Individual World Poetry Slam: Seattle will send a poet to rep our city at this international competition. This will be the third preliminary of four. The top 2 poets move on to the finals in September. 1st round has a 4 min time limit, 2nd round - 2 min., third round - 1 min.

Ryler Dustin has served as a volunteer translator in El Salvador, an ER Janitor and a caregiver for the disabled. At age twenty, he put aside his fourth unfinished novel when he heard poetry at a local open mic. Within months, he was writing new poems every week, reconsidering his career plan as a dental hygienist and getting up in front of bars full of people to compete in audience-judged poetry slams.

In 2006 he earned the right to represent Seattle in the Individual World Poetry Slam. He competed again in 2007, placing eighth in the world. As a 2007 Seattle Grand Slam Champion, he won a place on the prestigious Seattle Slam Team for the second year in a row. Recognition within the slam arena enabled him to tour around the country, performing his work and teaching poetry workshops. Since then, he has featured at venues across the US, from New York’s Bowery Poetry Club to his hometown reading, Poetry Night.

Ryler has maintained a close bond to the Bellingham community. He and his two room mates, Graham Isaac and Jake Tucker, turned their house into a venue that rose to local fame. Aside from featuring local and touring musicians, Lobster Manor played host to the acclaimed Basement Poetry Series. The monthly reading featured poets from both academic and slam communities, drawing upon touring poets and Bellingham’s rich pool of local talent.

Ryler has been accepted to an MFA program for the fall and thus this will be his last performance in the Pacific Northwest for some time to come. Help us send him off right.