What do the following locations have in common: Nuyorican Poet’s Café, Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, coffee houses and bars all over the country, and Wesleyan University? They are all places associated with the performance of the original, innovative poetry known as slam. Spoken word great Beau Sia performed to a warm reception at Wesleyan last year, but now the University has an outlet for its own poets as well.
WeSLAM is a Poetry Slam held every few months on campus, the most recent of which was held last Friday in the multipurpose room of the Campus Center.
According to Marc Arena ’07, who co-runs the club Writer’s Block, this was the third slam planned through cooperation of her group and the Campus Center Activities Board. Seven poets from different class years performed in diverse styles about everything from politics to race, college life, sex, identity, romance, and rap.
“The Slam was very much an open mic in disguise, as the three-minute time limit was done away with,” said Arena. “Guest judges were selected from the audience and selected the winners. The Slam was completely about the poets and their poetry, not the score.”
Gift certificates for $50, $25, and two free ticket vouchers to Destinta Theaters were handed out to the first, second, and third-place winners, but according to the introduction given by Jennifer Celestin ’07, “This isn’t really about prizes. This is always about the poetry.”
The Slam seemed to be well received by all who attended.
“I thought the Slam was wonderful and diverse—some of the pieces were very deep and open, and others were playful and light and great. It makes me want to be a spoken word artist,” said Latia Miller ’07. She paused for a moment and grinned, adding “No, I’m not kidding!”
“I’m always amazed that people can get up there and bare their souls,” agreed Melanie Jung ’08.
“There should be more things like this. There are a lot of Wesleyan poets but there’s no outlet, no medium to communicate ideas,” claimed Fareed Sajan ’09, when asked about poetry resources on campus.
Helen Park ’08, who won second place at the slam, had a slightly different take on the issue with poets on campus.
“I really wish more people participated and not just watched, because I know I love listening to what other people have to say in front of the mic,” she said.
This sentiment was echoed by Celestin.
“We wish there were more poems, not to say more poets, but more poems. People shouldn’t be afraid of the mic, so we leave the floor open. Slams on this campus should be like ‘Oooh, I can slam something and get a prize,’” she said.
Those interested in the activities of the Writer’s Block can catch members reading their poems based on impressions of the “Goya to Golub” exhibit currently in the Zilkha Pavilion in the CFA Nov. 3 at 4:15 p.m.
Celestin runs Writer’s Block with Arena. The club “meets on Sundays to do creative writing exercises and workshopping as well as organize readings” and Slams like Friday’s, according to Arena.
“They put enormous energy and dedication in running the Block…Thanks to them and all the other people who contribute, the Block is a group that accepts all comers and welcomes them not only with a willingness to listen, but actual respect for what they have to say,” said Erich Klothen ’07, a member of the club.
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