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Blogs by Rebecca Lerwill
Poetry Bash 11/2/2007 8:24:20 PM
Have you ever been to a Poetry Bash? Probably - If not, you need to go!
Many book stores, cafés and smaller bars offer events called ‘open mic’ (open microphone) for poets to come in and share their work.
I’ve never been, shame on me, but there’s got to be a first time for everything.
A Salt Lake City Barnes and Nobles hosts a Poetry Bash once a month and I wished I wasn’t such a party pooper and explore more night life instead of being a home body with a self inflicted bed time curfew of 9:30p.m.
Well; tonight I finally did go and what a blast it was!
Though I do have plenty of speaking experience and an audience doesn’t scare me, offering my poems and being judged by a rowdy crowd is a different story then just reading from my book. Talking about getting ripped out of my comfort zone!
Seven poets, including humble me, did a quick round of an introduction poem and then we dove into a competition. I have to say, I honestly was blown away by the passion and creativity the other artists had to offer. A female high school student read her meaningful composition about drugs, peers and a stay at a mental facility. And older Gentlemen performed a very convincing piece about trying to get accepted (and turned down) as a team for the Para Olympics being a schizophrenic. Another one had us rolling on the floor as he rhymed his way through being a father of an eight year old.
You can see that the evening was very colorful. It was a tough decision to make which poems to offer, and I actually did get a great response for choosing my Hillary Clinton and Rollercoaster poem, and Granpere Fall.
Being my worst critic, I thought my work was much less complex and in depth than the others. But it doesn't matter. For all I care, it was a great way to spend a few hours, make new friends, hand out some book markers, and most of all – get inspired!
