On Tuesday August 4, Overland supported a heat of the Melbourne Believer Slam at the Spinning Room (Et’s Bar Prahran). Overland contributed free issues of the publication to heat winners and a subscription to the magazine, which went to Ezra Bix, an outstanding performer on the night and winner of last year’s Poetry Idol at the Melbourne Writer’s Festival.

Overland’s involvement in the slam, and exhausted organiser Geoff Fox’s substitution of the word Overland for the word Overload  several times, was the seed for the Overland/Overload collaboration. The Overland Overloaded blogging team recently caught up with Geoff Fox:

Geoff, the Melbourne Believer Slam described in one word would be?
Don’t fence me in by limiting my description of something I created over most of this decade into a word.
…how about in ten words?
Faith friendly, invitational, the most democratic slam in the world?
And in haiku?
Counting to 17 is not for me; I’ve asked some friends to help out:
voices raised in faith
venues sacred and profound
slam with poetry
(-Melbourne poet Lynne Dale)
Finish this sentence: “Taking a group of slam poets to Quang Minh Temple was…
an honour”
Good, now extend the sentence: “and being judged by buddhist monks, what can I say…
the abbott gave everyone a maximum score of 9; that’s his job and he does it well”
“When I say believer what I mean is…
someone who has beliefs”
And religion?
Omnia Omnibus is one way to go (“everything for everybody”)
And finish this one: “The Parliament of the World’s Religions is…
a place to share: poets take note: slam softly please”
“During this year’s Overload I will be…
at home in Indonesia, planting trees for peace”

A heat of the Melbourne Believer Slam will take place at the Parliament of the World Religions in December