Thomas D’Aquila | Staff Writer The Mount
For the youth of today, poetry can seem irrelevant and
inaccessible. For many slam-poetry aficionados though, nothing could be further
from the truth. “Writing [poetry] helped me see the world around me more
clearly and made my life better because of that,” said Matt Mason, director of
the Nebraska Writers Collective. “[...] I came to find poets who I loved and
who taught me a lot about what poetry really can be.”
An informal form of poetry, Slam has its origins in Beat and
Negritude poetry forms, commonly with a stylized nod to Hip-Hop. It caught on
in urban areas throughout the nineties. “Slam poetry is really beautiful word
vomit,” Jarrett Crnkovich (‘14) said, who competed and participated in slam
poetry while at Mount Michael.
“Slams” events which allow youth to gather for the purpose
of slam poetry, allow aspiring poets to meet other teens they might not cross
paths with regularly.
Transcending the boundaries of strong socioeconomic
differences is for many, quite a learning experience. This is also a common
motif through highly political pieces, which provide not only an outlet for creative
minds, but a voice for those not typically given the microphone.
For students at Mount Michael, the opportunity to try out
Slam Poetry will be available this year. In coalition with the Nebraska Writers
Collective, students at the Mount will prepare by writing and practicing poetry
in hopes of competing at the Louder than a Bomb festival in March.
The coach, provided by the Nebraska Writers Collective, is
still unknown at this time. For the meantime, Gina Fosco, the computer science
and journalism adviser, has been the go-to for contacting the Nebraska Writers
collective.
Despite her already full schedule, Fosco feels a commitment
because she also was involved with Omaha Poetry scene from 2004 to 2006. She
was often an audience at poetry nights until she eventually tried her hand at
writing poetry.
After nine months, she built up the courage to perform her
poetry, largely due to her experiences as an audience member. “To me, it was
like a spiritual [connection],” Fosco said. “The only other time I felt like
that was in church.”
Slam Poetry at Mount Michael has only been available for
four years, the same time that Louder than a Bomb has been in Omaha. The
original festival started in Chicago in 2001. Bringing Louder than a Bomb was a
interest for Mason as director of the Nebraska Writer’s Collective.
“The documentary Louder Than a Bomb played in Omaha in late
summer of 2011 and stirred up interest,” said Mason. The Louder than a Bomb
program is funded from donations a few organizations.” Since then, it’s grown
to 32 teams.”
A big part of funding comes from individual donors, as well
as an optional entry fee from schools. This is kept optional because Mason’s
goal is to have Louder than a Bomb available for everyone to participate,
particularly those normally unable to.
“Nebraska is a great place for poetry as there is an amazing
amount of talent here and more opportunities for writers every year,” Mason
said. Ted Kooser, a Nebraskan poet chosen as Poet Laureate, is just one example
of the talent found in Nebraska. Mason himself writes poetry. One collection
“Things We Don’t Know We Don’t Know” won the Nebraska Book Award for Poetry.
Bringing the opportunity for teens to share and celebrate
poetry can have a long-lasting effect. “It has made me a much more creative
person,” Crnkovich said.” It has made me more accepting and more open minded as
well as more vocal about social issues, also slightly more cynical.”
Crnkovich’s advice for aspiring poets: “Write nonstop and
don’t care of you suck at first,” Crnkovich said. “...everyone does. I did,
Andy Johannes did, Tae Sung didn’t though, he was just slightly less perfect,”
