Because I adore the spoken world, touring, the road, people, and performing, I have seen myself way down the road, still grinding down on all of America's and Canada's planes, trains and motorcoaches. So much, that I should hit a million miles traveled in the next few years.

This continent is amazing. I say the word awesome a lot of lot, I know, but if you take the most basic definition of the word:

(From my Mac's Oxford American Dictionary, which I will add, also includes poetry slam as an entry...)

awesome |ˈôsəm|
adjective
extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear : the awesome power of the atomic bomb.
• informal extremely good; excellent : the band is truly awesome!
DERIVATIVES
awesomely adverb
awesomeness noun

It effectively applies to all that I have witnessed in the great scope of the U.S. and Canada combined. People, you really need to see more of this place, if you haven't already. If you have, then you know what I am talking about and are probably reading this on your iPhone at a bus station/airport/lonely gas station.

At the National Poetry Slam this year, I attempted to compel the audience of poets to hit the road. Just get out there. I know it's not that easy, trust.

So...

If one goes to www.mikemcgee.net and goes to the end of the menu, just below the home title, one will find a page link drop-down menu called HOW-TO-POET-GUIDE. I am looking to fill this menu with loads of useful tips and advice for poets. I want to open it up to others, especially, but not limited to, road poets.

Now, I know Marc Smith has recently published "Take The Mic" and "Stage Slam" (www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_at_ep_srch/187-4304073-7526941 which go into detail about how to slam poetry/create a poetry slam, but there are a lot of poets who are in between the beginning level and advanced level of getting on the road and showing new venues what they've got to offer. If you have an essay, treatise, rant, advice column, list of tips and more, please consider giving me permission to post it on my site.

I want to make that section as comprehensive as possible. So that when I get queries of how to tour, I can back up my advice with a fixed-format version of what I would tell them anyway.

If you don't have anything other than questions, maybe you could help me compile a FAQ about Spoken Word and Touring. I'd love to have this community's aid in this. There's so much knowledge that can be published, but it really needs to be compiled. I have a domain name I haven't used yet that could eventually be turned into a website for this specific purpose.

Articles/Pages I would love help with:

• Do-s and Don't-s for Beginners (all levels, writing, performing, touring, etc.)
• a list of undervalued or under-visited venues
• ideas on how to travel and save money
• how to maximize one's marketing potential (sounds all corporate and shit, but entirely necessary)
• When To Tour! (For most poets, I feel they may hit the road too early or at the wrong time.)
• Advice from those who do it. What's the road like for you? Why the hell do you keep doing it? (Mike McGee sez: "I will never be a 9-5 person. I'm a noon-4am guy in a daytime world.")
• Avoidables/misconceptions
• Articles on gender, race and class in spoken word?

Get in touch with me, let's discuss. Message me: ilikemike over at the GEE MALE.

THIS WEEK IN TANGENTS
Can't get enough of Phoenix's "1901." Get it and jam out!

From 1989 to 1993 or so, anything that was sucky, gross or ultimately undesirable was considered booty. I used this with gusto. I am going to bring it back. You should help me. Watch it rise!

SOMEONE WACK: I love the Jonas Brothers so much! What do you think of them?
ME: I think they're booty!
SOMEONE WACK: (weeping)
ME: (shin kick, neck punch, runaway)
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Word to the nerd.

My friend, Wes (weslink), a young slammer from San Jose recently asked me this question as a comment on my last blog entry. I'm pretty sure he is 18 and surely out of high school because I missed his graduation last June.

It occurred to me that some of you may have words of wisdom to add as well. Here is his question and my response below it.

Wes, be sure to thank the nice people for their time.

WES: Curious, how early should a poet trying to schedule their first tour start contacting slams?

McGEE: Well, Wes, I think age has very little to do with touring. It sounds like you have the bug to get out there and see the road. It's a neat road.

I would say it's definitely best to wait until one is 18 to tour, this way you avoid any legal troubles a minor might encounter in strange places. I know some teens that have toured, but they were with an adult or very irresponsible. It might benefit you to wait until you're 21 as well, since a good portion of you first gigs will be in bars and some venues won't have you in that case.

As for when you should tour as an adult, I would gauge it with experience. If you've ever been on a slam team, had work published, made lots of contacts in a regional or national poetry scene, and/or acquired a title or two in a regional/national/international competition, then you're probably ready on an aesthetic level. Most of your first gigs will be at slams, and in order for a slammaster to want to book you, they usually want to know who you are first, and that is usually through hearing about you from other poets/slammers and not by you in the form of an introdctory email. Although, when sending that initial email, be kind, ask questions about their show, and don't brag. Bragging to a slammaster/organizer about tiny, local accomplishments might get you deleted.

The more you perform and make contacts in your region, the more you will be mentioned by poets/slammasters to others in regionsnorth  outside of your own. Especially if you do well. It ain't pretty, and it ain't even an honest system, but it's a system and it is widely used in North American slam and open mics.

If you enjoy slamming, go out for a team. If you enjoy writing, get something published in a paper, magazine, zine or periodical. The more you get published, the more people may want to publish you. If you're a good writer, age should carry no weight.

By winning a slot on a slam team, you afford yourself an opportunity to go to the National Poetry Slam where not only will you perform in front of other poets and slammasters from different regions, but you can also use that opportunity to introduce yourself to most of the regular National slam community. There you can learn more about other scenes and trade contact information with slammasters and poets.

Give it time. If you rush into touring, you could plan it poorly and hurt yourself and your enjoyment of poetry. A bad tour can have a lasting effect on your interest in it poetry and performance later on.

I open this up to others for debate or to provide additional information.
(If you're reading this from my website, click here to read the comments.)
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Word to the nerd.