The Poetry Slam team is a group that allows students, faculty and staff to recite poetry that they have written to other students.In order to be a member, the student has to be fulltime, have a 2.0 GPA, and all works have to be original.
On Oct. 14, the Poetry Slam group held a competition in the Student Union snack bar area at 7 p.m. that was open to all students, faculty, staff and their families. Students can still join the group through the information desk in the Union.
While the participants were getting ready to recite, music played, and the crowd danced as they waited. Many of the poems were about love. There were 12 participants; four went up for the open mic.
“In the Poetry Slam group, you get to hear what is in people’s hearts,” Nakeshia Bridgewater, freshman from Baton Rouge, said.
The group has regional competitions and showcases against other groups. In the showcase, participants recite four to five pieces of their work. Next semester, the group will be competing against different schools in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. The regional competition is in Houston, Texas. The competition will be against other schools in the region 12 ACUI (Association of College Unions International). The group has six members.
“Here at Nicholls, we have a wide range of talented students,” Gregory Evans, director of Student Union said. “We believe in expanding the opportunity for our students here at Nicholls for them to show their artistic, poetic expressions. At Nicholls, there was nothing in place for our students to do this and open the window of opportunity,”
ACUI’s core values are unconditional human worth, joy, learning, caring and community, innovation, communication and integrity. It’s purpose is to be the leader in advancing campus community builders.
“I expect the competition to be very competitive. I am looking forward to interacting with different colleges,” Earl Collins, member of Slam Team and graphic design senior from Houma, said.
In this organization, students are given the opportunity to read their own creative work in public. The group has many things planned for this semester
The group will perform many times on campus as individuals and as a team. These performances will be held in the snack bar area, the theater or the ballroom. During the first week of school, the Poetry Slam group held an open mic night.
Evans started the group last semester. Meetings are held twice a week, once on Sunday and another time during the week. The program receives funding through the Student Union.
