Note: This is the second part of our coverage of two Austin poetry slam teams - Austin Poetry Slam and Neo Soul - competing at Nationals in Boston. Jacob Dodson contributed both this piece and our first installment, and the photos and videos you see here of both teams. more ›

Months of poetic preparation are coming to a head for seventy-six teams in Boston this week during the National Poetry Slam. Slam poetry is competitive performance poetry, and the teams represent different venues across the country. Austin will have two teams representing the city: Austin Poetry Slam and Austin Neo Soul. more ›

Pretty much everyone who's anyone in Austin's Poetry Slam community will be at Ruta Maya this Saturday night to commemorate the life and work of poet and author Shannon Leigh. Titled They Call Me Warrior after a work of Leigh's, features the Austin Poetry Slam Team, the Austin Neo Soul Poetry Slam Team, the Killeen Poetry Slam Team, the Austin Under 21 Poetry Slam Team, the Xenogia Spoken Word Collective, Cry Havoc Action Choreography, Blacklisted Individuals, Show Me Tiger!, and DJ Herman Mason. Mike Henry and B Fran will host. more ›

When I heard yesterday that Austin slam poet, Shannon Leigh, 20, died this past Monday, I felt sick. I didn’t know Shannon, but was consumed for a couple of reasons. For one, my son is nearly the same age, and the idea of parents outliving their children is commonly held to be the worst kind of pain. My heart broke for her parents. The other reason the news caught me is that, though it’s been years since I’ve been part of the community, there was a time when the Austin slam scene was a huge part of my life. In fact, it was the slam that got me performing in Austin. As far as I know, Wammo—he of Asylum Street Spankers fame—was the first to introduce the slam to Austin. Slamming, which started in Chicago in 1984, caught on fast here. It didn’t take long before there was a regular, wild, weekly gathering, one that for a long time found its home in the long gone, much missed Electric Lounge. more ›

Upright Citizens Brigade founders Matt Walsh, Matt Besser and Ian Roberts perform tonight (United States Art Authority) and tomorrow (ColdTowne Theater). Tickets online. // At the SXSW South Tent tomorrow, the Bowery Poetry Club and others perform, from 11:30-3pm. Wammo emcees! Full schedule after the jump. more ›

Starting on Thursday evening, The Long Center is offering a Sneak Peak of the facility, with building tours on Thursday and Friday from 6-10p, and all day Saturday and Sunday from 10a-10p. The performance schedule is a tad overwhelming, so we're pointing out the theatre goodies we'd most like to see. more ›

Forklift Danceworks marks the upcoming anniversary of Elvis’ death with an homage to the King that includes singing, dancing, and guest Elvis cameos from Jim Swift, Sara Hickman, John Kelso, and Mayor Will Wynn Austinist sponsors a big bash at Beauty Bar with the Turbonego cover band Apocalypse Dudes, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist, and Ernest Gonzales 1906 hosts the opening reception for "SeeSaw," their first-ever photography show, featuring landscapes, portraiture, digitally-manipulated images, and... more ›

Some 300 competitors in 75 teams are set to converge upon Austin next week for the 2007 National Poetry Slam, a five-day competition that will feature some of the country's most talented slam artistry. NPS officially runs from August 7 through August 11th, but event organizers are hosting a series of preview events starting today to showcase some of what you can expect to see at the performances. "We're fortunate to be able to again... more ›

WEDNESDAY [30] booze • "Sir Chris" and "Lord Gates" from Car Stereo Wars and Learning Secrets guest bartend at The Mohawk (5-8pm) music • Locals @ La Zona Showcase Two wih AM Syndicate, The Drawing Board, Jets Under Fire at La Zona Rosa music • Hawnay Troof, Best Fwends, The Carrots at Emo's music • Pompeii, Ryan Lindsey, Gazelles, The Heirs at Emo's music • Tribute to Sublime with Badfish, Indofin, Under the Gun at... more ›

That's right: it's time to heat up your winter nights again, with the 14th season of FronteraFest. The Short Fringe, the Long Fringe, or Mi Casa es su Teatro -- FronteraFest is five weeks of alternative, offbeat, new, and just plain off-the-wall fringe theatre presented by Hyde Park Theatre and Austin Script Works. For complete FronteraFest 2007 information, including times and locations for the Short Fringe, the Long Fringe and Mi Casa es su... more ›

First Night Austin Schedule 2-5pm Family Festival 5:30-6:30pm Grand Procession 7pm Family Finale at City Hall 7-11:30pm Evening programming Midnight Grand Finale First Night Austin takes over downtown this Sunday, kicking off the second annual festival with three hours of family-friendly activities, performances, and art installations. From hip hop freestyling to Appalachian-style clog dancing, there promises to be enough culturally-rich distractions to entertain even that obnoxious nephew of yours who'd rather stay home to... more ›

First Night Austin Schedule 2-5pm Family Festival 5:30-6:30pm Grand Procession 7pm Family Finale at City Hall 7-11:30pm Evening programming Midnight Grand Finale First Night Austin takes over downtown this Sunday, kicking off the second annual festival with three hours of family-friendly activities, performances, and art installations. From hip hop freestyling to Appalachian-style clog dancing, there promises to be enough culturally-rich distractions to entertain even that obnoxious nephew of yours who'd rather stay home to... more ›

Official Poster of First Night Austin 2007 by Peat Duggins After the tremendous success of last year's inaugural festival, First Night Austin returns to downtown this New Year's Eve with an all-day program full of music, art, theatre, dance, and more. Begun in Boston back in 1976 as a massive public gathering to ring in the new year through "art, ritual, and festivity," First Night events are now held all over the world, from... more ›

Let's play a word association game. You know how this works. We say apple and you say pie. We say table and you say chair. And so on. We'll start easy. Up. Did you say down? Okay, drag. Did you say worm? How about this one: poet. Did you say invading Austin next week with days and days of action-packed, slammarific insanity? No?? Well where have you been? The National Poetry Slam officially opens Wednesday 8/9 here in our fair city, with pre-events kicking off tomorrow. What started 16 years ago with two slam teams going head to head in San Francisco has grown to 75 teams from all around the nation -- plus Canada and France (France?? okay...) -- participating in a single-elimination style tournament. more ›