Ian Benson
News Editor
On Friday, Nov. 15, the Poetry Club is kicking off their Ubuntu Poetry Weekend with the Ubuntu Poetry Slam. 15 Wooster poets will compete against one another in the Douglass Basement for a $50 prize. All forms of poetry are welcomed at the event. The event is the first poetry slam ever put on by the club, preceded by four open mics.
The event will feature a performance by Nashville-based slam poet Austin Benn Broox. Other Ubuntu Weekend events include a workshop for Wooster students led by Broox on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Babcock dining area. Broox will host another workshop on Saturday morning for high schoolers. in Upward Bound, a government program that provides financial aid and opportunities for students from low-income families.
The event name includes the South African Bantu term “Ubuntu” meaning “I am what I am because of who we all are.’”
The event will consist of three rounds where each poet is given three minutes to perform. Any longer, and the poet will receive a point deduction. From there, a panel of three student and faculty judges will evaluate the poets based on their originality, writing technique and performance.
“We’ve all wanted to do a slam since the beginning of the year,” said co-president Lee McKinstry ’13. “But Ashley Jones ’14 and Jestin Kusch ’15 are really who got it all rolling.”
The event was made possible through donations from CDGE, Cross-Cultural Connections, the Dean of Students, the President’s Office and the English Department, covering the full cost of the event. “We just asked them and they were all more than willing to help,” said Jones, the club’s secretary.
“It’s more attention and assistance than we ever could have imagined,” McKinstry said. “We were really pleasantly surprised at the amount of groups that agreed to donate their time and money and co-sponsorship.”
The club is planning an even larger slam in the spring. “It may be as long as a week, with workshops, performances and forums. I’ve been in contact with slam groups from Oberlin and co-president Chantal Massey ’13 knows someone at Kenyon. We’ll either have them come here and compete, or have a larger intercollegiate work shopping session, though that’s a long way off,” McKinstry said.
Those interested in participating in the slam competition can sign up at the Lowry front desk. Registration will close after 15 poets sign up.