HARDWICK – I have written previously of the variety of events that have been held in the Parker Ladd Community Room since it first opened last year. This month yet another first will take place there: the “All Acoustic Anything Goes Poetry Slam,” hosted by Vermont’s reigning Slam Master Geof Hewitt. Hewitt is a writer and a teacher of writing. He both competes in and hosts poetry slams. He won the Vermont Poetry Slam in 2004. No such statewide event has been held since. Thus, he is Vermont’s reigning poetry slam champion.
April is National Poetry Month. In recognition of that, a number of Vermont towns have signed on as Poem Towns or Verse Villages. Hardwick is a Verse Village. To kick off the local honoring of poetry, Front Seat Coffee held a poetry reading on April 1. Throughout the month, Hardwick store-fronts are featuring poems in their windows. On Saturday, April 25, at 6:30 p.m., Hardwick’s first-ever poetry slam will take place.
What is a poetry slam? What is a slam master (and should it be capitalized)?
Legend has it that the first poetry slam was held in a Chicago bar in the 1980s. A construction worker, Marc Kelly Smith, wrote poetry as an avocation. Out of frustration that his drinking buddies failed to show up at his public readings, he pitched the concept of a poetry competition to a local pub owner. The idea took hold. As the phenomenon grew it became a forum for edgy protest verse delivered in rapid-fire speech, often in a strident tone.
A poetry slam is a competitive event, such that judges select a champion, or master, at the conclusion of the evening. One distinction between the upcoming Jeudevine event and a traditional poetry slam is that participants (I hesitate to use the word, contestant, when it comes to the reading of poetry, even as I recognize that judging is involved) will not be obliged to present original material. So, if you enjoy poetry, but do not consider yourself a poet please choose a favorite poem that you would enjoy sharing with others and join in the excitement of the evening. Presentations can be solo or ensemble, even musical. Each performance will have a five-minute time limit, more than enough time to tackle a longer work of Robert Frost, or “The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert Service, or take just a minute or so to share “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats, or opt for a humorous piece by Ogden Nash or Shel Silverstein. Or endless wondrous possibilities: your choice. This is an opportunity to remind ourselves of the magic of hearing verse read aloud.
If you are a poet, please join in the excitement that night and share your work. Most poetry slams are designed to focus attention on original material. If you are hesitant to stand before an audience you can enlist others to share in the presentation with you. If you do plan to participate please arrive by 6:15 p.m.
Geof Hewitt will select five judges from the audience. Presentations will be graded on a
10-point scale, so each score must carry to the tenth of a point. The high and low scores will be tossed out and the remaining three scores added together for a final total.
