For the first time, Cleveland will host the Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam on Fri 6/25 and Sat 6/26 at the Beachland Ballroom, and it's the largest regional competition for teams from all over the Midwest, prior to Nationals. The best slammers in the Midwest will be coming into town to compete in this significant literary event. Take a crash course in slam culture, and get into Cleveland's poetic expression for a hit of verbal liberation. Visit http://www.clevelandpoetryslam.com and http://my.en.com/68/CB/mgsal/classic/rustbelt or call 383-1124.

Beth Ann Sadowski is a performance poet Cool Cleveland readers are already familiar with: we featured her in our Cool Cleveland Writer column this year. She's taken her performance to a whole different level when she won a slot for the Cleveland slam team to represent at Nationals this year in St. Louis, Missouri. She's also snagged a place on the Cleveland team competing against the Midwest's best poets for the Annual Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam. Learn more about this exceptional and intuitive wordsmith below. For info about her educational poetry slam workshops, email poetryfromthesticks@yahoo.com

What is it about poetry that speaks to you and drives you to produce it, instead of utilizing another creative outlet for expression?
After participating in high school and college speech & debate for almost eight years, I grew tired of having to filter my emotions and expressions through other authors' and poets' words. Creative writing had always been an interest of mine, so once I found poetry slamming I realized that it fit into everything I was looking for: competition and self expression on my own terms.

How do you prepare mentally and emotionally for the demands of performance art in slamming?
Practice, practice, and then more practice. I’m a terrible person to ask this question. I have been accused of being a perfectionist, so when I prepare for competition or a feature I’m relentless. I won’t let up on myself until the performance and the poetry is at the level I feel is needs to be. I’d like to say that I take a deep breath and just “chill out,” but I’d be lying - I thrive on the pressure and nerves.

How did you find out about the Cleveland poetry community and what about it keeps you involved?
I found out about the Classic Cleveland Poetry Slam from another poet in the Kent area about two years ago. I didn’t become fully involved until this year because I felt I needed time to work on my writing and performance skills. The poets and the audiences keep me involved in the Cleveland poetry community. I have received nothing but support and well wishes since I began slamming in Cleveland, and because of them, I won’t be stopping anytime soon.

Who are your creative mentors, and who in Cleveland inspires you and drives you to surpass your ways of poetic creation and delivery?
There are so many...when it comes to slam outside of the Cleveland area: Taylor Mali, Shane Koyczan, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, Amanda Ortiz, Roger Bonair-Agard, and Beau Sia challenge me daily to be a better poet...and the list goes on and on. In Cleveland, I’d have to say that Katie Daley, Michael Salinger, Dave Snodgrass, Terry Provost, and others make me want to be a better poet...and that list goes on and on.

Does writing and performing come immediately and naturally, or is it more of a creative discipline?
I’ve been told since birth that I’ve always been a “ham,” so the performing aspect of poetry slamming does come to me easily - I can’t get enough of the stage or the audience. When it comes to writing, however, there is definitely a creative discipline involved - I like to sit down and really work and re-work my poetry for a few days or even weeks.

What's involved in your creative process?
When I write, I like to say I take after the “Jack Kerouac School of Writing” - minus the illicit drugs and all night binge drinking. I like to just “let it flow.” If I try to force myself to be creative, the poems don’t come out sincere or good enough for me. My “best” poems have been penned when I’m completely in the zone and just let myself go.

Talk about your educational poetry slam workshops and your Kent poetry slam - how did it start, what motivated you to do it, what enables you to continue your work in the creative arena?
Recently, I’ve been teaching poetry slam fundamentals in local high schools and hosting the Kent State University Poetry Slam at the Kent Main Campus. Both events have put me in touch with some of the area’s newest poetry slam talent. I’ve gotten great response from the students on the Kent State University campus and with the help of staff and poets, we were able to bring the KSU Poetry Slam back from the brink. On the high school front, I’ve gotten great response from the students. They enjoy the freedom of writing and performing the poetry slam, and the support from their teachers has been an asset in this endeavor. I truly feel that the slam poets of today will be the Frosts & Whitmans of our generation, so the more younger people we can get involved the better. Poetry slamming has given my generation a voice - something I feel has been stifled by the fact that we have nothing that defines us; poetry slam has that ability, so I’m running with it.

What are you looking forward to during the Rustbelt competition? How do you think it will be different from the National Poetry Slam happening in St. Louis this year? Will you customize your performances for both competitions, or keep them consistent for each event?
I’m definitely looking forward to meeting poets from all over the Midwest. I’m hoping that the Rustbelt will be a friendly competition where poets from the Midwest will come together as a “poetry family” of sorts and not worry too much about the scores, but I have a feeling that’s a bit too Utopian. I do expect Nationals to be much more cutthroat than the Rustbelt. My plan for the Rustbelt and for Nationals is simple: slam for the highest scores I can, represent Cleveland well, make Cleveland proud, and of course, have a great time doing it all.

Do you absorb your competition's delivery, style, etc. and what have you learned from other poets?
Absolutely. When I first began writing slam poetry, the only guide I had was the 2000 National Slam Finals Video. Since then, I have been out to New York to see the Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, I’ve been hosting and performing at the Kent State University Poetry Slam, I’ve been teaching poetry slam in local high schools, and I’ve been performing at the Classic Cleveland Poetry Slam, so I think that with all of the events I’ve been participating in, my style has definitely evolved since I first started slamming and that evolution was caused by the different styles and poets I’ve come in contact with.

From the poets I’ve been in contact with, I’ve learned that “it ain’t nothing but a slam” (thanks, Zion) and that low scores should not discourage me from competing, but encourage me to do better at the next slam. Also, I’ve learned to see situations from all sides, something that I was not able to accomplish easily before I began participating in poetry slamming. Slam has made me into a better performer, poet, and woman - and for that I will be forever grateful.

Interview by Tisha Nemeth read Beth Ann's poem Muse here (:divend:)