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Corbet Dean

Feature date(s): 04/30/2007

On the evening of May 23, 1994, three policemen were shot by a single gunman in Southwest Phoenix. One of the injured officers waited several years to process his thoughts and emotions about the incident.

In 2000, Corbet Dean was asked to share his experience at the Spoken Word Festival in Tempe, AZ. After performing poetry about the confrontation, Corbet was praised: Gary Mex Glazner mentioned his work in a festival review for About.com. Later that year, The Mesa Tribune published a portion of the poem in an article on poetry in Arizona. Eventually, Corbet's work appeared in Off the Cuffs, an anthology published by Soft Skull Press.

Weeks later, Corbet won his first Grand Slam Championship in Mesa, Arizona. After being named, "Slam Artist of the Year" by his local venue, Corbet took his second championship in 2001. In 2002, Corbet placed second in the nation at the National Poetry Slam in Minneapolis, MN.

In the months that followed, Corbet became a popular feature at poetry venues throughout the country. His shows included performances at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC, the Berzerkeley Slam in San Francisco, and the National Poetry Slam in Chicago. Corbet's 2003 performance at the Bowery Poetry Club later appeared on the Best of Urbana, 2003 compact disc. At the 2005 National Slam, Corbet repeated another "top ten" finish.

In all, Corbet has won a total of seven local slam titles. His recent victories at the Mesa Grand Slam and the Essenza Individual Championship ensure he will perform at his seventh consecutive National Poetry Slam in 2006. After releasing three collections of prose, editing a benefit anthology, and producing a new DVD film, Corbet has seen his work appear in The Arizona Republic, Freedom To Speak (Wordsmith Press), Poems from the Big Muddy (Wordsmith Press), High Desert Vocies (Wordsmith Press), & An Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry (Alpha Books). A Collection of Crime Scenes, Corbet's first, full length manuscript, will be available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and this website in February of 2007.

Currently, Corbet works as a police officer, trying to affect change within the "system." On his days away from the department, Corbet travels the country, sharing unique poems about God, love, and this crazy little thing called life.