By Angelia D. McGowan

Today’s poets, often referred to as “spitters” and “slammers,” are known for their extreme views. But, they may have found common ground in Podslam.org, a new venture between Denver’s “Cafe Nuba,” an award-winning open mic set and Just Media, a non-profit that develops compelling media projects promoting social and environmental awareness.
Spitters participating in this innovative collaboration have been literally handed a microphone to the world. Every other week, through November 17, at www.Podslam.org, short films of slam poets from around the U.S. are available to be viewed and rated online. Winners of each bout are announced before the next online slam begins. On Dec. 1, six finalists will be uploaded to the site for a slam-off.
Winners for the “Taster’s Choice” audience award and the Juried “Podslam.org All-Star” award will be voted on by celebrity and master poets, and announced on Dec.15. Prizes include books, gift certificates, CD players, and video iPods.
Last year’s Taster’s Choice audience winner was Day Acoli, a Denver-based, 22-year-old professional poet, now the new emcee for Café Nuba. For her, the experience validated her journey to her chosen profession. “I was overwhelmed with this honor from my peers,” says Acoli. “Poetry is a hard lifestyle. You’re on the road all the time and broke all the time.”
Now, as Acoli books performances, Podslam.org is a part of her portfolio. “You can pull me up while I talk to you. You can see what I look like and what I sound like,” she said.
The latest films, produced by the Podslam.org team, were taped in August at the National Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas. The four-member Podslam.org team crew taped more than 85 poets and 135 poems within a 48-hour period.
Also there was the Denver Slam Team, which holds the U.S title.
“Now that a slam team from Denver has won the top award, all eyes are on us, our poets, our venues, and our projects,” says Ashara Ekundayo, co-founder and curator of Cafe’ Nuba, now in its seventh year. “Denver is a viable location for major spoken-word arts events, and with the creation of Podslam.org we are able to continue to attract celebrated poets, including newcomers and veterans.”
The idea of online artist performances is not new. What’s innovative about this venture is the collaboration between spitters and professional filmmakers to utilize art and new media to express worldviews. “This media helps people speak their own truth,” said Just Media Executive Director Henry Ansbacher. “The media is a great way to understand another’s perspective a little better.”
The Podslam.org idea began with an email from Ekundayo to her listserve last fall asking her constituents to attend “Emergence-See,” a one-man performance written and performed by poet Daniel Beaty. The piece, originally brought to Denver by Shadow Theatre Company, featured Beaty playing 40 characters in 90 minutes. Ansbacher was so inspired by the performance that he met with Ekundayo to talk about building on it in a new media project.
The duo launched its first “local goes global” competition during Black History Month in February with a worldwide video poetry slam. Ekundayo recruited 15 of Colorado’s best poets and asked them to write about and perform works on Black identity.
“There are a lot of people that have a message as powerful as Daniel’s,” says Ansbacher, whose organization is currently working on a documentary about Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the president of Liberia and Africa’s first elected female head of state.
Poetry slams have strict rules. Each poem must be three minutes or less. The slammer may not use props, costumes, or musical instruments. To Podslam, each poet comes into a professional studio and stands in front a green screen to deliver their poem. “I felt like I was in Star Wars,” said Arkind.
For poet Ken Arkind, a member of the champion 2006 Denver Slam Team, participating in the Black History Month Podslam was a unique experience..
“I wrote two minutes,” said Arkind, who was the only white among the 15 poets. “It was a big challenge. But I think it stretched a lot of poets.”
Acoli, who wrote about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, added, “I’m a writer. So, I thought this would be a great writing exercise. It proved to be a little harder. Denver poets are long-winded going five to six minutes.”
Moving forward, Ansbacher sees more collaborations and supporters being involved. “There is a lot of potential to get partners on board,” he said. “There is value in developing this kind of media.”

Editor’s note: The always mobile “Cafe Nuba” is now located at the Mercury Café, 2199 California St. In November, Ekundayo plans to launch “SLAM Nuba,” a new, live, monthly competitive spoken-word set that will provide poets another avenue to perform for props and prizes while allowing them to compete to join the new slam team. The event will feature local and national musical acts, comedy, deejay battles, and visual art performances. Location and dates are yet to be determined. Featured guests will include: Jamie Kilstein, Rain Maker, Spirit, Shadokat, Survivor, Mahogany L. Browne, and Jive Poetic.
For more information, call 303-871-9015 or 303-298-8188 or visit www.Podslam.org or www.CafeNuba.com.