"Words are going to unfold tonight like a child opens his arms in the morning."
Organizer Zach Kluckman opened the Slam Poet Laureate finals with this image, prefacing a beautiful, artistic and profound presentation of poetry.
After two preliminary competitions, 12 finalists performed Saturday in a competition to become the world's first Slam Poet Laureate.
"Throughout history, poets have always been sort of the storytellers and history keepers for wherever they came from," Kluckman said. "When slam was born, I think it became a phenomenon because it brought that back to the forefront where poets were again keeping the histories and telling the stories and telling the truths, creating this social dialogue."
Kluckman said the Slam Poet Laureate is going to work with the homeless and young people and, ultimately, emphasize the role of arts in the community.
"We wanted to take somebody and put them in a position with the city where they could be a laureate, but also really bring back the focus on keeping the stories, keeping the culture and keeping the record - being the voice of the people," he said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
In 2005, Albuquerque hosted the National Poetry Slam, and the Albuquerque Slam Team took first place. There are 60 poets involved in the slam poetry scene in Albuquerque, said Kenn Rodriguez, director of ABQSlams.
"We're pretty well-established here. In a lot of places, slam poetry is kind of underground," Rodriguez said. "But, obviously, here it's kind of legitimate."
Rodriguez said slam poetry in Albuquerque came from a "very drunken" open mic in 1994. There are now three monthly slams, a quarterly women's slam and several venues for youth poets.
"I think what attracts them is that it's kind of like a live-action version of blogging," Rodriguez said. "You can come out and express yourself and have your opinion and that kind of stuff. And, plus, Albuquerque has a pretty good community of writers and artists, and I think it's an outgrowth of that."
Kluckman said slam poetry is popular here because it gives a voice to Albuquerque's diverse population.
"Slam poetry just makes a natural fit, because we do have so many different voices with so many different artistic styles that come together and create this voice for the city and for the state," he said.
Michelle Holland was one of the guest judges during the finals and said slam poetry is unique because it involves the audience. Audience members are encouraged to give feedback to judges after a poet has been scored.
"The audience is expected to interact," she said. "I think it invigorates the whole experience. Poetry was spoken word before it was on paper in the first place. Slam and spoken word really keep it on the surface and alive, so people can be involved in it."
Holland helped coach the youth participants in the National Poetry Slam and said slam poetry provides young people with a new imaginative outlet.
"When kids get involved with it, it really gives them an opportunity to be creative, have an audience and be heard in a way they've never been heard before," she said.
Holland said, "It's poetry, and it opens them up to something completely different and completely new, and I think they go with the momentum of it."
