Verbal Blend, a spoken-word poetry program out of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, will host its campus-wide “Take the Mic” poetry slam on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Schine Student Center Underground. Doors will open at 7:15 p.m. Admission is free with a ticket from the Schine Box Office.
Ousman Diallo competes at last year’s “Take the Mic” poetry slam.
The poetry slam is a competition that includes students from SU, SUNY ESF and Onondaga Community College. They will read or recite original material up to three minutes. The competition takes place in two rounds that will be based on originality, stage presence, content, delivery and time. Trophies will be awarded for first, second and third place.
“‘Take the Mic’ poetry slam is a powerful way for students to display their clever wordplay and command of the stage,” says Cedric Bolton, coordinator of student engagement in the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “The campus and community get to see how creative expression and scholarship go hand in hand.”
Verbal Blend is a spoken-word poetry program designed to enhance students’ confidence in writing and performance of original poems. The program comprises a six-week workshop series on poetry forms, formats, journal entries and peer reviews.
Participants have showcased their work at public venues, such as themed open mic nights, Light Work’s 2009 Night Artist Reading/Reception with Admas Habteslasie, a day workshop with poet Quyarsh Ali Lansana, SU’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and a special reading with author Tracy Sugarman.
The event is sponsored by Verbal Blend with support from Medley Magazine and Nu Rho Poetic Society.
To sign up for the slam, contact Cedric Bolton at 315-443-9676 or ctbolton@syr.edu.
