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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

Wham! Bam! Poetry Slam!

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SUSAN ZHU | The Observer
SUSAN ZHU | The Observer


If you watch your friends mechanically fill out brackets and long for a more intellectually and creatively stimulating tournament than televised sports games, head over to the Snite Museum of Art tonight.

The Creative Writing Program, the Department of English and Spoken Word ND will host the third annual Wham! Bam! Poetry Slam! tonight in conjunction the Snite Museum of Art as part of the Third Thursdays series.

Notre Dame and St. Mary's College students, as well as South Bend community members, applied starting Feb. 23 for a chance to compete in the event, which will consist of three rounds. Each round will eliminate competitors until the winner is declared from the finalists in round three.

The original poems will address poverty, violence, racism, substance abuse and economic exploitation, among other issues.

Props and memorization aids are prohibited, as slam poets rely on their bodies, voices and words in delivering their poems' messages. A form that took off in the 1980s, slam poetry often incorporates dance, song or beatboxing in its performance.

However, poets are not the only active event participants in a poetry slam. Audience participation is inherent to any slam — feedback will be encouraged and judges will be randomly selected from the audience.

Whether you’re a diehard poet or “Dead Poets Society” fan (or both), this is an opportunity to snap your approval for art.

There will be a reception in the Snite starting at 5 p.m., and the poetry slam will take place from 5:30 p.m until 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.