Mauricio Inniss performs “Not rachet, but classic.”
Inspiring words of locals reverberated through Lovett Auditorium Thursday as Phi Beta Sigma fraternity hosted the Blue Valentine Poetry Slam.
Students, faculty and the public gathered to listen to other students and the River City Poetry Society of Paducah, Ky., perform slam poetry. Chairs were set up on the stage and a single spotlight focused on each speaker.
“It was my first time on that stage,” said Samantha Green, freshman from Grayson, Ky. “I needed an outlet for life and after I would write the first sentence, the following words would just come out one after another until I was finished.”
Nine performers read original slam poetry in front of about 30 attendees.
“I actually started writing poetry for a girl,” said Samuel Hawkins, performer from the River City Poetry Society. “I couldn’t convey my words through conversation anymore. The words I write are rugged and raw emotion that I’ve noticed save lives on occasion.
“It’s not only about the entertainment. It’s about the hope.”
For both Hawkins and Green, the process of slam poetry requires opening up and the ambition to make a connection to the audience.
The audience seemed to be entranced in the words that were spoken by the way they would either clap or snap, the most common form of admiration for poetry, once the poems were finished.
“I was invited (by the fraternity,)” said Mary Owens, senior from Cadiz, Ky. “I found the event to be truly entertaining.”
With a collection of $101, a portion of the proceeds will go to March of Dimes, an organization formed to assist pregnant women through healthy pregnancy.
Story by Katrina Yarbrough, Staff writer