( = French Slamming )
No, I'm not talking about slagging off the French, which we seem to consider a rosbif art form. I'm talking about Paris' "Slam au Downtown", a poetry night very similar to Spoken Word up the road. Although my research seems to suggest that this is less of a slam and more of a general open-mic night...
Every Monday, from 8 to 12, a predominantly French crowd (although any language is welcome) can stand up and read their stuff.
What's annoying? Trying to find more information about the organisers: where's the website? The Facebook page is only an event listing, or that of the café itself, so I had to go to Dailymotion to find this video for more of an idea:
DOWNTOWN CAFE SLAM par JEVIENSICISOUVENT
I found them on the English Spoken Word site, and on a generic "what to do in Paris" page here. There was the useful le-slam.org, but it seems that they're finding financing hard, which is a shame given that the open-mic scene is really taking off over here, pretty much since the arrival of Grand Corps Malade (Fabien Marsaud), founding and encouraging many poetry and slam groups particularly around the Ile de France. He's a real inspiration; an intelligent writer with a contemporary edge.
Check out some of his videos here: www.universalmusic.fr/grand-corps-malade/videos/
Otherwise, Slam au Downtown is on here:
le DOWNTOWN
46 rue jean pierre timbaud
Paris 75011
Happy Flamming ;)
Mustard
*thanks crosathorianLabels: 75011, Culture, french people, French slang, language, literary scene in Paris, Literature, nightlife, Paris secrets, Paris talent, Poésie, Poetry, things to do in Paris, what Parisians do
