|
by Mary Ann Benyo
A show no mercy, no
holds barred competition awaits you on Saturday, October 20, from 1 to 3
p.m. at the Rehoboth Art League. Called a “bona fide cultural force”
by the New York Times, poets are sweeping the nation in Poetry Slams. A
lyrical boxing match that pits poets against other poets in three-minute
bouts, this is the full contact of spoken word, involving the entire
audience with passionate cheering or booing. Over 150 American cities
host their own slam, with the National Poetry Slam boasting a yearly
gathering of more than 500 performers from North America and Europe,
thousands of fans, and a roar of deafening applause. It is described as
part Super Bowl, part poetry summer camp, and part traveling exhibition.
Now you have a chance to experience this, the passion and drama, the
hilarity, the sensuality, the impact of words.
I discovered all this
myself quite by accident just last spring, when I attended my first
writers’ seminar. It was my fortieth birthday, and my gift to myself
was to learn more about writing and writers, as I was thinking of
becoming one professionally. I entered the room with little idea of what
to expect. I knew for certain only that I had no interest in writing
novels, as they are way too long, or poetry. I remembered those dreary,
dull as dust affairs I suffered through in high school and that cutesy
roses are red stuff. So there I was, at this seminar. I learned there
are such things as writers’ groups, where writers meet to share their
work and get critiques. I learned about grants (that’s a government
word meaning money for work you were going to do anyway). I met several
authors, who read from their books and talked about what it was like to
write a novel. Revising my opinion, I decided a novel might not be such
a bad idea, but I was still not interested in that poetry stuff. We had
lunch, always a pleasurable experience. And then, right in the middle of
the afternoon, there on the schedule was a Poetry Slam. My mind said,
“A poetry what?” and answered its own self, “Who cares? It’s
still about poems.” I felt trapped and resentful, cheated out of an
hour of learning about “real” writers. I considered going home
early, but didn’t want to miss the last part of the workshop on
publishing. A little sullen, I settled into my chair to tough it out and
wait for this poetry nonsense to be over. Oh, how naïve I was then!
A man bearing a
clipboard approached to ask if I would consider being a judge. A sticker
on his shirt proclaimed “Hello! My Name is Rich.” His reddish blond
hair, freckles, and bright impish eyes reminded me of a dear friend from
college, so I opened my mind a little, just far enough to ask what he
was talking about. Uninvited, he sat down next to me and told me about
poetry slams, his hands waving the description along. I cautioned him
that I didn’t even like poetry, and he said that was fine, just so I
was consistent. His enthusiasm flowed over me, and before I could stop
it, I found myself listening to the basic rules:
In Round One, each poet
has a three minute time slot in which to impress us. No props, no music,
just three minutes to share an original work. The five judges score the
performance based on an Olympic style card system—0 to 10 written in
blue marker on a card held up from our chairs in the audience. And, just
like the Olympics, part of the score is based on technique of how well
words were combined to deliver a point, and part on performance, how
eloquently and passionately these words were delivered. The highest and
lowest scores are discarded, after being cheered and booed at
respectively, and the remaining three scores are combined. If the timer
guy says you went over three minutes, points are subtracted from this
score. Big points. This keeps poets from rambling on. Then, for Round
Two, repeat. Same poets, different poems. A poet’s total score from
both rounds will be used to compete for prizes. Cash prizes even.
And so, with a bit of
reluctance and darn few qualifications, I was now a judge. Rich beamed.
After introducing the
event to the audience a few moments later, Rich performed a sample piece
to show us how the process all worked. Launching into a poem about road
rage, he filled the air with loud images of angry drivers, traffic jams,
honking, and cursing. Speaking quickly, waving his arms, his eyes
flashed. Then, his voice dropping to a quiet introspection, he asked
gently, “What’s it all about? What would happen,” he wondered,
“if you were to get out and just give the guy stuck behind you a big
hug?” With a mischievous grin and a flourish, he was done. The
audience erupted into applause, and we judges presented our scores. The
timekeeper verified the time limit, and our demonstration was over.
The poets who competed
that afternoon were, in a word, awesome. Again I revised my opinion
about what I thought I was interested in learning. I yearned to perform
in a slam. I wanted to entertain an audience like that.
The Chicago Tribune
proclaimed, “The entertainer—rarely had that word been applied to a
poet until Marc Smith created the slam.” Marc was a construction
worker with a skill for wielding words as well as a hammer. In founding
the slam style of poetry back in 1985 in Chicago, he says, “I looked
for people who had a flair for performance… that was the new
direction.” Well, Marc, we’ve got an abundance of flair in Rehoboth!
Rich Boucher will be
back to host the upcoming slam at the Rehoboth Art League. With over 10
years experience performing at open mikes and features throughout the
United States and a member of three national poetry slam teams, this is
a man who knows how to slam. He’s a published author and the ongoing
host of the Tuesday night Poetry Open Mike and Slam since 1997, now held
at the Art House in Newark. More than that, he’s a great M.C. who
knows how to show an audience a good time.
Because of space
limitations, reservations are required. Call early to reserve your seats
at 302-227-8408.
For
more information about poetry slams, see the following websites:
www.poetryslam.com; www.worddancing.com, and www.e-poets.net/library/slam/index.html
|
Back to Top of Page 