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Poetry slam features open mic performances and competition

Written by Dustin Dangli

Wednesday, 19 November 2008 11:37 PM

In the small, dimly lit room, a poet stood bathed in light.

She raised her voice and fired words at the crowd. She delivered her poetry to win the competition over nine other competitors.

The Houston-based artist known as D.E.E.P. poured her heart out in front of a crowd of more than 20 people, at the Poetry Slam competition at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the University Center San Jacinto Room.

The two pieces she performed left many members snapping their fingers and praising her in the middle of her performance.

“It felt as good as always,” she said.

D.E.E.P. won $50 and will perform with last week’s winner Andrea “Bee” Brown at The MLK Evening of Spoken Word on Jan. 17 in the UC Bluebonnet Ballroom.

The night began with an open mic, where all poets, bystanders and those feeling brave were able to perform. The real event began afterward when each poet had three minutes to perform.

Two judges ranked and scored the competitors on a scale of one to 10, said Michael Guinn, Fort Worth National Poetry Slams founder.

The final score combined the sum of both judges’ scores.

After the first round, those with the top four scores returned for the finals. They judged the contestants by originality, content and performance. Alumnus Anthony Gordon speculated the way judges scored each artist.

“It’s just if the judges feel you,” he said.

Gordon came to the competition not only to express himself through poetry, but also to become a member of the Fort Worth Poetry Slam Team.

Aerospace engineering freshman Jarred Wright still considers himself a rookie.

Mike Guinn, Fort Worth Slam Team founder, opens up the poetry slam Wednesday in the University Center San Jacinto Room. The open mic night winner will participate in January’s annual MLK Evening of Spoken Word at the UC Bluebonnet Ballroom. (The Shorthorn: Monica Lopez)

This was his second poetry slam, the first being last week’s slam at the university.

“I have the talent, and I need to express it,” he said. “I’m here to win the prize and get the vibe of the crowd.”

James Hawthorne, one of the organizers, said the competition was hosted to get students more involved and give them a chance to express themselves in a new way.

“Nowadays, when you have so much negativity in some of the songs, it’s another way to express yourself in a positive way,” he said. “It’s good clean fun.”

Although Gordon didn’t win, he plans to continue attending poetry slams.

“It’s a release. It’s therapy,” he said. “Poetry is the only thing that’s kept me out of jail. It’s a release.”
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