On December 4, Speaking Through Silence, the creative writing organization on campus, held their Grand Slam event in the new Feliciano business building. This event had ten competing poets from Montclair State University vie for a spot at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, or CUPSI, competition in Austin, Texas.
At CUPSI, spoken word poets from colleges and universities around the country compete in teams against each other. From a humble beginning in 2001 where seven teams competed to 2015’s turnout in which 68 teams attended, CUPSI provides a stage where young poets can tell their story. While the national recognition is desired by all who attend, the event is also an opportunity to improve. Participants and other audience members are able to watch and learn from other poets, creating a fluid, artistic environment that kindles the creative spirit.
But this past Friday, the night was filled with cheers for the Montclair poets with the occasional light-hearted resistance against the judges who gave out scores to the poets. These judges, six in all, would give out scores from one to ten, with the lowest and highest scores discarded, to the poets that performed their poetry in the first floor lecture hall.
Before the competition, the audience was treated to several poems by the feature poet of the night, Savon Bartley. Bartley is originally from North Chicago and travels the country to share his spoken word poetry. He has previously performed at the Apollo Theater in New York City, the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, and at the United Nations General Assembly. After Bartley’s performance, the host of the night, Chris Rodriguez, who is a former president of the Speaking Through Silence organization and is currently a teacher that continues to perform and be a part of the poetry scene, invited to the stage two poets who were not competing that night. They were called “sacrificial poets” because while they didn’t perform, the judges still gave them scores in order to give the judges a feel as to how the process worked.
And then the competing poets took to the front of the lecture hall. In the first two rounds, ten performers recited two poems each. The artists spilled from their souls the stories, heartaches, and hopes that brought them there with eyes sharpened and fingers flared out. “Mm’s,” “ahh’s,” and snaps from the audience kept the poets going. But the third round eventually turned up and 3 poets were eliminated. The final seven performed their last poems and the judges gave out their last scores. The audience waited for the announcement as the remaining poets lined up at the front. The winners of the night were Monique Forrest, Jovon Warren, Sean Aliño, Shana Louis, and Nelly Bess. As the five names of those who were to go on to compete in Texas were broadcasted, the crowd cheered, stomped, and clapped so that the room nearly shook. These poets will continue the creative legacy of Montclair State on a national stage at the University of Texas at Austin over a course of four days from April 6 – April 9, 2016.