The poets are going to the show.

Next week, the Nebraska Writers Collective team will head to Madison, Wis., to compete at the 2008 National Poetry Slam. The annual five-day event is the largest poetry performance gathering in the world.

The Lincoln group will duke it out with about 80 other teams of poets from all over North America and Europe. That’s a whole lot of aggressively enunciated action verbs.

“We do local competition throughout the year,” said Ryan Tewell, executive director of the Nebraska Writers Collective and the team’s coach. “And this is really one of the few chances we get to see teams from all over the country. The people who have adopted slam as a lifestyle end up very close to other people in other teams in other cities.”

But even if it’s a competition, it’s not all that competitive.

At most slams, including nationals, five judges are chosen randomly at the beginning of each contest, and they don’t need to be especially versed in slam poetry. They judge each poet’s performance on a scale of zero to 10 for three rounds.

The point is the poetry, not the points.

This is the Lincoln team’s second year at National Poetry Slam.

Team member Beth Gillespie, 38, went to the National Slam last year and said she found a sense of place she had never experienced before: a slam poet’s utopia.

“It was actually a culture shock to come back to Lincoln last year,” she said, “where everything was ‘normal.’”

Returning to the big slam next week, Gillespie said, will be like going home again.

Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.

Here’s a quick look at this year’s team members.

Beth Gillespie (a.k.a. Oracle Jones)

Age: 38

Been slamming: Two years

Why slam? “It was a challenge. I had a phobia about facing a crowd, and a friend of mine challenged me to do it.”

What’s the best line of slam poetry you’ve ever written? “‘It’s hard to be honest in a world full of pretense, hard to tell the truth just because it is, but that beauty spreads when you risk it, and it’s uncomfortable at first, that dis-ease of honesty, yeah it’s uneasy to catch it.’”

What’s the worst? “I can’t show you the worst line. Every word written is worthy and valid, even if for learning about what works or learning about yourself.”

Pre-slam rituals: “I get the largest iced tea they sell and refuse to go to the bathroom until it’s over. It’s a superstition thing or something.”

Andrew Ek

Age: 22

Been slamming: Nine months

Why slam? “I’ve always wanted to be a writer as far back as I can remember. But it’s hard to find time to work on longer projects. I got into slam because I wanted to force myself into the world of poetry and to get more comfortable in a room full of strangers.”

What’s the best line of slam poetry you’ve ever written? “‘Men like you and me, fire marshal, we think in algorithms, and we worship the big rule number one. Fall in place, and you’ll get fed.’”

What’s the worst? “‘You were so busy getting a house that you forgot to make it a home. You were so busy getting a life that you forgot to live.’”

Pre-slam rituals: “Sometimes I’ll sit at a table staring off at a spot on the wall three feet short of the ceiling. It’s something to do to keep me from getting overwhelmed.”

J.M. Huscher (a.k.a. Johnny Tornado)

Age: 27

Been slamming: Four years

Why slam? “Slam represents the newest thing that’s happening with poetry but also the oldest form of poetry. Performing poetry used to be an Olympic event. Slam is getting back to the roots of what poetry is supposed to be about, and it’s also progressive and new.”

What’s the best line of slam poetry you’ve ever written? “‘I want to write your name on the back of my teeth so when I speak, my voice is always beautiful.’”

What’s the worst? “‘Because somewhere behind your eyelids it is raining, and the flood is overflowing one drop at a time.’”

Pre-slam rituals: “The only thing I do every single time is I have to (use the bathroom). I get stage fright so bad that I get extremely nauseated so I can’t eat before. I throw up before sometimes, too.”

Ross Hickerson

Age: 26

Been slamming: Two years

Why slam? “For the most part, one of the only reasons I do slam is it gives me an opportunity to meet a broader base of fellow artists and poets.”

What’s the best line of slam poetry you’ve ever written? “‘You wrote my name inside your eardrum. I was loud against the silence.’”

What’s the worst? “‘I love J.M. Huscher’s poetry. He writes wings on my shoulders, like ice-fyre snakes writhing in the ether.’”

Pre-slam rituals: “Vocal warm-up, and it’s generally good form to use the restroom prior to going up there.”

Ryan Tewell (team coach)

Age: 29

Been slamming: About two years

Why slam? “I happened to cross slam accidentally. I saw they had these fliers up for something they called a ‘slam.’ I went to it and I don’t know how to describe to you exactly what my experience was. My jaw was on the floor the whole time. I had no idea what they were doing could be called poetry.”

What’s the best line of slam poetry you’ve ever written? “‘Because most of the time/it’s for the best/tastes like betrayal.’”

What’s the worst? “‘The further you are from “Gawd Mom, you never understand me”/ the closer you are to male pattern baldness, ridiculous sports car, and really unfortunate Speedo.’”

Pre-slam rituals: “I listen to very, very loud music on the way to the venue. Vocal warmups are very important to get your voice where it needs to be. And the last thing I do is a little self-talk, spend the next couple of minutes telling myself how amazing I am, just trying to build some self-confidence before hitting the stage.”