ILL List Vol 1 DVD Cover

1. Michael Guinn
- Bastard
2. Geoff Trenchard
100 Line Stare
3. Karen Ladson
- Dear John
4. Jamie Kennedy
- Brand Whore
5. Emily Kagan
- Define for me a Woman
6. Angela Drew
- Circle of Life
7. Lee Knight Jr.
- The Chameleon
8. Janie Spurlock
- Femme Fatale
9. Jaylee Alde
- Raven
10. Melissa Rose
- Double Negative
11. Rupert Estanislao
- Employee of the Month
12. Mike Mcgee
- Mycrophone
13. Khiry Malik
- The Amercan Illusion

Round II
1. Mike Mcgee
- Soulfood
2. Rupert Estanislao
- Empress
3. Jaylee Alde
- cun·ni·lin·gus
4. Lee Knight Jr.
- This Kitty
5. Angela Drew
- The Birth of a Black Man
6. Jamie Kennedy
- Bumpin' Uglies

Round III
1. Jamie Kennedy
- Grim Fairy Tale
2. Angela Drew
- Do You Still?
3. Rupert Estanislao
- Colony
4. Mike McGee
- static
 

About the event and the DVD

Ever since the Winter of 2003 in a rural California town named Modesto, Sam Pierstorff a local poet, college English professor, and father organizes a world-class literary boxing match called The ILL List. This event is modeled after the original poetry slam invented in Chicago by Marc Smith with a three round format, random judges, and traditional rules of time limits, no props and original content.

The ILL List is a invitational only poetry slam that features a dozen of nationally renowned performance poets / spoken word artists, many of whom are regional and national poetry slam champions who have appeared on Russell Simmon's HBO Def Poetry Jam.

Through 3-rounds of original poetry, poets will match metaphors and battle rhyme, rhythm, and verse on their quest for cash prizes! Randomly selected judges from the audience, using Olympic-style scorecards award points to poets based on the strength of their poems and the quality of their performance. Audience members are strongly encouraged to root for their favorite poems as cuts are made after every round. Cheering, yelling, booing, hissing, whistling, and good-natured heckling are welcome and expected.

Since its inception this event is held at the historic State Theatre to a sold-out audience with numerous people outside waiting for a chance to get in. Every year this event is filmed by Poetry Slam's most renowned filmmaker, Tazuo Yamaguchi and published into a dynamic state of art DVD showcasing the poets who participated.

About ILL List DVD Vol. 1 (by Mike McGee, 2003 Individual National Slam Champion)
This DVD is one of the hottest showcases of spoken word the world has ever seen! This DVD includes over a dozen of the hottest spoken word artists and poetry slammers in California and beyond! These champions of verse came together in December 2003 in a packed auditorium in Modesto, California, full of people of all ages for one the greatest poetry slams ever held. A hundred people waited outside to get in...the hundreds inside got a chance to see why spoken word is making its mark unlike anything ever before. This DVD is a prime example of what can be done with a pen, a poet, and a stage. Beautifully edited, it captures the heart, soul, and sheer energy of 13 poets on the rise. This disc is pure excellence.

About ILL List DVD Vol. 2
On December 3, 2004 at the Historic State Theatre in Modesto, CA the second ILL List invitational poetry slam was held featuring seven new seasoned poets and three returning ILL List Champions including Rives, Mike McGee, Jamie Kennedy, Liz Green, Todd Mann, Kat, Babu, Javon Johnson, Rupert Estanilao, and Caroline Harvey.
Tazuo Yamaguchi and WordGroove Studios is in current production and will release it in the Spring of 2005.