National Poetry Slam
August 21-24, Portland, Oregon
They’re baaaack! The Austin Poetry Slam Team — Wammo, Phil West, Hilary
Thomas, and Danny Solis — finished in fourth place at the National Poetry Slam
in Portland, Oregon at the end of August.
Out of 27 participating teams, the APST was ranked in first place after the
first night and maintained their high profile through the finals on Saturday
night. Slammer Phil West assessed the competition bluntly: “[Saturday] we had a
merely good night, while the other three teams were great!” Teams from New York
City and Berwyn, Illinois finished third and second respectively, while
Providence, Rhode Island won the national championship.
West also pointed out that in the process of placing in the top five, Austin
beat out teams from Boston, Cleveland, and Asheville, North Carolina — all of
whom had been former championship winners.
In the individual finals, Wammo placed fifth nationally with Roanoke,
Virginia’s Patricia Johnson taking top honors in the event.
The Austin Poetry Slam Team performs again Saturday, September 21 at the
Electric Lounge. — Margaret Moser
This article appears in September 20 • 1996 and September 20 • 1996 (Cover).