You're very fortunate. Obviously, your poetry professor is an enlightened being. Hopefully The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry is a required text for the class.
I knew nothing about slam poetry before I met Marc and worked on the book, but he brought me up to speed in a hurry. Soon after we decided to work together, I headed up to Chicago for the National Slam Poetry competitions. It was a real eye-opener. I attended my first slam with my wife, Cecie. On the way up, I told her I wanted to keep a low profile. When we arrived at the venue (a dive of a bar on the north side of Chicago), I told Cecie to go on inside and find a couple seats while I parked the car. By the time I returned, Cecie had volunteered the two of us to be judges and announced that Marc and I were writing a book on Slam Poetry.
Oh well, no harm done. We enjoyed the evening. I think we gave the lowest scores of the night. Some of the performances were terrible and the poetry was even worse. I think one guy was trying to be terrible. When you see a great performance (outstanding poem performed well), however, it really shakes your bones. I was a skeptic, an old school guy, but the poet-performers and the culture of slam poetry has won me over.
Where are you from? I would encourage you to get involved. It may transform your life.
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