Annual beat poetry event returns with Intikana
The fifth annual beat and slam poetry night, Beat.Slam.Uncensored., will be held in the TSC Ballroom Friday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. The event features national award-winning hip-hop/spoken word artist Intikana from The Bronx and selected beat and slam poetry from student artists. This event is known for its unique atmosphere and free hot beverages and live music.
At 6 p.m., a showcase of USU’s student artists will be held in the TSC before the performances where art pieces will be available for purchase.
Star Coulbrooke, writing center director and English lecturer, has been involved with the event since its beginning. She said they try to involve many different departments and services across campus.
“We wanted to have art and we wanted to have music,” she said. Coulbrooke said after ASUSU became involved, they evolved from having the Jazz ensemble perform to other artists because the student association started bringing in performers.
As a poet herself, she said she was excited to help run the event when she was asked for the first time in 2006. Coulbrooke has been impressed with the support and attendance for beat.slam.uncensored. each year.
“The first year we put it on, we had it in the Skyroom and it sold out to standing room only availability,” she said. “The next year, we had it in the Skyroom again and the fire marshal told us we couldn’t have it there anymore.”
Coulbrooke said after their warning, they started holding it at the TSC ballroom, where it has been ever since.
The title, beat.slam.uncensored., explains the event well, Coulbrooke said. Though they audition the open-mic performers, they never censor artists’ work. She said it is important for students to be aware of this type of spoken word.
“Beat poetry is part of our national history of poetry, and slam poetry has evolved from that idea of beat poetry, where the reading of it and the atmosphere of it are so important to the language and meaning.”
Attendees will be given unique ceramic coffee mugs created by USU Ceramics Guild potters, as part of the movement to involve many departments and showcase diverse art.
“The ceramic alone is worth twice the price of the ticket and (attendees) get to sit in a cafe atmosphere while they enjoy some wonderful language,” Coulbrooke said of the value of the event.
Tyler Epslin, English and creative writing freshman, will be performing. He said he was stunned by the amazing performances last year. “After seeing that, I immediately knew I wanted to be in the next one,” he said.
Born and raised in Cache Valley, Epslin started writing poetry around age 11.
“Poetry brings order to my chaos or chaos to my order,” he said it keeps life interesting. “It provides an outlet for me to creatively channel my psychosis into something productive.”
Epslin, who is in the process of publishing a small collection of his works, said, defining the performance poetry: “Beat poetry is the language of cigarettes, whiskey and lonesome nights. Slam poetry is hip-hop stripped of its production and slick beats left to stand on its own.”
Seth Timmons, a freshman in computer science, will also be performing this evening. Born in Bakersfield, Calif., the artist started writing in middle school and improved more in high school.
“I am usually a very structured person, but my poetry allows me to be creative and in some cases break free of my nature,” Timmons said. “I believe it is important to explore creativity of the soul whenever and however feels right for you.”
Timmons said the night will be a great opportunity to grow and learn from each other.
“Without the sharing and spreading of ideas and messages, an opportunity for personal growth and wisdom is lost.”
“Beat poetry is something beautiful to be created by words and speaking rhythm together,” he said.
Isaac Tim, a history and creative writing junior took a summer workshop by Michael Sowder on writing nature-themed, non-fiction and poetry in 2009. He said he went there to improve his non-fiction writing and ended up writing poetry.
Tim, who began writing around 14, said he used to generally write non-fiction and fantasy. After attending Sowder’s class, “poems just wrote themselves,” he said.
“Words gave this little boy with a tawny accent and a bad attitude their power,” Tim said. His father, an excellent storyteller, gave him the courage to read poetry in front of an audience, he said. He finds performance gives poetry more power.
“Writing poetry is great, but reading it, putting it into audible media, is where its power lies,” he said.
Tim, a published and award-winning poet, said he encourages the public to attend. “When the last poet reads, you will know what I’m talking about,” he said about the “mind-blowing poetry.” He described the event as a literary rock concert.
Brian Cook, a senior in American studies, will also be performing. After attending last year, he said he was impacted by two of the performers, Jesse Parent and Buddy Wakefield, and wanted to be a part of the event himself.
“We had auditions, and I was lucky enough to make it,” Cook said. The Vernal, Utah, native started writing poetry as a junior in high school in 2002. He said at the time, he was published in his schools’ literary magazine.
“It’s amazing how much a high school teacher can influence someone,” he said.
Poetry has been significant in Cook’s life, “Poetry has been a way to express myself when all other words have failed. We all have moments in our lives when we feel like words cannot say what we feel; poetry finds a way to express those feelings,” he said.
To explain what beat and slam poetry are, Cook said, “Both could be called “performance poetry.” While there are still some deep meanings, each poem creates sounds, rhythms and images that are clear to any listener.” He said he believes performance poetry can stir up emotions for anyone.
Cook, who has been published in Sigma Tau Delta’s “The Rectangle” and was first place winner in the Scribendi creative writing contest for both poetry and creative non-fiction, said last year’s event changed his life.
“That sounds like a really big thing to say, and it is, but I’m not the same person I was before I stepped into the event. If you have never heard slam or beat poetry, this night will completely redefine how you view the written word,” he said.
beat.slam.uncensored tickets cost $7 in advance and $10 at the door.
– natasha.bodily@aggiemail.usu.edu