Ten poets will perform in Grand Slam Weekend

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly characterized a quote from Tariq Luthun. Luthun said he admires Theresa Davis for her activism for racial and gender equality. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

Claps, shouts and mostly snaps will fill the air this Saturday and Sunday during the UNC Wordsmiths’ Grand Slam Weekend, co-sponsored by UNC’s Feminist Students United.

The slam includes 10 poets, five of whom will qualify for the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) in April at the end of the competition.

Ashley Harris, a junior, is one of the poets hoping to qualify for CUPSI this weekend. While she realizes the Grand Slam is a heated competition, she said she does not write her pieces based on what the judges may want to hear, but rather on what she knows, relates to and has experienced.

“All of my poems have been about self reflection — my life, how I reflect on it, how people interact with me and what that means to me. I’m also diving into different persona pieces from different perspectives,” Harris said.

Junior Elliot Darrow is also set to perform at this weekend’s slam. His spoken word is centered on social justice issues.

“It’s definitely always been rooted in social justice and being the change that you want to see. If you can’t be that change then how can you help facilitate that change,” Darrow said.

“You always write about what you know, and I do my best to make things from my perspective on the issues that are out there in the world.”

The weekend will include more than just the slam competition. Theresa Davis, 2011 Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, is the featured artist for the event and will perform Saturday. Danez Smith, a heavily decorated spoken word artist will also teach a workshop on Sunday.

Founder of the Wordsmiths and UNC alumnus Tariq Luthun said he admires Davis for her activism for racial and gender equality.

“She’s really good at capturing what it means to fight for civil rights no matter whose rights they are,” Luthun said.

Luthun said the slam is a way for the Wordsmiths to continue the success of the past. Last year the slam winners made it to the finals of CUPSI. He believes slams are also a way for poets to improve and share their unique stories.

“Almost everyone will choose slam over reading,” he said.

“The poetry is still the same, but it’s in a package of awesomeness, and it makes you want to grow with the poetry and people on stage. It’s a way for people to engage and get involved in a way they wouldn’t normally.”

Executive director of the Wordsmiths and senior Lauren Bullock said all the poets deserve to be rewarded for their hard work throughout the year.

“This event in particular is important because these are the people that are going to represent the university at CUPSI,” Bullock said.

“But it’s also a big event for sharing — it’s just as important for people to come out and support all the poets’s hard work. We’ve been writing and memorizing all year and even though it’s a competition, it is a showcase of everybody’s work and talents.”

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