Soul flowed through the Bryan Center Saturday as Duke hosted the Southern Fried Poetry Slam.
The event, which took place in the Reynolds Theater, was the culmination of a three day tournament to crown the best "slam" poets in the Southeast. Eighteen individuals and 23 teams paticipated in a tournament-style competition located throughout Durham from Thursday to Saturday.
Event organizers said Durham was chosen to host the event because it is known throughout the region to have a vibrant poetry scene. The Southern Fried Poetry Slam is considered one of the most prominent poetry competitions in the country, surpassed only by the National Poetry Slam.
"It's wonderful," said Regina Johnson, an organizer of the event, describing the slam poetry scene. "That's the only word I can think to describe it, 'wonderful.' Have you ever had a hard day at work? It's the perfect opportunity to just relax."
Performers and artists said although all poets have unique styles and ways of moving the audience with their narratives, they all shared one thing at the event--talent.
"Honestly, as with anything, we go on a scale from zero point zero to 10.0 and on that scale from one to 10, I would say most people here are at least a nine," said Kosher, a poet from Oklahoma City and a member of a team called Poets in the Streets.
Kosher describes his style as "soulful," yet able to speak with "rapid fire" speed.
"I speak honestly and with rhythm," he said, adding that he always seeks to educate his audience with politically conscious and aware content.
Jodi Lasseter, a Durham resident who considers herself a fan of slam poetry and regularly attends events throughout the community, said she finds the content of the poetry most appealing.
"The creativity, the spontaneity, the way that it is really a participatory art, not passive," Lasseter said. "It's always surprising and interesting."
For many in the audience, the event did not disappoint and they found the poetry captivating. The subject matter, rooted in some of the most difficult types of human experiences, brought the audience to their feet with applause.
One performer spoke about an older male cousin who used to rape him on Sundays, and wondered aloud why God had decided to rest on the Sabbath.
Another poet told the story of a suicide attempt that was interrupted by his young daughter who ultimately became his reason to carry on living.
Ocean, a performer from Slam Charlotte-the winning team and two-time national champion-said the poets perform for the love of the art.
"We travel locally and stay in cities close to us," she said, noting that the majority of the team's members work full-time jobs, which limits their performances to the weekends.
For Ocean and her teammates, slam poetry is about allowing the audience, through the power of words, to experience the artists' emotions.
"I just try to go back to the moment and the emotion that I had when I first wrote the poem," she said.
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