Went to the Poetry Slam at the Artist’s Quarter in Saint Paul last night. It was as awesome as ever. I was asked to be one of the judges and took Guante, the emcee’s advice, by writing down the performers and the scores I gave them. I do think it helped me be consistent in judging the performances.

The performers at the Saint Paul Poetry Slam were Ezra, Jen, Wonder Dave, Collin, Sam Cook, Rob, Chad Word, Style Spawn, 6 is 9, and Inky. (Sorry for any misspellings.) I’m using my jottings to identify the poems/theme that I wrote next to the scores.

In Order of the Performances

Ezra did a poem about a rancher named Gay. Really well done and written. Unfortunately he fell to the first performance curse where the first performers tend to score lower while the judges figure it all out. My scoring was 9.3

Jen performed Shirt, Star Wars and Weight. Jen has a good stage presence and delivery. Unfortunately I see her repeating these poems way too often and I deducted for that. My scoring was 8.9, 9.0, 9.0

Wonder Dave was great and in his prime and came in third place. He has unique poems and delivery. He performed  Obama, sexy and love. I liked Obama because he was able to demand integrity from a politician – and one he voted for – in a thought filled here are the facts kind of way. Love was seeing love from a sort of everyday perspective that requires insight. Wonder Dave keeps his poems real and allows a connection to the audience. Scoring was 9.8, 9.5, 9.6

Collin came in second place. He performed Flag, love one liners, MS. Never seen him before. I think he came all the way from Texas to perform. He was good and scored well. Nice persona and presence. I lowered his scores because I thought his first poem with the Confederate Flag theme was not well informed and seemed to be a bit pandering to the audience. Yeah we don’t approve of slavery or torture or murder – tell me something I don’t know! Then his last performance was harder to understand with fast and loud talking and a bit frantic to the point of distraction. Don’t get me wrong with my critique, he was still very good. My scoring was 8.7, 9.3, 9.1

Sam Cook performed girl in mirror and 4 year old. Sam is a seasoned veteran of slams and I frequently enjoy his political poems. He did well but didn’t knock his poems out of the park. Scores were 9.0, 8.9

Rob was new to me and had a great night. From Milwaukee he was able to incorporate intimate personal revelations and details and even some vulnerability which as a memoir writer I enjoy. He performed mix tape, sex and Minneapolis. Scores were 8.9, 9.2, 9.3

Chad Word performed Yorik. He writes some great stuff and this poem was no exception. His performance could use more force and practice. Score 8.3

Style Spawn performed. I haven’t seen him for a year and a half! He is absolutely unique in writing and performance. I learned in his earlier performances to close my eyes and listen to the words and rhythm of his work. His performances and poetry can take you on a journey if you let it. He speaks softly, with rhythm, with a slow beat that is hypnotizing. His poems are something that would make Jon Anderson of Yes proud. Unfortunately, he was too good for the room and scored low. Score 9.3

Six is Nine, or is that 6 is 9 was the “winner.” If you haven’t heard or seen him I would encourage you to do so. He has a nearly perfect combination of presence, delivery and material. He’s creative, funny and inventive. I’ve seen him perform for a couple of years with only a rare duplication of previous material. His Peter Pan-Captain Hook piece was funny, brilliant and creepy! The scores he received from me were: 9.6, 9.4, 9.4

Inky performed stalks and road. She has a wonderful stage presence and a nice delivery. I think stalks has potential to be great. I get confused when I’m being told a story as to whether it’s fact or fiction and as an audience member I want to know. If it’s fact it needs to become more human and if it’s fiction I think it should be more dramatic and unapologetic. She lost her place during the stalk performance and my score was lower for that reason. In retrospect I think she should be rewarded more than others who take paper on stage with them. Scores: 8.7, 9.0

Two things you might not know. The National Poetry Slam competition takes place in Saint Paul this year. And the Saint Paul team won the National Poetry Slam competition last year.