What goes on at a high school poetry slam? How do I even begin…

On the evening of Thursday, April twelfth, 2018, a group of over thirty students and teachers came together, along with their friends and families, to perform in Patchogue-Medford High School’s Third Annual Poetry Slam. This poetry night took place in the high school chorus room, beautifully converted into an intimate, dimly-lit, café-style setting. It started out with cookies and hot chocolate, followed by a series of outstandingly beautiful, funny, and meaningful poems, and wrapped up with the naming of three selected winners. As April is National Poetry Month, this event was created to honor that. Beautifully put by Jonathan Bautista, “Poetry is the only thing that separates us from animals. We feel, we think, we experience… and poetry is the medium for letting others view this.” This is why it is so important to create this sacred space, even if only for one night a year, for students.

Over the course of the night, individuals and partners, poets and poetry-lovers, teachers and students all gathered together to pull of an amazing feat. Together, they expressed the beauties and hardships of what it means to be alive, performed comedic odes to favorite snacks, and opened up to each other by sharing their own poems or poems by their favorite poets. As Jude Risberg notes, “it was exciting (and) got really intense with how emotional some of the poems were but nonetheless, it was fun.” In addition, some performers decided to take part in a competition portion of the night and three were named first, second, and third-place winners.

Here’s a breakdown of some highlights of the night:

-Gabriella and Eleanor Hart, the Hispanic Heritage Club, Karla Consales and Ms.Cohee, and Seyhoon Yoon performed poems in a multitude of languages including French, Spanish, Italian, and Korean.

-CJ DeFeo and Christopher Espiritu shared poems about their favorite snacks (chicken tendies and potato chips, respectively).

-Jude Risberg, Yeirell Minder, John Bullard, Oscar Gonzalez, and Shelby Kucera opened up with self-written poetry that moved the crowd to tears on several occasions.

-Luke Algarin earned himself third place with his poem “Panning for Gold/The Lazy River.” When asked to contribute some words about the night, he adds “it was a new approach in exploiting my art and it was very welcoming! The energy was great.”

-In second place came Jonathan Bautista, who performed “In Through Your Nose” by Jasmine Gardosi (in this video at minute 9:00). In his commentary, Jon declares, “I think it’s extremely sad that most people today can’t even name more than one modern poet. I think this event was incredibly important in spreading awareness of how amazing poetry is. It gave us all a voice to share very significant pieces of ourselves. Without the help of Mrs. Wesnofske and Ms. Carota, I wouldn’t have been able to expose a very intimate part of myself, and for that I’d like to thank them. The event wouldn’t have been possible without these outstanding individuals.”

-Finally, in first place, was I, Amanda Coccia, who performed a poem by my favorite poet, Harry Baker, entitled “Paper People.” I have participated in the poetry slam every year that it has been run while I have been at the high school. I am so grateful that our school recognizes this event for its importance and provides us students with such an amazing opportunity. Additionally, I would like to note that in my senior year, I decided to perform a poem by somebody else because I would be remiss if I did not give my favorite poet every chance I could to spread his voice. I think that everyone should listen to at least one of his pieces so they could see for themselves how amazing his words are.

After reading all this, if anyone is still questioning whether or not to attend or participate in a future poetry slam, remember this: John Bullard, Luke Algarin, and Brooke Shellman all noted that they “wish [they] would have participated in it before senior year” and CJ DeFeo notes that he “would totally do it again!” and that he “would totally advise people to do the same!” (Take note of those exclamation points- that’s excitement. Over poetry!) John Bullard added that “it was such an amazing experience!” Brooke Shellman agreed with a comment made at the event, that “tissues should have been handed out because of how emotional some of the poems were,” and commends, “everyone did a wonderful job.” With such stunning reviews as these, how could anyone refuse the chance to partake in such an event?

Now, it is especially  necessary to thank the English Department and the volunteers who made this night happen. Deserving of a special thank-you are Mrs. Wesnofske and Ms. Carota, who organized and set-up the event. Equally deserving are Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Sbrocchi, and Mrs. Naccarato- who made up the panel of judges for the night. Thank you to everyone who braved the daunting act of performing in front of their peers. Thank you to everyone who came to support their peers and their loved ones. Thank you to those who were courageous enough to perform their own poetry. Thank you to the poets of the world, and especially those today, who have created some of the poems shared and granted these students the opportunity to share their views when they couldn’t figure out the right words to use. This night would not have been possible if not for this wonderful group of individuals.

A side note: If anyone reading this is interested in looking at some modern poets, check out this previous article that is riddled with resources.