Made it to Fayetteville with little fuss. Delta flights were on time with no drama. The flight from Memphis to the Northwest Regional Airport was surprisingly short.
After a brief wait, my ride to town arrived and I got a quick tour of the Northwest Arkansas countryside before getting to the hotel.
The hotel rooms are too good for poets. Large, comfortable beds. Amenities. Clean. The a/c unit is not very quiet but it's a minor complaint.
Got myself registered, realized I had no idea who more than 3/4 of the poets competing are and got myself some food. Found a place called Hugo's, which is a dive burger joint, just the place I needed.
Dickson Street reminds me of Byers Road in Glasgow. A lot of shops, bars and eating establishments. Since I'm in a college town, there is a lot of fast food but the powers that be try to keep it interesting. It's kept fairly clean, which was a pleasant surprise.
The University itself is a mish mash of old and new construction. It's also set on some hills, some are steeper than others. Good exercise.
On the way to the student union for the Last Chance Slam, I looked down on the sidewalk and saw many names carved into the pavement. This is called The Senior Walk, and it celebrates all of the graduating classes of the university. This tradition has been happening since 1906. There are miles of names on the sidewalks of the University of Arkansas, a very cool tradition.
The slam was lengthy. Seventeen poets competed for what turned out to be two slots in IWPS. Thankfully there were only two rounds, with a cut to seven after the first round. It was won by a Seattle poet named Greg Bee, who I met before the slam as we recognized each other as "old poets." I'm pretty sure he and I are the same age. He's been involved in the scene since about 2004 if I remember right.
The other poet who earned a slot in IWPS is Lauren Zuniga, for Oklahoma City, I think. I've seen her on stage at WoW in Columbus and her work is solid.
Could not stay up late as I was exhausted, but I was also disappointed the hotel bar closed at 11PM. Would not have minded a night cap before going to bed.
Woke up around 5:30AM, tried to go back to sleep. Said the heck with it and took a shower then wrote this.
Off to find breakfast, take a walk before the cold front blasts through and most importantly, get ready for tonight's slam.
There is work to do at seven.
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