The PTAS will be returning with a vengeance as part of Crack Theatre Festival/This is Not Art Festival.

You can find it here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150746161618904

Featuring your favourite hosts:

• T-BIRD (Ben Tranter)
• FLOOZY FOX (Cara Pflueger)
• THE REVEREND (David Fenwick)
• …and a very rare special guest appearance from the notorious fallen swing diva DIXANNE PUNE.

Also:

• REVERSE CYMBAL PRESS zine stall & launch of “SEPTEMBER” (of the ’13 month’ project)
• House band NIGHT-WORMS WHIMPERED (MEN WHO DRIP WITH GERMS)
• GAMES, PRIZES, DUMB FUN, BLAH BLAH BLAH

When? Thursday 30th September, 9-11pm (this time we’re running to a timetable!)

Where? The CRACKHOUSE, The Mason’s Lodge, King St, Newcastle (nex to Bird in the Hand zine shop)

Why? BECAUSE YOU LOVE IT.

In a mutual decision made today, Newcastle’s notorious Anti-Slam cannot continue to run under its current format, at least for the time being.

With 8 months under our belt, the PTAS has become a well loved & hugely successful community-run initiative, & the decision is by no means final/permanent.

This is a callout for yr thoughts. All those involved in the PTAS, whether it be closely or no, we want to hear from you, we do we do we do. Either leave a comment on this site or email Di at diannersaur@gmail.com.

Some suggestions:

1. What’s so good about the PTAS anyway, huh?
2. How have your experiences at the PTAS been – as a performer, listener, or misc.?
3. What would you like to see change at the PTAS?
4. What are your fondest PTAS memories thus far?
5. Your leastest fondest?
6. What’s up with poetry these days?
   
7. ET-FREAKIN-CETERA

We’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, it’s been flippin’ wonderful.

Copy that. Over.

ROUND SIX

Thomas Keily, AKA Citizen Tom, AKA Tomas Jack of Hearts took out the prize for Personal Favourite (& I’m sure I’m not alone on this), freshly reunited with Newcastle after a wholesome 2-year stint in Istanbul with the Sufis. Other highlights included the wandering traveler Mitch AKA Charlie Brown who shared with us a snippet of his story, the entirely noisy celebration of ever camera-clad Adam‘s birthday & Carlin‘s surprise recital from the streets, witnessed only by the few who could find window space. Jenna AKA Casiogloria serenaded us with her unique brand of lo-fi often sea-related spoken word beat goodness, & Donny Dooley won the first prize of 1. a bulb of garlic & 2. lots of Listerine, in the secret category Best At Staying Off the Walls. We also made record highs in donations, which will surely go towards good good goodies for y’all. Your contribution keeps this thing going, thankyou.

We here at the Anti-Slam collective are excited about the next instalment in May, & we have a special announcement – the PTAS will be running as part of Crack Theatre Festival during This is Not Art 2010! We know it’s months away, but we’re already excited. Get the notebooks firing!

Shout outs to the directors of ARThive, Simone Sheridan & Grant Hunter for being so supportive to our deranged love for the written & spoken word, & to all who make the PTAS a pleasure to be a part of every month.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=303825607300

If you wish to receive info about the Anti-Slam, join our group!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=303825607300#!/group.php?gid=244888363601

Here’s the important info:

28th Jan
ARThive (1/111 Hunter St Mall, Newcastle)
7 30pm sign-up, 8 00pm showdown
entry & refreshments by donation (free if you get up)
live music & stuff.
PRIZES.

ROUND THREE was a total roundhouse punch in the teeth, with two hours of NON STOP POETRY (that’s like 10,000 performers if you count right) & the first prize going to Bhenjamyn Phraser in the new, one-off category of ‘MOST EXPRESSIVE SHADOW PUPPETS’. We also had brilliant performances from notorious Sydney slammer Fez, local award-winning poet Sarah Taylor, a tear-jerkingly hilarious debut from Gunta (AKA Adrian Quinn) & ouch, so so much more. There are photos around. They will be collated sometime.

The next PENIS TOWER ANTI-SLAM is going to be held thusly:

When: 31st January, 8pm

Where: ARThive as always, 1/111 Hunter St, Newcastle Mall (access via Morgan St)

How much: by donation

& this time we’ve got those pretty things

NEW CALEDONIAN BLUE

to help warm the space up.

If you love/hate Australia &/or AUSTRALIA DAY maybe you have something to say about it.

In other news, we brought PENIS TOWER ANTI-SLAM to Canberra’s BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT!, which is run on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. & what’s better, Alex Martin & his ‘Mum & Dad’ manifesto TOTALLY WON IT with like the best possible score you can ever score. So you will be seeing him at The National Folk Festival this Easter Sunday where he will continue to DESTROY THINGS.

All the more reason to COME PLAY POETRY/ANTI-POETRY GAMES WITH US.

Good times are guaranteed!

Don’t be Novo-castrated from the community!

Wait, what?

PENIS TOWER ANTI-SLAM.

I PROMISE,

YOU WILL COME.

LET THEM SOAR WILD & FREE AT THE LAST ANTI-SLAM FOR 2009.

YOU HAVE BEEN BECKONED.

Featuring select kooks & crackpots from

THE LOVELORN LIVING PARTY

who are gonna be singin’ the moon blue in anticipation for Peat’s Ridge.

As well as the winner of this year’s

National Poetry Slam,

 SARAH TAYLOR.

ACTUAL PRIZES, PLACES TO SIT & APPROPRIATE DECOR FOR REALS.

When: 20th DECEMBER

Where: ARThive, as usual (see below if you don’t know)

How: 7 30pm sign-up, 8 00pm SHOWDOWN (make sure you sign up!)

How much: entry by donation (suggested $2-5)

Who: our dedicated anti-slam regulars, The Lovelorn Living Party, the fine people of ARThive, yr least favourite hosts the ever-disorderly Di Drew & her hot & obnoxious cohort Cara Floozy Fox Pflueger, and of course YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU.

need more? facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195092679218&ref=ts 

don’t know what the hell we’re talking about? read below for more.

ALEX ‘Mushroom’ MARTIN.
KEANE WILLIAMS.
BENJAMIN WILD – via proxy from SE Asia!
SAM TWYFORD-MOORE.
BEN TRANTER.
KEVIN SMITH.
CARLIN MCLELLAN.
CARA ‘Fox’ PFLUEGER.

& a fistful more to be announced.

Here’s how we do it:

WHEN: Sunday 22nd November

WHERE: ARThive Gallery, 1/111 Hunter St, Newcastle Mall

HOW: Sign-up & sit-down at 6 30pm sharp, slamming kicks off at 7pm!

HOW MUCH?: Free (donations encouraged – for upkeep of the anti-slam & ARThive)

WHAT: EVER. You’ve got a couple minutes to make us laugh/cry/vomit in whatever form you choose – tho we dissuade the use of props, music or costume, if you reckon it’s rockin’, bring it a-knockin’.

Some folk have expressed concern & confusion about what in the werld an ‘anti’ slam is. To put it simply, it was a reaction to the poetry slam movement in Manhattan sometime during the 80′s or 90′s or whenever. Reverend Jen Miller was not so chuffed by the competitive nature of other slams, & decided that everyone should be given a perfect 10 score. Here’s her take on it. This is kind of where we’re coming from. Except we (or someone chosen by us) WILL judge you. Just you won’t know what criteria we’re basing it on until the end. 

If you want to know what we’re all about, & how to find most of us, read the previous post (just below this one).
Otherwise, for enquiries & requests & soulless slander, contact Di at diannersaur@gmail.com.

A POETRY SLAM

EXCEPT NOT AT ALL

This is YOUR SPACE – for one night only!

Bring along your free verse, rap, spoken word, epics, ballads, haiku, brutal rhymez, shopping lists, tarot readings, diary entries about your ex, fairy tales, dad jokes, stand-up routines, soapbox rants, instruments, whatever voice you’ve got & sign up for the PENIS TOWER ANTI-SLAM  - you could win A PRIZE, you could win THE UNCONDITIONAL ADORATION OF YOUR PEERS, you could win PUPPIES, or WHATEVER’S BEHIND THIS DOOR – what’re you waiting for!

It’s easy. Turn up at 6pm, scrawl your name on the list & await INSTANT FAME.

Nothing will be rejected! For everyone else, slamming kicks off at 6 30!

GET ANGRY. GET CYNICAL. GET DISAFFECTED. GET AROUSED. PREACH, SELL SOME AVON, LESS GAMES, MORE LOVE, COME ON DON’T BE SHY THE WATER’S GREAT, THIS IS YOUR PLATFORM, BABY.

Entry is by donation, & all proceeds will go towards gallery upkeep & don’t forget YOUR PRIZES.

All ages are welcome to perform or attend, especially the absurdly young & the admirably old.

This is a SAFER SPACES initiative. Read a copy of this policy as you walk through the doors. OF FAME.

Join the fine people of ARThive gallery & ANTIslam for what will no doubt be an incredible night of

INCOHERENT WAILING!

RHYTHMIC SHRIEKING!

WHISPERING!

HOWLING AT THE MOON!

We want to hear YOU. We want to hear EVERYONE.

WHERE: ARThive Gallery – 1/111 Hunter St, (the Renew’d) Newcastle Mall

WHEN: Sunday, 13th September. Sign up at 6pm, slamming starts around 6 30pm.

We’ll keep it within reasonable hours so you fine hardworking folk can get some rest, though for the rest of us there will surely be after-slam-Times, or more slamming, or…

HOW MUCH: Free (donation)

Enquiries? Find Di Drew: diannersaur@gmail.com.

More about the crew…

ARThive is Newcastle’s latest hippest raddest art gallery in the mall, one of the many projects realised by the Renew Newcastle project. Find out more at http://subjecthive.blogspot.com/ or drop in, open Tues-Fri 12p-5pm or by appointment.

ANTIslam is a small collective of poets/musicians/hedonists, who run the small-scale weekly slam Poems out of an abandoned tram in Newcastle’s West. We believe sharing stories is the best thing anyone can do. Ever.

Renew Newcastle is a non-for-profit company dedicated to giving working artists & community groups spaces & buildings in Newcastle’s CBD that are currently unoccupied/empty, to get the city active again. Over 33 separate projects have been realised to date. Find out more at http://www.renewnewcastle.org/projects