Krystopher Mason, Jeremiah Russ, Jessica Williams Coaches: Jonathan Perkins and Chiara Richardson pg. 46

The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

TEAM ROSTER / 2013 Dallas, TX (Dallas Youth Poets) Poets: Eliza Schreibman, Lizzie Vamos, Kellen Weigand, Amanda Jackson, Blake Lackey, Joshua Rambeau Coaches: Joaquin Zihuatanejo Denver, CO (Minor Disturbance) Poets: Andie Brent, Madeline Cramer, Tolu Obiwole, Stephen Garcia, Isabel Elliot, Clarke Sondermann Coaches: Mary McDonough Des Moines, IA (Des Moines Public Schools) Poets: Leah Waughtal, Hatte Kelley, Davonte Binion, Julio Delgadillo, Torianna Buttrey, Mia Windsor Coaches: Emily Lang Detroit, MI (Inside Out Literary Arts Project) Poets: Annalise Bissa, Briana Sanders, Terrell Morrow, Samuel Taylor, Victor Shaw, Justin Rogers Coaches: Francine Harris Flint, MI (Raise it Up!) Poets: Whitney Miles, Danielle Horton, Sapphire Newby, KeyVonna Taylor, Alexis Harvey, Shariona Smith Coaches: Natasha Thomas-Jackson Fort Worth, TX (Forthwrite Youth Slams) Poets: Durmerrick Ross, Deion Hightower, Karleigh Norris, AJ Lock Leir Coach: Michael Guinn Greensboro, NC (The Poetry Project) Poets: Melvin Gass III, Jha’Mai Milindez, Rose Smith, Jada Bryan, Katherine Malet Coaches: Josephus Thompson III and Micah Graves Guam (Sinangan-ta Youth Movement) Poets: Arielle Lowe, Gerian Toves, Shane Root, D’Jra Pocaigue, Nichole Quintanilla, Verna Zafra Coaches: John Sarmiento Hampton Roads, VA (Teens With A Purpose) Poets: Ayanna Florence, Raevaughn Johnson, Emiley Allison, Shajhea Wilson, Sylvantria Hawkins, Khayla Walker Coaches: Dierdre Love INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

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TEAM ROSTER / 2013 Houston, TX (Meta-Four Houston (WITS) Poets: Tiffany Ike, Sarah Portugal, Terell Cloud, Daniel Ortiz, Jordan Simpson, Jennifer Layer Coaches: Emanuuelee Outspoken Bean Leeds, England (Leeds Young Authors) Coaches: Khadijah Ibrahiim Los Angeles, CA (Get Lit-Words Ignite) Poets: Marquesha Babers, Deanna Torres, Adrian Kljucec, Rhiannon McGavin, Melissa Maldonado, Maia Mayor Coach: Kim Moreno Louisville, KY (Generation iSpeak) Poets: Alex Mack-Crittendon, Gabe Tomlin, Joshua Middleton, Tessa Ruth Gartin, Jesse Lane, Tristan Dunlap Coaches: Julia Crittendon Miami, FL (Tigertail Productions) Poets: Celestelle Webster, Christell Roach, Maylin Enamorado, Samantha Turner, Steffon Dixon, Wesley Oviedo Coaches: Teo Castellanos Milwaukee, WI (Still Waters Collective) Poets: Mikey Murry, Ria Perry, Jonnie Dixon, Alex Appleton, Adrian Conner, Alea McHatten Coaches: Dasha Kelly Nashville, TN (Southern Word) Poets: Alexis Woodard, Sean Smith, Isla Vall, Brayana Rodgers, Jace Marthel, Caleb West Coaches: Benjamin Smith New York, NY (Urban Word NYC) Poets: Anthony Ragler, Darren Arthur, Holden Contreras, Kendall Cosey, Maya Osborne, Sergio Jimenez Coaches: Sean Baucom Philadelphia, PA (Philly Youth Poetry Movement) Poets: Kendall Allen, Nayo Jones, James Whitfield, Joshua Melendez, Jasmin Johnson, Victor Jackson Coaches: Perry Di Virgilio

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

TEAM ROSTER / 2013 Phoenix, AZ (Phonetic Spit) Poets: Evan O’Shea, Tesla Gilbert, Sandra Quintana, Ashley Freie, Jenny Benito, Jose Pardo Coaches: Tomas Stanton Pomona, CA (Say Word) Poets: Beni Villafana, Josh Rosas, Gillian Teng, Rozlind Silva, Cheyenne Bartram, Rudy Francisco Coaches: Kat Magill Providence, RI (ProvSlam Youth) Poets: Joely Barrios, Kiana Wright, Charlotte Abotsi, Seth Larbi, Max Binder, Paul Tran Coaches: Sydney Peak Richmond, VA (SlamRichmond) Poets: Azia Armstead, Rasheed White, Jonas Rollins, Ryan Dickerson, Lauren Parker, Jason Moore Coaches: John S. Blake Sacramento, CA (Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS) Poets: Terri Grace, Takarra Johnson, Julien Clark, Sunshine Brown, Aujzhane Buchanan, Charle Bishop Coaches: Patrice Hill San Jose, CA (MACLA) Poets: Maya Diaz, Jose Luna, Liala Zaray, Leon Brianna, Gay Zhane, Gabriel Pulido Coach: Gabrielle Shirley Seattle, WA (Youth Speaks Seattle) Poets: Ronald McGrew, Hamda Yusuf, Kiawe Farr, Janessa Durden, Julia McCotter Coaches: Hollis Wong-Wear and Henry Luke Cape Town, South Africa (Vocal Revolutionaries) Poets: Lerato Mokobe, Siyabonga Njica, Kneo Mokgopa, Sechaba Nkitseng Coaches: Mbali Vilakazi and Mfundo Ntobongwana Stockton, CA Poets: Danielle Misquez, Anastasia Retiz, Corey Baxter, Miyanna Jones, Jayda Daniels Coaches: Tama Brisbane and Alyssa Langworthy INSIDERS GUIDE · brave new voices 2013

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TEAM ROSTER / 2013 Tampa, FL (Heard Em Say Poetry Slam) Poets: Nia Scott, Jamie Dawson, Jessica Allen, Nynchoyha Pitt, Rebekah Nelson, Kamilah Ujamaa Coaches: Walter Jennings Taos, NM (Taos High School Poetry Team) Poets: Isahbo Hawley, Serena Smith, Makenna Kesson, Zia Pollis, Kimberly Pollis, Savannah Rodriguez Coaches: Francis Hahn Toronto / Ontario, Canada (BAM! Toronto Youth Slam) Poets: Saredo Mohamed, Ray Abergas, Jacob Agustin, Karel La Guardia, Bidhan Berma, Ida Zimmerman Coaches: Brian Millado Tunkhannock, PA (Breaking Ground Poets) Poets: Keri Klinges, Kyle Shupp, Angelo Maruzzelli, Mayling Ijomah, Sarah Schork, Rachel Reichle Coaches: Katie Wisnosky Twin Cities, MN (Tru Art Speaks) Poets: Laresa Avent, Kayla Steward, Lucien Griffith, Donte Collins, Ramaj Young, Mhika Holmes Coaches: Tish Jones Washington, DC (Split This Rock) Poets: Amina Iro, Asha Gardner, Thomas Hill, Reina Privado, Kosi Dunn, Lauren May Coaches: Jonathan B. Tucker

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

Brave new voices contact (staff) In the event of an emergency call 911 (or 123 from a campus phone) first, then call or email those listed below.

Paula Arigonni Managing Director, Youth Speaks Inc - BNV Housing Director parigonni@youthspeaks.org - 925.451.2756 Dennis Kim Artistic Director, Youth Speaks - BNV Conference Director dkim@youthspeaks.org - 224.213.6803 Brandon Santiago Outreach Director, Youth Speaks - BNV Outreach Director bsantiago@youthspeaks.org - 510.828.4343 Chinaka Hodge BNV Grand Master Slam 510.684.4095 (Coaches Only Please) Hodari B. Davis National Program Director, Youth Speaks - BNV Co-Executive Producer Hdavis@youthspeaks.org, 510.457.5210 (Coaches, Chaperones, or Leaders only please) James Kass Executive Director, Youth Speaks - BNV Co-Executive Producer jkass@ youthspeaks.org, 415.902.5637 (Coaches and Leaders Only Please)

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MAP & DIRECTIONS

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

MAP & DIRECTIONS

In the event of a medical emergency that requires immediate attention, please call 911 before calling anyone on the Staff of Brave New Voices, or the University of Chicago. If it is not a medical emergency please follow the emergency procedures outlined in your University of Chicago Conference Folder, or use any of the emergency phones available on campus and follow the directions listed on the phone.

MEALS: Brave New Voices is honored to provide two meals for every BNV participant each day throughout the Festival (one on Wednesday). We have already purchased these meals and cannot return them so please take advantage of them. Every day at the Dining Hall, breakfast will be available from 7am – 830am.

Additional meals will be provided as per the following: Dinner: Wednesday and Saturday night Lunch: Thursday and Friday afternoon

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MAP & DIRECTIONS

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MAP & DIRECTIONS

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The 16th Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

In Loving Memory of

JAMES BRIGGS It is with great sadness we announce that one of our program's favorite alumni, James Briggs, passed away in a fatal drowning accident on July 4th. James, a member of the 2012 WordPlay All Star slam team, active youth poet and frequent volunteer for Forward Arts, was a vibrant member of our community. He will be best remembered for his amazing energy on stage and unique sense of humor. We are truly devastated to report this loss and offer our sincerest condolences to his family.

- Forward Arts Staff

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In Loving Memory of

JOHN VIETNAM Those of us who were lucky to know the young homie John “Vietnam” Nguyen were blessed to encounter a man whose life impelled him to become very serious, very quickly. The multiple challenges involved in being a young man of color, an immigrant son, born in the aftermath of war into the everpresent strife of the beautiful and cruel Windy City, being Chicago’s son, an Uptown representative, an extraordinary, sensitive soul in an era of privation, criminalization, and gang injunctions could not put out the light God placed in John.

The borders of his struggle could not compel him to deny love, relinquish laughter, or shed the lightness of being with which he navigated his young life. His art endures and his words continue to capture what it is to be young, gifted, and other in America. John is beloved of heart. Chicago, Uptown, Kuumba Lynx, First Wave, and Brave New Voices salute him. May he rest in peace and promise.

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