A 'slam' dunk for poetry

The first annual Poetry Slam at Keene State College started late due to a "tardy" arriving crowd. At 7:07 p.m., Katherine St. Martin, the president of Sigma Tau Delta, stepped up to the microphone to announce the first poet of nine finalists, and the night began.

The slam was unlike any other most people had been to, as it was essentially "American Idol" for poetry, with three judges on stage, giving live feedback on each performance.

Freshman Ky Avila got the event going with a bang, with her poem entitled "They Say." The fast-paced performance was described as fierce and punching by the judges.

While it seemed her speedy style added to the reading, the judges told her it was necessary to slow down.

Next up was senior Jahleh Ghanbari, who recited four poems for the audience. Each one showed her diversity as a poet. She performed "Hagar," "Lost - A Sestina," "Just Before," which contained farce, and "Poem for my Father," a tribute.

Senior Michael Merli was the next poet to step up to the stage, and he delivered a chilling performance of his poem "When the Dust Settles." The most memorable moment came when he said, "These notes are legal tender," and drew a dollar bill from his pocket.

As he said his next line, "for all those debts, public and private. For this freedom, and those willing to buy it…" he ripped the dollar bill in half. The rest of the poem followed with strong political references about terrorism and other controversial topics.

Following Merli was graduate student Emily Landis, who gave a spectacular performance of her three poems, "Theft," "Fighting off Ghosts" and "Poets."

Landis, who was by far the most experienced poet in the competition, rhymed about a variety of topics that included a teenage father, being used, and the high level of sexuality that comes with poetry.

The latter drew a great reaction from the crowd. Starting off the poem quickly, she posed a question, "How is it that poets come to be so oversexed?"

Throughout the poem she continued this theory that poets are oversexed with lines like "I SHALL be getting some tonight! And even if all I'm getting is me and maybe some Sappho, or even Whitman, damn don't you wish you could be there."

Then in her twist at the end, she came full circle to nail her point down with her closing line: "Poets aren't oversexed. They're just spreading the muse's spores."

While it may have seemed fitting for the evening to end there, the night still held five more talented young poets.

Following Landis was freshman Juan Guzman, who stepped on stage wearing sunglasses and had his afro combed out to the maximum.

His poem, "Soul Shined," was a tribute to all the young men who have met a woman who they wanted but didn't believe they had a chance with.

Eric Snare, a longtime friend of Landis, was the next poet up. He performed three poems, "The Glen," "Walking with Dad," and "College Life."

Each poem was very strong. "The Glen" contained strong imagery, and "Walking with Dad" captured people emotionally. But it was "College Life" that resonated the strongest with the crowd, drawing laughter after lines like "…Who walks into the Dining Commons and wonders: why does breakfast suck, and always in the exact same way?"

While no person would want to follow a performance such as that, it was the job of senior David Leblanc to do so, and his delivery of "A Handshake (When My Brother Went to Prison)" was incredible. Patricia Fargnoli, a judge and Poet Laureate of New Hampshire immediately said she was blown away by it twice, once when she read it before the performance, and again when he read in on stage.

"It was based on a real event when my brother got sent to prison," said Lebanc.

Following Leblanc was student Alison Heinonen, who gave us three poems, "Long Distance Calling," "For James," and "Terminal." Heinonen was complimented by the judges for her odd style of rhyming that gave us lines like "In my sleep I am using the blade of your jaw to dig in the soft hills of my mind." Wesley McNair, a KSC Alum and judge told her to keep this up and not let the world change it.

Last but not least was junior Jesse Campbell, who finished the night as quickly as it had started, with three short, fast poems, entitled "Before Manhattan," "For Portugal," and "Peachless August."

The judges enjoyed his imagery, which was obscure, but nice to think about. Some of this lines included "…Skinny young love made beds decay," in "Before Manhattan" and "We arrived Scissor-whipped," in "For Portugal."

When intermission came, it was time for the audience to cast its votes for which they felt were the top three poets of the evening.

For the 10 minutes of intermission, the poets walked around, some chatting amongst themselves, others just pacing by themselves, knowing that all they could do is wait for the results.

To make the situation even more painful for the young poets, once the evening resumed, no one was to announce the winners yet.

Instead, each of the accomplished judges read some of their own work. Each showed why they were held in such high regard, delivering poems that made the crowd laugh, but also created thoughtfulness.

"[My favorite part of the night] was listening to the last poet who read (Lenelle Moise). Watching the subtlety of her movements, how small they were but how much they added to the experience," said Snare.

Finally, it was time to find out who the winners were.

The second runner-up was Eric Snare. The runner-up was David Leblanc. And the winner was Emily Landis. Looking around at the poets, there was no disappointment on any of their faces.

Yes, the ones who won were happy, but the ones who didn't win were happy, too. There were handshakes, hugs and smiles.

"Tonight was amazing," said Landis. "This was my last chance to do a poetry performance at KSC. I have been reading here since sophomore year so this was amazing for me to go out on top like that."

The first annual Poetry Slam was a success, for both the participants and the audience members. Next year's performance is already highly anticipated, as the first annual "slam" will certainly not be the last.

Jake Grossman is a freshman majoring in journalism. His views do not necessarily reflect those of The Equinox.