MADELINE LITTLE
Special to the Leader
The Intercollegiate Poetry Slam is an annual event that started four years ago and is hosted by Pure Ink Poetry, located in Buffalo, N.Y.
Each year, the slam is hosted on a different college campus. In the past few years, the event has grown in size. The first year was hosted at the University at Buffalo where only two teams competed. Last year, it was hosted at the Rochester Institute of Technology (R.I.T.), where Fredonia won the crown.
This year, the slam was hosted on our very own campus. The two MC’s happened to be a part of Pure Ink Poetry. Brandon Williamson, admissions counselor here at Fredonia, who is a self-proclaimed “hat model” and personal journalist, and Bianca L. McGraw, “slam master” at Buffalo State College.
Three teams participated in this year’s contest: UB Speaks from the University at Buffalo; Mental Graffiti from Buffalo State; and Poetic Perspectives from Fredonia.
The rules stated that all four rounds were accumulated, there were no props or music, and that even if an emergency interrupts the slam, you could not get your poem back. Five anonymous judges were picked from the audience, but “they couldn’t be dating or swapping any form of bodily fluids with the competitors,” said Williamson. The crowd giggled.
The winner would receive a trophy that Fredonia has held since last year’s poetry slam. Fredonia was not going down without a fight.
The first poet to go was a “Sacrificial Poet.” “GIVE ME BLOOD!” the crowd shouted. The sacrificial poet was a man named Chester Moist Muffins, a pen name for Williamson, who switched hats before he started his poem.
The poets gave their all each round. Judges scored each poet from a scale of 0.0 to 10.0. The highest and lowest score would be erased from all the scores. R.I.T. ended with a score of 100.2, UB with a 103.8 and Fredonia took the lead with a 105.9, resulting in their second consecutive win.
The scores were close throughout the whole slam.
“It seemed like each team was saving the best for last, but my favorite poet was Devin from Fredonia because his [poem] focused on oppression, and he did it in such a unique way,” said Jamelia Burton, a freshman liberal arts major.
“Overall, I think it was a good way for the poets to expose their inner feelings without being afraid, and for them to tell their stories,” said Taylor Graham, a freshman communication sciences and disorders major. “My favorite poet was Kanard. I could sense that he was laying his heart on the line and he spoke with such conviction.”
“A special shoutout goes to the Intercultural Center and Writers’ Ring for sponsoring this annual event here at Fredonia,” said Williamson, closing out the event.