Slam Free for 7 days

As you read this, in a kitchen in Manchester, seven poor and no doubt hoarse slam poets are attempting to set a record. It’s a record that won’t be recorded as such, even though technically it appears it may be a Guinness-worthy attempt. If they succeed, they won’t win a prize or even make the local news.
They are following a long tradition in American poetry — begging and asking for help. If you’ve ever attended a reading at Bridge Café — even if you hated it — you should check this out.
On Wednesday, July 7, at 7 a.m., the seven-member 2010 Slam Free or Die Manchester Team began a week-long, 24-hour-a-day poetry reading. The marathon is a fundraiser to get the team to St. Paul, Minn., in August to compete in the National Poetry Slam. They’re looking to raise about three grand.
Not much in the grand scheme of things, but for seven poets all under the age of 30, standing in a kitchen, reading to the fridge, that’s a mighty large amount of cash to raise.
So, the marathon.
Look, I’m not a fan of slam poetry, but I am a fan of desperate and crazy ideas. Staging a 168-hour-long reading seems a throwback to what turn-of-the-century poetry excelled at — outrageousness. From the Victorian salon, where poets served tea and cake to potential sponsors, to the milk crate on the ground in Central Park, you have to hand it to this team.
You have to love poetry to do this. Also, I imagine you have to love pizza, coffee and Ramen noodles.
Not to mention the fact that even if this team wins in St. Paul, they are still in the hole. After a $500 registration fee, plus airfare, hotel, food etc., the winning team takes home $2,000. And a trophy.
The team’s coach, 27-year-old Mark Palos, says there’s something bigger than money at stake: bragging rights. Palos, whose moniker is The Colonel, told me that many of the poets who make it to the finals are able to go on national tour just based on that notoriety.
So, seven team members, seven days. Each will have a day. During their day, each featured poet will not sleep, and he or she will read for two hours, then get a 15-minute break. During those breaks, the team is looking for fans and supporters to sign up and fill in the spaces. They will read their own work, and some of their favorites of other poets. There will likely be some prose thrown in there as well.
How will they make money? Well, you can always just give them money. They have a PayPal account set up through Facebook. Or you can pay a couple bucks to fill in the break slots with your own work. Or you can pay to make requests.
This is all live, at The Colonel’s house, and also via streaming feed. So you can just tune in at 2 a.m. if you can’t sleep and watch this group go.
Here’s a brief schedule of who’s up and what you might expect:
Wednesday, July 7, Beau Williams, 22, of Dover, mix of humor and deeper philosophy.
Thursday, July 8, Sam Teitel, 23, of Somerville, Mass., specializes in autobiography.
Friday, July 9, JeFF Stumpo, 30 Portsmouth, experimental.
Saturday, July 10, Tim Veilluex, 30, Portsmouth, wry humor and satirical current events.
Sunday, July 11, Mark Palos, 27, Manchester, surrealism, humor, study of extremes.
Monday, July 12, Mckendy Fils-Aime, 22, Manchester, high dramas and epic notes.
Tuesday, July 13, Krista Mosca, 28, Nashua, intense personal introspection.
So, stop by The Colonel's kitchen at 363 Lake ave., Manchester or check out the live video feed through the Slam Free or Die Facebook page at www.facebook.com/#!/slamfreeordie. If you can’t find it, or are not a Facebook addict, drop me an e-mail at danszczesny@gmail.com and I’ll direct you there.