'Poetry Slam Championship' today will be last at Cup 'n Cork

Cup 'N' Cork will host its last "Poetry Slam Championship" at 6 p.m. today, with registration taking place at 5:30 p.m., said emcee and organizer for Words on Fire's "Poetry Slam" Mary Christy.

"Attendance trailed off a little in the winter when the weather wasn't good, but last summer we had standing room only out in the courtyard at Cup 'N' Cork," Christy said.

She said "slams" have been held once a month so far this year, and because of the imminent closing of Cup 'N' Cork, Christy is unsure of the event's future or location.

Christy said she's hoping to find a venue for the summer to host a slam similar to the one last summer, which she said many students attended.

"It was nice to see such a diverse crowd from all backgrounds," she said.

Christy said poetry-reading events attract local people, international students and even students from St. Louis, because "this isn't just for the University."

"People who want to read their work just show up that day," she said. "We have a registration period for half an hour before round one begins."

She said groups and individuals are welcome at the events, but mostly individuals perform.

"I would love to see a group perform, but we haven't had any do that yet. Some of my favorite performances at the national level in poetry slams are groups," Christy said. "It would be a lot of fun to see that."

Christy said it all began after talking with Cup 'N' Cork owner Tina Abbott, describing the ownership as "always so supportive of local arts and community groups."

She said the business was happy to serve as the monthly host.

Christy said each event recognizes the top three placers with prizes donated by local businesses and organizations. It's free and open to the public.

"Poetry slams are definitely not 'hearts and flowers kind of poetry,'" she said. "The audience gets loud, because applause is a big part of it."

Christy described the readings as part of the "literary and performance genre," meaning the poet's reading of the work factors into the appeal.

She said poetry topics are often based on personal or social issues, so some topics aren't always appropriate for children.

"They can be pretty dramatic," Christy said. "Any opinions are welcome."

She noted one slam which featured "several poems in a row about suicide" and she had to remind the audience "poets aren't more suicidal than the average person. They're just braver than the average person and willing to talk about things."

Christy said there have even been instances where artists read about their experiences and then someone from the audience comes up to them afterward and says, "Thank you, I thought I was the only one."

But, she explained, poetry events aren't "all morose or heavy topics."

"There are also a lot of funny ones," she said. "It's not what the average person thinks about poetry. And it's always just fun to have everybody out there. It's not always college kids."

The events alternate, every two weeks," Christy said." "We either have a slam or a Journey student reading."

Journey Student Literary Magazine is an on-campus opportunity for students to take part in much more than poetry, such as creative fiction and nonfiction as well, Christy said.

Christy said she also wants to incorporate "Tenx9 storytelling," which she said began in the Nashville, Tennessee, area.

"Nine people have up to 10 minutes to tell a real story from their lives," Christy said. "And each month has a theme. I don't know how that would go over here, but it would be fun to try."

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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