Thru the Mill with Marc Kelly Smith

Madagascar is 9,332 miles from Chicago as the Malagasy Kingfisher flies. That's where Poetry Slam impresario, Marc Smith, flew to join the thriving Slam community there. In this episode, you'll meet, Bini Josoa, a Madagaslam International Project Manager, and hear him perform some of his own poetry. Check out one more reason Slam Poetry is having an international impact.

Recorded by Tony...

In this episode, poet Cin Salach takes us back to the mid-1980's when she walked into her first Poetry Slam and experienced a "spiritual chiropractic adjustment." How big an adjustment? She quit her job, has pursued poetry ever since, and Slam Poetry has never been quite the same.

Recorded by Joe Velez

Edited by Kevin O'Rourke

Produced by Emily Calvo

Directed by Hugh Schulze

Artist-poet-actor-and-raconteur Tony Fitzpatrick stops by to talk with Marc and Mark about the history of the Slam and how it’s changed since 1986. He also shares one of his early poems: “Poem for My Wife While She Sleeps.” (Find out more about his work at: tonyfitzpatrick.co/)

The episode opens with Billy performing his quintessentially Chicago classic: Poem for Lennard. Then he continues the conversation with Marc and Mark about his Bridgeport roots.

(If you're looking for more of Billy's writing, check out Morning Will Come.)

Recorded by Tony Scott-Green and Joe Velez

Edited by Kevin O'Rourke

Produced by Emily Calvo

Directed by Hugh Schulze

Poet, short story writer and novelist (Morning Will Come), Billy Lombardo, joins Marc and Mark for the first of two conversations about the history of the Slam and thoughts on writing and performing. 

Recorded by Tony Scott-Green and Joe Velez

Edited by Kevin...

Sicilian slam poet and scholar, Eleonora Fisco, joins Marc and Mark to discuss slam poetry in Italy and perform one of her own compositions.

Recorded by: Tony Scott-Green

Edited by: Kevin O'Rourke

Directed by: Hugh Schulze 

BONUS MATERI...

In this episode, Marc and Mark are joined by Slam Poet alum, Jean Howard, to talk about the early days in the evolution of the slam at Butchies’ Get Me High Lounge in the much-changed Wicker Park.

Recorded by: Joe Velez

Directed by: Hugh Schulze...

In this episode, Marc Kelly Smith, the founder of the poetry slam movement, traces its origins from a Chicago jazz lounge to a global phenomenon that merges performance with poetry. He highlights the transformative power of slams in fostering community and empowering diverse voices, showcasing the movement's lasting impact on the art of spoken word.

Recorde...