Slama acknowledges that our slam takes place in Naarm, on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded, no treaty was signed and it always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
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*This venue is wheelchair accessible
*This venue has gender neutral toilets
NEW SEASON. NEW INTENTIONS.
We are back on our beloved premiere stage at the Brunswick Ballroom.
Slama is a space where we celebrate intersectional community and encourage Artists to bring their absolute best work to the stage.
It’s time for some cross pollination, fam.
On May 21, we welcome Singapore Slam Champ, Shivram Gopinath to the Slama stage to help him release his debut poetry collection, Dey.
Shivram will be touring Australia alongside four Singaporean Writers who we look forward to welcoming to our community.
WHO IS SHIVRAM GOPINATH?
Born in Chennai, India, Shivram Gopinath is a poet who has called
Singapore a home for more than two decades, picking up a disdain
for the typical, and a never-ending appetite for thosai along the way.
His work has been heard at literary festivals, dingy bars and
living rooms across the Asia Pacific. He often teaches workshops
structured around poetic identity, and is co-founder of Mama
Magnet, a cultural co-creation studio with a network of independent
artists. Shivram is a twice-winning Singapore National Poetry Slam
champion. Dey is his debut collection.
About the book:
“Dey” is Tamil slang. A polysemic portal into community. It is “hey”,
“no”, “yes”; it hails, it invites, it warns, it cajoles, it pleads, it loves.
Just like Shivram Gopinath’s Dey: a cross-genre, multi-tongued
celebration of diasporic desire, complaint and joy that stretches
what poetry can be. Part translation, part illustration, part verse,
Dey is a love child of Tamil cinema tropes and themes, Singaporean
hopes and dreams. A discordant soundtrack to migrant identity, an
invitation to a language game, a retort to power. Rajinikanth, Lee
Kuan Yew, durian fish soup fight for your eyeballs. A thick syrupy
mix, that’s what. Dey, read it.
3-ROUND POETRY SLAM
- No props, music or costume.
- Poems must be 3 minutes.
- Must be original work.
We are continuing with a pre-registration system (for now) until further notice. $10 for poets to register.
POETS. Please have 3 pieces ready.
Want a coveted slam spot?
SIGN UP HERE BEFORE IT’S FULL
https://www.trybooking.com/CRFEN
12 spots only. Online registration OPENS at 9AM, Friday April 26th and CLOSES at 4pm on Tuesday May 21st 2024.
Poets, please make sure to follow the registration process closely:
1. Go to the trybooking link and pay your $10 fee at the trybooking link.
2. Review the rules.
3. Practice. Memorize (if you want to, it’s not mandatory) Embody.
$50 cash prize for first place and we want all poets seasoned and new to put your name in the hat.
All scores are accumulated throughout the season and the poets with the top scores make it into our Grand Slam. Since 2023 was our first full season back in person and a new TEAM SLAMA was formed. We are declaring 2024 our “off season” so we can nurture the current team’s creative process towards regional and international travel.
In this “off season” we will be focusing on nourishing our community, loving on new to the stage poets and strengthening our processes in preparation for another team based finale in 2025. This is a perfect season for fresh voices and less excuses, so if you’ve been dreaming of standing on the Slama stage and competing, now is it.
This year our Grand Slam will occur in November 2024. Grand Slam Prizes to be announced.
TUESDAY MAY 21st 2023
THE BRUNSWICK BALLROOM ARTIST BAR
314 SYDNEY ROAD, BRUNSWICK
TICKETS:
$25 full
$23 concession
Free entry for First Nations folk
Free entry for Palestinians
Tickets available at brunswickballroom.com.au
Limited tickets available on the door.
DOORS: 6 PM
POET’S PRE-SHOW GATHERING: 6:15 PM
SHOW STARTS BETWEEN: 6:30 - 7 PM
SHOW FINISH: 9:45 PM (for all you 9-5 folk)
SLAMALAMA WHAT!!!?????
SLAMALAMADINGDONG!!!!!!
OPEN DOOR POLICY:
We will never turn anyone away. Selling tickets allows us to pay our producers, venue and artists appropriately. It also helps us make a small profit margin so we can continue to thrive and grow as an organization. We donate 2% of our income to Pay the Rent.
This being said, if you are struggling financially and feel the need to participate, please advocate for yourself and send us a message so we can find a way to make sure you can participate in all the Slama goodness.
COST: $25 full / $23 concession / Free entry for First Nations folk / Free entry for Palestinians / Tickets available at brunswickballroom.com.au / Limited tickets available on the door.
ACCESSIBILITY: *This venue is wheelchair accessible / *This venue has gender neutral toilets