Slam Poetry has changed my life. I went into the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan last week and performed at the open mic with fellow poet Maggie Bloomfield. We were by far the oldest people in the room—yet we rocked the house! Maggie dazzled them with her poem “America Blue” and then I swept in with “Dead Woman’s Head” and made it to the finals! It was awesome to be in a room where people were cheering for poetry like it’s basketball.
When Maggie and I, with our partner Nina Yavel, as the Poets of Well-Being, bring our creative writing workshop to patients at Long Island Center for Recovery, we see the magic that occurs when people recovering from substance abuse discover they have a voice--and that when they write and share their writing, other people are moved. They have a new coping skill, and new way to handle challenges—they can write about it, and share it with someone.
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The power of the spoken word brings forth the authenticity of people’s experience—often raw and always real. But if you want to perform or hear slam poetry, you have to go into Manhattan, to the Nuyorican or the Inspired Word, because there is no venue for spoken word poetry on Long Island. But what we created a place for slam poetry out here?
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Would kids come out and share their raps and rhymes? Can the North Fork slam? I wonder. It would be so cool to have a real slam—a competitive event where people sign up and the audience cheers its favorites. The top five finalists then perform a second poem, and the judges choose a winner. How would it be if kids had that opportunity to be acknowledged for their self-expression?
As a social worker who is both a member of Poetry Slam Inc., and the Anti-Bias Task Force of Southold Town, I see that slam poetry could offer our high school students and young people a way to express their thoughts and feelings powerfully, to be heard and respected. As a therapist, I believe that self-expression empowers well-being.
As of last week, I plan to slam whenever I can, and look forward to creating an open mic situation where every one who has a spoken word poem will have a chance to be cheered on in the most fun competitive game ever! I have reached out to the pros, to find out how to get something going out here. Just think, it would be the ONLY slam on Long Island. I’m thinking Riverhead, but I understand that Greenport has some pretty amazing poets...in high school! Not to mention all those new SCCC students with something to say.
Now the therapist in me asks the therapist in you, what do you think? Can the North Fork Slam?
Susan Dingle LCSW CASAC is a therapist in private practice, as well as a slam poet. She works with adolescents and adults in transition, specializing in well-being practices including mindfulness and meditation, as well as creative writing. She has an office in Southold, and can be reached at 631-734-8658.
