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There is beauty

in every exhalation
of breath.

Springtime sighs

breathe butterflies
into my skin.

This 

is where youth begins.

Mars Hill September

I am in awe at the talent hidden within the Western Suburbs.

Though not at all surprised, having grown up here I learnt from a young age

that this is an area with so much beyond the stereotypes and statistics,

I am so thrilled that we finally have a platform to showcase this!

Last night was the 3rd month of the Mars Hill Slam, 

and I find I'm falling more and more in love with it each and every time.

A crowd of at least 80% new faces, a small slam but one packed with talent nonetheless,

and an immensely intimate setting that provided the respect, warmth and welcome that each poet deserved.

Clementine

We kicked the night off with a live music set from this absolutely divine quartet. Self-professed to be the most incestuous band in the Hills district, (though we've still no idea how or why those claims came about) Clementine are an absolute joy on stage. Such soul, transitioning effortlessly from tracks that represent all the hope and light and fun of the warmer seasons, to a track like Awkward that is hauntingly familiar, such soul and depth behind a seemingly simple concept. Also, not to miss are the keyboardist's facial expressions. It's hard not to adore this band when it's so evident how much they love what it is they're doing. 

Flippin' wonderful guys.

Get their EP free here --> http://clementineband.bandcamp.com/

James Griffin

Okay so, I don't have any performy shots of James, and felt weird posting a selfie of his on my blog.. so I drew this stick figure. I can't remember what clothes he wore, nor can I draw clothes.. but it's got the tall guy, the stool, the beer and the black notebook. And hair that looks like a toupe..
Maybe I should just stick to poetry..

Anyway.

Joining us for his first feature set (and only his 3rd ever performance), James is a modern day Beat poet. From the rhythm and flow of his oh-so-poetic words, to the way he spent the rest of the evening sitting in the crowd sippin' from a flask and rolling cigarettes. Not your typical slam poet, his is a style much more subdued. Taking to the stage with a bottle of beer and sitting perched on a stool as he read from his little black book, James led us through a whirlpool of emotion with a voice you could fall asleep to. An incredibly genuine performance that perfectly suited the intimate setting. 

He doesn't yet have a home on the internet but here's his Facebook in case you feel compelled to get in touch --> https://www.facebook.com/james.thisusernamethingisstupid.griffin

Jessica Santosa

This lovely lady is an absolute pleasure to have on stage. She is an enigma of laughter and light. Weaving an incredible singing voice into her performance, showing off some random dance moves to release some pent-up energy, taking polls of the audience and even inspiring the starts of some heated Myer Briggs personality debates. She took full control of her space, even came down and briefly joined us in the audience for one of her pieces. Wonderful, wonderful performance. You are a sheer delight, Jess, and you're welcome any time!

You can keep an eye on her upcoming gigs at --> http://jasantosa.tumblr.com/

Everyone else!

I'd also love to give a special mention of our winner, Lorin Reid (on Facebook as Lorin Elizabeth) who featured for us last month and is definitely a talent you should keep your eye on.

As well as our 2nd and 3rd placers, Ekta Sharma and Eunice Chin. Soon enough you'll be hearing these names everywhere, I'm telling you.

Mostly though, we'd love to thank everyone that came along and donated their time, kind words, bundles of nerves, excellent judging skills and hopefully at least a little of their $$ for the wonderful feature acts. 

Stay posted for details on next months event, when my lovely co-host Rapunzel will be doing a feature set, alongside a finalist from the national Australian Poetry Slam, as well as live music from the wonderful Justin Kleyn. Flyer will be up soon!

(If you haven't already) like us on Facebook so you don't miss anything!

Thank you, thank you x infinity.

You are all wonderful, wonderful human beings.

Love and light,

Rach and Rapunzel