The Sunday afternoon Poetry Jam and Slam again wraps-up the ArtsFest
weekend events. Readers are welcome -- youth, teen and adult. Come to
read or just to listen. You may recognize a friend or neighbor! An open
microphone segment, where anyone can come up and read his/her work in a
non-competitive setting, begins the event. Reading at open mic is a
great way to warm up for the slam.
This year's featured guest poet, Reggie Gibson, is a poet,
percussionist, actor, and activist. He had his first book of poetry,
Storms Beneath the Skin, published in April 1998. Gibson combines the
word-weaving of the African griot tradition with the often hard-edged
rhythms of the African American experience. His poetry has been used in
the sound tracks of several motion pictures including Love Jones.
In our Sudden Death Slam, poets choose their most slammin' piece of
work to compete in a single round slam. The poem must be no more than
three minutes in length, and the poet should read for quality of work
and for performance. One round only! Judges score the work on a scale
of one to ten. (Have a second and third piece ready in case of a tie.)
Prizes are awarded in separate youth, teen, and adult competitions. To
close the event, anyone who would like, can gather and read an
additional piece or two. We find that we always like to hear more of
each others' work and exchange emails. This last segment gives us that
chance.
Poetry allows us to speak our hearts and minds. Please join us. Contact Susan Becker for more information at nisbeck@verizon.net or call 508-947-5323.
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