Wham... Bam... Thank You, Slam!
Fri., Sept. 20, 1996
August 21-24, Portland, Oregon
They're baaaack! The Austin Poetry Slam Team -- Wammo, Phil West, Hilary Thomas, and Danny Solis -- finished in fourth place at the National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon at the end of August.
Out of 27 participating teams, the APST was ranked in first place after the first night and maintained their high profile through the finals on Saturday night. Slammer Phil West assessed the competition bluntly: "[Saturday] we had a merely good night, while the other three teams were great!" Teams from New York City and Berwyn, Illinois finished third and second respectively, while Providence, Rhode Island won the national championship.
West also pointed out that in the process of placing in the top five, Austin beat out teams from Boston, Cleveland, and Asheville, North Carolina -- all of whom had been former championship winners.
In the individual finals, Wammo placed fifth nationally with Roanoke, Virginia's Patricia Johnson taking top honors in the event.
The Austin Poetry Slam Team performs again Saturday, September 21 at the Electric Lounge. -- Margaret Moser
