Thursday, September 9, 1999

No sooner have classes gotten underway than creativity begins to percolate on campus. Student organized poetry slams are expected to be de regueur this year and the inaugural slam (9/9/99 at 9) led off the year with a raucous start. More than 100 students crowded Titsworth Lecture Hall to cheer on Marty McConnell***, a first year grad student, to first place, Arisa White '01 to a close second, and Ilana Weissman '00 to third place. For the uninitiated, poetry slams tend to be raunchy, irreverent, satirical performance competitions in which the poets recite their verse to a rousing audience encouraged to be vocal in their approval or disdain. A panel of judges, appointed from the audience, rates each poetic performance and determines the "winner." Audience participation in the form of jeering, cheering, cackling, and generally being boisterous is an integral part of the experience. At a typical slam students register and then show up to read, recite, or perform their own chosen work. And take their chances...

Robert Elstein '00, code name Keystone to those who have witnessed his performances, has planned a series of slams, roughly one every three weeks, for the year. Theme nights are also on the docket, including a "dead poets" slam, coming up next.

***N.B. Marty McConnell and 4th year student Michele Johnson will read in the City at one of the hottest poetry slam venues, Bar 13, on Monday, September 20 at 7 p.m. Readings by the SLC students are scheduled as part of a series titled House of Woman. Bar 13 is located at 35 East 13th Street in Union Square, Manhattan.