The Poets

An international artistic revolution is reshaping the way people view poetry. In San José, CA, the Silicon Valley Poetry Slam Team, Marc David Pinate, Melinda Corazón Foley, Robert Karimi, and Castadera Antoine McGee, have astounded crowds with their verbal dexterity and perfomance skill. Team members have individually performed across the nation and have now come together to form a humble poetic powerhouse. Each represent very diverse backgrounds and creative styles that remind audiences of the complexity, beauty, and strength that is borne of daily struggle. Poetry Slam is a competitive event where poets perform one original piece within a 3-minute time limit and without the use of props or music. The poets are scored, Olympic-style, by five judges who are randomly chosen from the audience at the beginning of the bout. Between November '98 and May '99, a series of preliminary slams where held at Cafe Babylon and, later, at Waves Smokehouse and Saloon in Downtown San José. The three highest scoring poets from each of these monthly slams were asked to return and compete in the Final Slam which was held on June 8th at the San José Stage Company. The top four poets from that evening, now comprise the SVPS Team v2.0. Melinda, Robert, Cas, and Marc are on their way to Chicago to meet with poets from across the nation at the 10th Annual National Poetry Slam Championship. After the National Competition, the team heads to the East Coast to spread the word about San José's vibrant and expanding poetry scene. With the guidance, rhyme, and reason of Coach Vadim Litvak and through the keen eyes of photographer David Huang, the San José Team is primed to make their mark on highways, stages, coffeehouses, and communities across the nation.