I'll Be Participating in a Poetry Slam Tomorrow. - Comments

I know this is a totally late reply but I've not been around lately. I'm so glad for you, you're incredibly brave. I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT. Seriously, I may have to do a poetry reading when I'm at Uni and the idea scares that absolute crap out of me. I am not a poet.

The whole experience just sounded incredible, and once again, I'm super happy for you.

@ colibri
@ orange county.

(You can bypass the long explanation and go right to the last paragraph if you wish.)

Thanks to both of you for your support. I just wanted to let you guys know that it went amazingly today. The whole poetry slam happened because they got this contemporary poet from Chicago to come and speak with us. His name is Kevin Coval, and he runs a poetry program in his city called the Young Chicago Authors (or maybe it's Poets?). There was an hour long workshop with him at the beginning (which was optional but I attended anyway) and since it was a small town, very few people showed up. I was the youngest there, followed by this freshman-college-couple, and the rest were all women ages 40+

And let me just say this: hearing people recite poetry, both in the slam and the worksop, is beautiful. Without realizing it, everyone kind of slammed their poetry, if that makes sense. It all followed a beat, whether they knew it or not. The body language, the content; I learned so much about people without them ever saying anything directly.

I "slammed" both poems and I didn't win, but that's not the point. Kevin, at the end of it as he was signing his books that I bought (Shtick and L-Vis Lives) and he told me even though I didn't win, my poem 'Scorpio' made him feel something and that I was a good poet. He invited me to take workshops put on by the Young Chicago Authors (Poets?) when I'm in Chicago this summer. He was so nice.

BUT THE BEST was the guy that won the single poet part (the one I entered). It was one of the best pieces I've ever heard. It was real, and raw. It was about his drinking, his relying on weed, and how he's a loser and he wants to push through. It was really, really breathtaking. I'm glad he won.

Sorry for writing a paragraph, but yeah, it went great. Thank you for believing in me!

No problem. Let me know how it goes!

@ orange county.
Thanks, Connor

No advice from me, both showcasing my work and public speaking terrify me. But good luck! I'm sure it'll be fantastic.

@ colibri
That was my goal last year, and I've carried it over into this year: force confidence into my life. And I've done it. I've stepped out of my shell and talked to more people, I belted "Let It Go" for an audience, and now this... But this seems so much different. It's harder because there are stories behind these words that tear me down inside... But I don't want to miss out on an opportunity like this.

I think that you'll do wonderfully. I've always wanted to do one of those poetry slam things, but I'm not confident enough.