Event showcases poets of every style, skill level, age
By Stefanie Kilts
Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge invites local poets and poetry lovers to its sixth annual poetry slam on Thursday, March 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Eileen & Paul Finkel Auditorium.
Poets can read everything from formal verse to free-flowing prose poems and metered rhymes to rhythmic chants. This year’s emcee – Mark Palz, a CMC adjunct instructor who teaches English and creative writing – will also initiate interactive discussions on poetry to engage the audience and promote a dialogue about poetry’s place in the modern world.
“We’re hoping these discussions will provide a greater engagement with the poetry,” he said, “and it’s a reminder that poetry is still a very important art.”
Dr. Joyce Mosher, poetry slam organizer and CMC professor of English communications, said the poetry slam has continued to grow over the past five years. She said it typically brings together between 40 and 100 CMC students, faculty and community members.
Unlike urban versions of the poetry slam, Mosher said the CMC poetry slam is a welcoming environment for poets of all stages and styles, and the rules are minimal. The work must be original, spoken-word poetry performed by one person in three minutes or less — no group pieces or music. No props are allowed, other than a simple folder for those who choose to read their poetry.
Poets’ performances entertain, enlighten
“It’s a night of original poem performances and an expression of all of life’s experiences,” Mosher said. “You never know who’s going to show up.”
That has included everyone from middle-school students to big-city poets from Denver. “We’ve had people show up with a poem in their pocket with no intention of reading it, but who decide to perform after seeing how the poetry slam goes,” she said.
She said the live aspect of the event is especially entertaining as most poets don’t get a chance to perform to a crowd.
“The poems are better read aloud by the person who knows them best,” she said. “That’s what is so fun about this event. It’s not for the eye as much as it’s for the ear.”
The event is free and open to the public. Parents of school-age children should note that some poems may contain adult content.
For more information about the poetry slam at CMC’s Breckenridge campus, or to sign up for the performance workshop, contact Palz at 716-208-6473.