The Fargo Slams

     Poetry slams began in Chicago in the mid-1980's, and in the Fargo Moorhead area in 1997. The first Fargo Slam, organized by Robb Thibault and held at the First Avenue Cabaret in what is now the Avalon Events Center in downtown Fargo, was won by Kevin Zepper. The inaugural event drew ten slammers and an audience of 120 people. In 1998, the organizers began preparing a team to send to the 1998 National Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas. The winner of the first Fargo Invitational was Charles Hinton. He and fellow team members Robb Q. Thibault, Lyska Janecek and James Walsh went on to place 39th in team competition at the Austin nationals. Hinton placed 8th out of 153 competitors in the individual category.
     In 1998, the First Avenue Cabaret closed and the slam moved upstairs to Luigis at the Conservatory. A logo was designed and the Fargo slam became the “Slam on the Plains” Fargo Slam. The first live Internet broadcast of Slam on the Plains was held in 1999. Kristin Garaas was the Grand Slam winner. Her team included Jerry Covington, Lyska Janecek, Kevin Zepper and Andrea Heldt.
     19 poetry slams were held between 1997 and 1999. In 2000, enthusiasm and lack of support diminished after Robb Thibault left the area, according to Kristin Garaas. Also, the venue for the slams had to change after Lugis restaurant left downtown for West Acres. Slams were then held at Trentinos and other locations in Fargo. Garaas took over organizing the slams in 2001 and managed the Fargo Slams at the Cinema Grill, the Bosian House restaurant and Zambroz. In January 2002, a poetry slam was organized by the Minnesota State University Moorhead honors society, Sigma Tau Delta, and the literary magazine, Red Weather. It was held at the Bosnian House with Garaas, the 1999 Grand Slam winner and Kevin Zepper, the winner of the first Fargo Slam serving as judges as two of the judges.      The winners of this slam can be heard by clicking on the photograph of the presenters above. A video is also available by clicking on the photo of the judges.

The “National Poetry Slam 2002” will be held in Minneapolis on August 13.
For more information go to the website:
http://www.poetryslam.com/nps/

More information about poetry slams is available at:
http://www.poetryslam.com/

For links to other slam websites:
http://www.austinslam.com/slamlinks.htm

An incomplete history of slam can be found:
http://www.e-poets.net/library/slam/index.html