[Press Release by ABC TV]
In an exciting development for cross media projects, The Grand Slam Final of the Australian Poetry Slam 2008 will be broadcast nationally on ABC Local Radio and, in conjunction with ABC TV, webcast live across Australia and around the world on the internet, on Thursday December 4.
The webcast will start at 6.30pm and introduce the finalists garnered from across the country, before crossing to the Sydney Opera House at 7:00pm for the Grand Slam Final, hosted by Andrew Daddo, presenter of 702 ABC Sydney Evenings.
The Final will see poets compete for $5,000 and the title of Australian Poetry Slam Champion. The night is the culmination of a three month search for Australia’s best poetry slammers, consisting of state winners, plus the ABC Local Radio online winner.
The online winner ‘Butterfly’, submitted by Elise Batchelor from Karratha (WA), was selected from 77 entries by judges: Alicia Sometimes (poet, writer, musician); Dr Wendy Were (Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Sydney Writers Festival); and Miles Merril, the Australian Poetry Slam co-creator.
Alicia Sometimes said of the winning entry: “It was the performer’s succinct and powerful images within the piece that won me over. It was so well written.” She describes the quality of the overall entries as having a “great freshness and some pieces had shining lines like ‘our early night weezes in the rain’ and ‘Detox is the new Club Med.”
The Australian Poetry Slam 2008, now in its second year, is organised by State Libraries and supported by ABC Local Radio. For more details about the Australian Poetry Slam 2008 or to view the online entries go to abc.net.au/poetryslam. View the online winning entry.