Upcoming slam Dates:

Congratulations to the 2011 bull city slam team:

 (left to right) Cj, Dasan Ahanu, G, Elliot Axiom, Zak

Dasan Ahanu is a public speaker, organizer, workshop facilitator, poet, spoken word performer, songwriter, writer, emcee, and loyal Hip Hop head born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition to performing, Dasan has hosted many poetry, jazz, Hip Hop, and cultural arts events across the state. As an actor, Dasan has been a cast member of the hip-hopera, "Right is Right" and a Harlem Renaissance production, "Images", which was produced by National Ensemble Theater and featured at the National Black Theatre Festival. He is one of the founders of Black Poetry Theatre (BPT) and has been a cast member in four productions. Two of BPT's productions, "Herstory of Love" and "Definition of a Hero", Dasan wrote and co-directed. Also an active participant in poetry slam, Dasan has competed regionally and nationally for six years as a founding member of Durham, NC's own Bull City Slam Team. Ahanu is a lyricist with a thirst for being on stage.
 
Believing that "with great talent comes great responsibility", Dasan has also used his skill and resources to aid in developing the community and further social change. He has worked as an organizer on such issues as war, social injustice, workers rights, domestic violence and sexual assault; planned and facilitated community programs for Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies; conducted creative writing and performance workshops at middle schools, high schools, and colleges throughout North Carolina; and spent time working with at-risk/court-involved youth. Ahanu has been a speaker or workshop facilitator at a number of notable conferences and symposiums speaking on topics such as the impact of cultural arts programming, the arts and social justice, Hip Hop culture, and the arts as a tool for literacy. A believer in the power of creative expression as an educational tool, he is currently a teacher at Duke University's Young Writer's Camp, creative consultant and resident artist at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, NC and an artist-in-residence at Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, NC.


 

tic spectrum from the high energy, hard-hitting style of a Spoken word/Slam Poet to the intense audience engaging methods of the griot. Axiom is a 5-year member of the Bull City Slam Team, the 2008 Words of Essence Slam Champion, a member of the Black Poetry Theater Troupe, Co-host of Soulstice Sundays on 103.5FM/WCOMFM.Org and founder of the Duo Slam annual poetry competition held in Durham. He is an author, actor, voice talent, community advocate/activist and photographer. He presently has two CD's, Project: ROAM and the Poetic Re-Cipher and accompanying chap books as well as a DVD of performances. His works can be seen and heard @ Elliotaxiom.com, Youtube.com/elliotaxiom and Myspace.com/Elliotaxiom. He can be contacted at Elliotaxiom@yahoo.com.

 
  CJ Suitt is a poet and facilitator working to elevate youth through spoken word poetry. CJ believes in the power of poetry to transform young people’s lives and its ability to be an outlet for youth globally who may not be heard in their day to day interactions. Through the recently acquired fiscal sponsorship of the St. Joseph's Historic Foundation in Durham, NC he is the Director of the Sacrificial Poets; a youth poetry organization. He coaches The Sacrificial Poets youth “slam” team, which competes regularly at the international Brave New Voices Poetry Festival that was recently featured on HBO. CJ is highly active in the community, facilitating intergenerational events with social justice themes, teaching poetry workshops and offering education projects at a group home for teens awaiting trial. He recently wrote, co-produced and acted in a theatrical reenactment of “The Freedom Rides-A Journey of Reconciliation” which brought together representatives from prominent national civil rights organizations, state officials and student groups. CJ is dedicated to being a creative catalyst for the highest potential of a dynamic generation not afraid to speak truth to powe

Zak Corsi is 20 years old. He will be attending Appalachian State University in the Fall as an English major and he has been a member of Chapel Hill's Sacrificial Poets Youth Organization since 2009. He is a two-year Brave New Voices veteran and is the 2011 Bull City Grand Slam Champion. Also, Corsi placed 10th in the world at the 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam in which he was the youngest poet to ever touch final stage (19 yrs.)  Zak is an activist, youth advocate and an artist as well as a buddhist.

  Wendy Jones joined the Bull City Slam Team in 2009 to serve in the capacity of Team Manager. In 2011 she became co-slammaster. She currently lives & works in Greensboro, NC where she has resided for the past 13 years. She is the owner of Biwaha Entertainment Management Company which manages several poets throughout the country.

About the Poetry Slam:

The Jambalaya Soul Slam was started in 2002 by Dasan Ahanu and Ray Gorham. It moved to the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham in 2005 and has been supported by the St. Joseph's Historic Foundation ever since. Each month the slam brings together the best poets in the area to compete for a cash prize and an invitation to Grand Slam Finals where the Bull City Slam Team (BCST) is picked.  The Jambalaya Soul Slam also has featured some of the best poets in the country each month. In 2009, the organizers of the slam hosted the Southeastern Regional Poetry Slam in Durham, NC. Named Southern Fried, it is the largest regional competition in the country.

The BCST has represented the Triangle in regional and national competition for 7 years now. The BCST has won a regional championship and finished as high as 3rd at the National Poetry Slam. It's team members have won regional individual championships and have ranked as high as 10th at the Individual World Poetry Slam. The BCST values being part of a rich tradition of performance poetry in North Carolina.

BCST members participate in creative writing and performance programming at the Hayti Heritage Center throughout the year. As representatives of the foundation, the BCST helps facilitate workshops, host cultural arts events, and coordinate community programs with local partners. One of the goals of both the slam and the team is to not only be a representative of the community but also an active participant in the community.

What is a Poetry Slam?

I am glad you asked.  Slam is a form of performance poetry that follows very specific rules in its delivery. Poets are given three minutes to step up to the microphone and perform one original poem of their own construction. No props, costumes, or outside accompaniment are allowed. After the poem is finished, it is given a numerical score between zero and ten by a panel of five judges who have been selected from the audience.