Lessons in slam poetry
Guerrilla poets took centre stage at the Sydney Theatre Company on Sunday for the national finals of the Australian Poetry Slam. Victorian performer Luka Lesson was the winner after a highly
energized performance from 16 finalists that explored topics ranging from sex to cake to Palestine.
Mr Lesson, a political activist, poet, and educator, was awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to the Ubud Writers Festival and a tour of China – worth a combined $11,000.
The Australian Poetry Slam’s roots are in Sydney and began in 2005. Its organiser Felicia Eccles said the quality has been the best to date. “There was some serious competition this year. Four of the participants had been in the finals before – they set a really high standard.”
Slam combines the spoken word with theatre, hip hop, and rhythm. It has since evolved beyond the domain of Glebe coffee shops and exploded into its own subculture.
It continues to attract a dizzyingly varied demographic – from hipsters to hip-hop heads to grandmothers. This year there were 38 heats around the country with two representatives from each state in the finals.
Competitors have the challenge of a two minute limit per poem. Judges are chosen at random from the audience and crowds are often rowdy, not afraid to voice their cheers and jeers.
Festival organisers said it was one of the most diverse showcases of slam since its beginnings.
In his performance, Mr Lesson explored the themes of love and separation.
“It’s the third year that I’ve entered and has been a really important experience. I’ve competed around the world but it’s really meaningful to win on home turf.”
One of the crowd favourites was Joan Webb, an 85-year-old grandmother from Tasmania who waxed lyrically about spam emails and indecent behaviour in the navy.
For most, poetry slamming is a hobby, but for Mr Lesson it has translated into a full time gig.
He does workshops for aspiring poets and participates in organisations that help promote the art-form in Melbourne. “Slam is spreading,” he said. “Comedians, storytellers, regular folk – it’s an outlet where anyone can express themselves.”
The runner up of the event was Nadine Browne from Western Australia. The event attracted an audience of almost 500.
By Rachel Zerr
