Annual F-Word Poetry Slam draws large audience
The first reading of the night centered on body image issues. Titled, “Shame Game,” by performer Hannah Chessin, the poem described how society’s ideal standards of the perfect body affect the individual.
“I had no option but to hate my body,” Chessin said at the beginning of the poem.
Genie Tran | Argonaut
Syndie Allen had the audience’s agreement on her performance of “That’s What She Said” Thursday night.
However, she concluded on a more positive note.
“Right now, because I exist perfectly, I am pretty,” she said.
University of Idaho students, faculty and community members piled into the Borah Theater Thursday to attend the annual F-Word Live Poetry Slam. The theater was packed and many audience members sat on the ground or stood during the performance.
The UI Women’s Center has put on F-Word Live since 2012, but saw its biggest turnout last week.
Assistant Director of Programs at the Women’s Center Bekah MillerMacPhee emceed the event. She said the poetry slam is an important event that gathers members of the community together.
“This event is meant to give students, staff, faculty, community members and anyone who wants to submit a piece a chance to express their own feminism and what it means to them,” she said. “The only requirements that we have for submissions are that they somehow relate to feminism. We don’t really have a definition for what that means. It doesn’t have to be specifically how they feel about feminism. It could be a piece about a personal experience or traumatic experiences that they’ve grown from.”
Participants performed pieces addressing a wide range of topics, from personal experiences, to their opinions on feminism — one performance even covered how men feel pressured to fit society’s standards of masculinity. Six men and 10 women performed, and the audience was filled with an even mix of men and women as well.
One poem was a duet between Renee Hill and Greg Pierce. Both were new to spoken word, and their piece addressed issues of masculinity and abuse.
“Angry, violent men have shaped me,” Hill said in the beginning of the poem.
Pierce responded from a male’s perspective that was vastly different.
“I am a man, but I am not an angry, violent man,” he said.
Genie Tran | Argonaut
Caleb Renshaw performed his piece “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” energetically and received many positive responses from the audience Thursday night.
Other poems included “Dear Barbie,” by Justine Peterson, “F is for Fear,” by Zachary Lien and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” by Caleb Renshaw, among others.
During a 15-minute intermission, audience members were encouraged to walk about and view the visual art pieces on display as part of F-Word Live. This year was the first time in several years where visual art was a featured part of the event, MillerMacPhee said.
F-Word Live was well received by the audience as well — students Katie Harvey and Jacob Waggoner both had to sit on the floor for the event, but still said it was enjoyable.
“I’m loving it,” Harvey said during the intermission. “It’s very powerful.”
The audience was full of energy and support, even when a performer lost momentum and forgot the lines of a poem. In one instance, the audience snapped, clapped and offered reassurance to a distraught performer until they were able to regain momentum and finish the poem.
Throughout the slam, the audience offered support — snaps, claps or giving a “Mmhmm,” each time the audience liked what they heard.
Many performers said they would like to do the slam again next year, including Lorelei Salt, a first time performer who performed “Undesirable Cats.” Peterson, who performed “Dear Barbie,” said she also enjoyed the experience.
“I’m proud of myself for getting up on stage,” Peterson said. “It’s a wonderful experience, just a little nerve-wracking with all those people. It’s my first time performing.”
Kelsey Stevenson can be reached at [email protected]