This is the situation faced by members of the Washington University Slam group at every event they hold. Defined as competitive poetry, Slam has become a growing part of the Wash. U. community.

Created last year by president Chris Kammerer and vice president Aaron Samuels, Wash. U. Slam has undergone a great transformation from a simple workshop to a recognized group within the University. The club has spent the year holding competitions between members with one goal in mind: to take a team to nationals held at the University of Pennsylvania. Tonight marks the group’s final competitive event; it will decide which poets will be on the team representing Wash. U. at nationals.

“I’m very excited about having this event because Wash. U. has never had one like this before,” Samuels said. “It’s an opportunity for someone, no matter how they look or where they’re from, to step up and have three minutes to say what they want to say. It’s the ultimate expression of free speech.”

For tonight’s competition, the club has adopted a system used nationally in order to narrow down the list of eligible poets. This system was also used in the four previous events held by the club.

There are three rounds, during which each poet performs a piece of his own writing. Judges randomly selected beforehand by the audience then score the poem on a scale of one to 10. The highest and lowest marks get dropped and the points in between are summed to create a total score. The four poets with the highest scores win; in this case, these members win the opportunity to go on to Nationals.

“We’ll be bringing a team [to Nationals] that represents Wash U. because Wash U. picked them,” Kammerer said. “[We are] giving power to the audience as well as the poets to say what they like or dislike and to get a dialogue between performer and audience.”

Audience participation and influence goes even further in this event due to the creative fundraising ideas.

“We have joined up with the freshman and sophomore class councils, and they are using their fundraising expertise to help us out,” Samuels said.

During each performer’s stage time, a bucket will be available for the audience to put money in. The more you like the person, the more you can show your support for him by donating any amount of money you wish. At the end, if the poet who gets the most money donations is not in the top four, he will automatically be bumped up to join the team competing at UPenn. Various booths will also be available for the audience members to peruse during the Slam event.

“We appreciate all the support the Wash. U. community has given us,” Samuels said.
At first glance, this event may seem to be solely focused on judges’ scores and intense competition. However, this is far from true. In fact, the group has a saying that guides members as they reach out to others: “The point is not the points, the point is the poetry.”

Stated differently, the whole purpose of the event and the club is to share various written works and create a connection between people through poetry.

“Wash. U. definitely has a more artistic community than it is given credit for,” said freshman Dani Schever, who will compete for the first time at this event. “We have a really strong base at the school, and there’s some stiff competition.”

Since judging is completely subjective, one can be the best writer and still not win. It’s all based on what the audience wants to hear, which offers some diversity in the final choices for the team for nationals. Fortunately, members understand this aspect of the competition, and most embrace it.

“You can choose to take something from [the judging] or you can get angry about it. [But] poetry isn’t a performing art; it’s an art that performs,” Schever asserted.

To help support the Slam team and witness this art for yourself, come to the competition held this evening (Jan. 23) at 7 p.m. in the Danforth University Center commons. Your participation will influence Wash. U. Slam history as the group works toward forming a team that will characterize the school at nationals for the first time.