poetry slams - rfi/CoD

as a veteran of the scene (Chicago team member 1994 Nationals, m.c. and participant in 1995 & 1996 Nat'l Slams, more awful and/or great slams than I can count in Chi and Madison), I'd say this: do it, but go and watch first. every scene has a local style, and there aren't many worse feelings than slamming with a poem you KNOW is good when the audience doesn't pick up on it due to a stylistic thing.

SF is generally open to a lot of things, though, and a smart well-educated audience doesn't really enjoy hearing the same old thing...yr lack of experience may be very helpful!

and don't have more than two beers or three sodas before you read, or you'll be either drunkenly or caffeinatedly incomprehensible

went to one, in Mtl about 5 years ago. Was fun. As usual I was up first(whenever I go to open mic things, I always end up going first, what the hey?), but my stuff went over reasonably well. But the MC, whom I'd never before met, introduced me as being from Saskatchewan, sort of jokingly/with ironic derision implied, but of course, that's where I'm from (and currently AT). So whatever. I guess I have that dustbowl countenance (this has happened at the other end of the country too).
But generally, I would say, go. have a good time. don't place too high expectations on it. it's far more a social event than a capital-L Literary event. I'm thinking about crashing some of the ones in town here (which tend to be mixed singer-songwriter/poetry open mics) with my stand-up bits, since there isn't anything that even approximates a comedy club here (unless you count the singles bars, which I mention joking/with ironic derision).

I only have experience of British ones, but generalising from those: a) if you're not funny you haven't got a hope and b) if you read anything off the page you have even less of a hope.

from what I've gathered :

° it's like stand-up comedy
° you have to "read" one "piece" as opposed to actually reading (short?) poems (ie you have three minutes to PERFORM)

bring on the hate, etc.