2015 NH Poetry Slam Team and Open Mic, Slam Free or Die Road Show

BRISTOL, NH – On Tuesday, July 28, 2015, Slam Free or Die continues its popular Roadshow open mic poetry series at The Back Room at The Mill! This event is the last Tuesday of every month, now through September and will have an open mic each night, followed by either a featured poet or a poetry slam. This month the feature is the 2015 Slam Freeordie National Poetry Slam Team!

The event will be held at The Back Room at the Mill (at The Mill Fudge Factory) 2 Central Street in Bristol, NH. Doors open and sign-ups begin at 7pm and the open mic will begin at 8pm with the feature immediately following the open mic. There is a $3 cover.

THE NH POETRY SLAM TEAM (background and history)
Slam Free or Die is a poetry slam and weekly reading at Milly’s Tavern in Manchester, NH with several other monthly 'Roadshow' events around the Granite State. It is NH's only registered poetry slam. Every year since 2007, Slam Free or Die has been representing NH at the National Poetry Slam competing against 71 other teams from all over the U.S. and Canada. The 2013 SFOD team made it into the semi-finals at the National Poetry Slam (finishing 14th overall). 

THIS YEAR'S TEAM
Made up of five of the best poets that NH has to offer; each of them had to win a series of performance poetry competitions to make it onto the team. They all bring a flair and passion for great writing and honest performance that is rarely to be found all in one place.

In no particular order, the team is:

EMILY EASTMAN is a poet and organizer who hails from the middle child of New Hampshire (known as the city of Manchester.) A veteran community and staff member of the Slam Free or Die poetry series, she has facilitated countless events and workshops on both a local and national level. She competed in the 2014 Individual World Poetry Slam and the 2015 Women of the World Poetry Slam, and will be representing NH at the 2015 National Poetry Slam as a member of the Slam Free or Die team. A record store manager by day, she harnesses her retail angst for good in the hopes that she can further cultural progress and unity through art.

RAVEN MCGILL is a periwinkle lamb with a unicorn horn for self-defense, a poet, and a visual artist from New Hampshire. She is a member of the 2015 Slam Free or Die slam team and is really stoked about it. Raven is the author of the chapbook “We asked for Mercy and all we got were these t-shirts”. Her work has been in Radius and on youtube. You can find her just about anywhere on the internet.

CHRISTOPHER CLAUSS was a member of the 2012, 2014, and 2015 Slam Free or Die national Poetry slam teams and two-time grand slam champion at the venue. He is the author of six chapbooks, and his work has appeared in OVS, Silkworm, and Emanations. He is a two-time finalist in the NPS haiku slam. A book of teaching poems, Parents Hate the Science Fair, is in the works for 2016.

ELLYN TOUCHETTE is a biology student/manic nutcase from Portland, Maine. Ellyn has represented Port Veritas (the Portland, ME poetry slam) nationally three times: at the National Poetry Slam in 2013 and 2014, and at the Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2013 & will represent Slam Free or Die at the 2015 National Poetry Slam. Ellyn's first full-length poetry collection, The Great Right-Here, is forthcoming on University of Hell press in 2016. 

SAM RUSH was raised in South Florida, but now makes poems and songs in and around New Hampshire. Sam got to writing poems after developing progressive hearing loss as a teenager and noticing how many words each word could be. Sam represented Slam Free or Die at the 2014 National Poetry Slam and the 2014 and 2015 Women of the World Poetry Slams. Their work is published or forthcoming in Snacks, Drunk in a Midnight Choir and Alight: The Best Loved Poems of WOWPS (2014 and 2015 editions) and has been featured on Button Poetry. Sam currently works for a non-profit focused on empowering youth from cultures in conflict.

~coach~
MARK PALOS has been the host and SlamMaster of the Slam Free or Die reading since 2006. He performed at the National Poetry Slam with the 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2013 NH teams and has been coaching the team every year since 2008. His work has appeared in a number of different collections, including MultiVerse: An Anthology of Superhero Poetry from Write Bloody Publishing and in Again I Wait for This to Pull Apart, a poetry mixtape forthcoming from FreezeRay Press. Mark has lived in NH all his life but dreams of some day roaming the wasteland of a post-apocalyptic future in a modified Mustang on an endless search for gasoline...

About THE BACK ROOM AT THE MILL
Nestled in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire is a quaint, historic 1700’s grist mill overlooking the Newfound River. It’s the home of The Mill Fudge Factory, where we make handcrafted, small batch fudge, all natural ice cream, and delicious café fare. Family-owned and operated, serving the highest quality fudge and ice cream since 2006. Voted the #1 restaurant in the area on tripadvisor.com. Our mission is simple: to make people happy. The Back Room at The Mill is our intimate venue hosting weekly open mic nights, concerts, poetry nights, and other fun events. So, come grab a bite to eat, enjoy some music, and pick up some fudge. We promise you’ll have a special experience at The Mill Fudge Factory. Located at 2 Central Street in Bristol, NH.