the Poetry Pentathlon

Are you tired of Poetry Labels? Are you the kind of poet that can win slams and get published in literary journals? Are you comfortable wherever you perform, be it bar, cafe, library, or gallery?
I ask again...ARE YOU TIRED OF LABELS?

Don't you wish that there were some way of testing ALL your skills. Something that challenges you, as a Writer, and as a Performer. Something that challenges you in classic forms and spontaneous inspiration?

The kids at Waiting 4 The Bus have developed a system for finding the exceptionally talented and creative. The Poetry Pentathlon stand alone as a proper means for testing the skill of a Poet and Performer.

As Labor day approaches a Young poet's fancy turns to the thrill of poetic competition.
It's not a Poetry Slam!
It's the glorious throwdown known as the Poetry Pentathlon
Saturday, August 31

7-9PM
CONTESTANTS SHOULD BE 15 MINUTES EARLY
Powell's books in University village,
1218 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60607

TO REGISTER:
E-MAIL poetrypentathlon@gmail.com
ALL CONTESTANTS MUST BE FREE TO COMPETE IN THE LIVE EVENT
YOU CAN WIN PRIDE, BRAGGING RIGHTS AND THE ENVY OF YOUR PEERS!!!!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL.


THE EVENTS
2013

Villanelle-
The highly structured villanelle is a nineteen-line poem with two repeating rhymes and two refrains. The form is made up of five tercets followed by a quatrain. The first and third lines of the opening tercet are repeated alternately in the last lines of the succeeding stanzas; then in the final stanza, the refrain serves as the poem's two concluding lines. Using capitals for the refrains and lowercase letters for the rhymes, the form could be expressed as: A1 b A2 / a b A1 / a b A2 / a b A1 / a b A2 / a b A1 A2.

Rant-
Rant poetry comes in all shapes and sizes, but it is most commonly defined as a free-verse prose poem written about an exasperating subject. Follow the steps below to wax poetic about any subject that aggravates, pesters, or otherwise drives you batty.

1
Settle on a single subject that provokes, annoys, exasperates or infuriates you. This subject will be the topic of your rant poem.
2
Brainstorm a list of reasons why your subject maddens you. Jot down a list of 10-20 specific details about your subject that drive you bonkers.
3
Decide what tone you want your poem to convey. How do you want your poem to make the reader feel? You might want to make them laugh at your misery, or cringe at your excruciating details.
4
Choose the details from your brainstorm list that you think will stimulate your audience, and craft them into sentences that reflect your tone. For example, as stated in a handwritten rant called "Airline Complaint," the writer states, "I constructed a stink shield by shoving one end of a blanket into the overhead compartment," which is a funny way to rant poetically about an airline lavatory.
5
Write your rant poem by stringing sentences from your brainstorm together in chronological order. Rant poems, like prose, contain sentences and sentence fragments. Make sure each complaint flows to the next logically, like sentences do in paragraphs.
6
Break the lines of your poem where it feels appropriate. Prose poems like the rant don't need dramatic line breaks, as they read almost like a short story.
7
End your rant poem with the single most annoying complaint from your brainstorm list. Rant poems usually run from one to two pages in length.

list poem-
A list poem is just that. A list of things. List poems first appeared thousands of years ago. The bible has list poems. Think of the family genealogy lists. Homer’s Iliad also has list poems in its lists of Trojan War heroes.
Lists are part of life. It has been used throughout the centuries to make an inventory of things.
A list poem can be a list of either people, places, things you do, items, even ideas you may have. It can rhyme, but doesn’t have to. Repetition is often a tool used in a list poem.
One thing a list poem is not is a random list. Most list poems are thought out and not just casual items.
The last item in a list poem usually has meaning – by that I mean it is often an important item.
With a list poem you are trying to get the reader to look and think about what is in your list.
Like a story there is a beginning and there is an end.
Keep consistency with the style and remember to create a parallel structure with your words.

Poetry Pot Luck-
each contestant will present a poem of their own creation to the judges. This poem will be in a sealed envelope. This poem will be given to an opposing contestant to perform.
the scoring for this round is different
1-5 points will be awarded to the performer
1-5 points will be awarded to the author

On the spot prompt-
all contestants will be presented with a poetry prompt upon arriving at the Pentathlon Arena (Powell's). A poem will be written based upon the prompt during the course of the evening and will be presented to the judges as the final event of the evening