A Rocky Mtn Spoken-Word Showdown!

On Saturday, September 22nd we are hosting A Rocky Mountain Spoken Word Showdown  at Ten Spoon Winery & Vineyard along with The Trail 103.3! We’ve been looking to put on a event that highlights not only the quality of talent in our region, but the passion we all have for poetry and the spoken word! We are seeking a regional pool of competitors, performers and vendors to show their stuff and maybe win some prizes! This is by the artists, for everyone, and FREE. It’s even free to have a table to promote your craft or sell your art! This is an all day event (Noon-9p) that allows a fun and safe environment for free artistic expression with fun, open competitions and several non contest-based activities as well. We’ll have live music by artists including Larry Hirshberg and backing Jazz by Mocha Joe Trio, food vendors on site, wine and N/A beverages for sale, DJ support by Enzymes, and guest speakers including author Fred Haefele, New Yorker contributor Bryan DiSalvatore, Montana Poet Laureate Sheryl Noethe, children’s book author Jen Nitz, and National Book Award judge, professor, and novelist Deirdre McNamer! Consider this your call to action! If you’d like to participate/compete in any of these events, have a free table, or get involved in any way, please consider preregistering. We’ll keep slots open for day-of sign up, but preregistration helps us make the most of this wonderful day. We will have several staging areas and marketplace zones set up around the vineyard to accommodate all events. These include:

CONTESTS!

(Hosted by Duane Raider!)

Poetry/Spoken-Word Contest + Painting/Jazz:

Two different blocks of time will be dedicated to anyone who would like to do a live performance of a spoken-word piece. Registration will be open in the morning and is available on website RIGHT NOW. We Request 2-4 minutes tops to accommodate all who would like to participate. Anyone can spontaneously paint on the backdrop to the stage, and the Mocha Joe Jazz Trio will be on hand to back anyone who wants to add some pizazz to their piece, and fill downtime! Preregistered guests will be posted and get to go first, and anyone else can hop on as time allows. Audience will have access to voting boxes throughout, and winners will be announced at the end of the day.

Rap Battle DJ’d by Enzymes:

Registration will be open in the morning and is available on website RIGHT NOW. During this portion of the event Rappers will have about 90 seconds to spit their best rhyme, and the audience will vote on the best. Preregistered guests will be posted and get to go first, and anyone else can hop on as time allows. Audience will have access to voting boxes throughout, and winners will be announced at the end of the day.

Comedy Contest:

Pre-Registration opens in the morning, and is available online RIGHT NOW. 3-5 minutes per performer based on number of registrants. Preregistered guests will be posted and get to go first, and anyone else can hop on as time allows. Audience will have access to voting boxes throughout, and winners will be announced at the end of the day.

Pre-Written Poetry Contest:

Anyone can bring a pre-written piece of poetry and drop in a ballot box. These will be judged after the event, and the winner will be published on our website and mailed prizes.   Prizes include Ten Spoon Wine, vintage goodies, rare books, gift cards from Athleta, Art and Jewelry from Hazel Videon and Wander & Rain Jewelry, and more!

OTHER ATTRACTIONS!

Independent Artist’s Market/DIY Creation Station: An all day sheltered space where artists, publishers, authors, resources for creatives and more are encouraged to bring in materials to sell and promote in a bazaar style market, open to anyone and no registration fees. We will also have materials to make your own spontaneous zines, poetry books, and other crafts. Food Vendors: We will have food vendors on site for the duration of the event, including on-site brick oven pizza from Rollin’ Bytes and refreshments and light fare including non-alcoholic options available for sale in our tasting room. Guest Performers: Five guests of honor including Deirdre McNamer, Fred Haefele, Sheryl Noethe, Jen Nitz, and Bryan DiSalvatore will be reading from their works in the early evening. Larry Hirshberg will also be performing live music, Duane Raider will be MC for the event, Enzymes will DJ the hip-hop portion and Mocha Joe Trio will be jazzing along with the spoken-word performers. Morning Meditation: Attendees and participants are invited to come up and enjoy the early morning silence of our 20+ acres of pristine Rattlesnake greenspace, and prepare for a beautiful, calming day. Closing Musical Act/Awards: We will have live music smattered throughout the day, with full sets at the end while we tally the votes from ballot boxes at each mini-event, and we will end the event by announcing winners.  

SCHEDULE!

OPENING ACTIVITIES

Noon: Grounds/Artist Market Open (meditate, eat, enjoy the scenery!)

2p: Open Mic for non-competitive readers/poets

2:40p: Jen Nitz Children’s Book Reading

SPOKEN-WORD COMPETITION PART 1

3p-4:30p: open poetry/spoken word contest

Backing jazz by Mocha Joe Trio! (optional during performances)

GUEST READERS

4:50p-6p: Readings (in order):

-Author/Blogger Fred Haefele

-Poet Laureate Sheryl Noethe

-Novelist Deirdre McNamer

-New Yorker Contributor Bryan DiSalvatore

SPOKEN-WORD COMPETITION PART 2

6p: Remaining Open Performers and All Comedians!

7:15p: Hip-Hop Open Mic Competition w/ Enzymes!

8:15p: Live Music w/ Larry Hirshberg

9p:Winners/Prizes Announced

If you would like to be involved in organizing, trade prizes for sponsorship mentions and logo placement on promotional materials, talk more about media coverage, or have a good idea…please contact us! We have the folks on-hand to make this a truly exciting and fun event, but we want this to be a signature community celebration of the spoken word and the arts, and we’re warmly opened to others being involved. All additional inquiries can be directed to our coordinators via info@tenspoon.com, tenspoonwebmaster@gmail.com, or by calling our main location at 406-549-8703. Thank you so much for your time and we look forward to seeing you at Ten Spoon’s first Rocky Mountain Spoken Word Showdown! Best Regards, The Ten Spoon Team