The College Voice

Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: Entertainment

Jive Poetic is a frequent slammer at the Nuyorican.

At the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan's East Village, poetry becomes a vivid, real life experience rather than something locked in a book.

The café has a welcoming atmosphere of exposed brick and high ceilings. People from all walks of life attend. In the audience one can find a U.S. marine, an English teacher, a college student, and even a high school student.

On Friday, February 20, the evening was hosted by Mahogany Browne. She fired up the house with her charismatic personality. She made the audience get up from their seats and dance as she mimicked Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)" choreography. Browne was even able to control a potential confrontation, effortlessly, after a patron got offended when he was booed by another guest.

The night began by the Nuyorican Poets Café's National slam team member, Jive Poetic. He entertained the audience with his light humor. One of his poems began by "Grapes, Green, Seedless" and even though people laughed at the silliness of the words, the poem turn into a discussion of the loss of fresh and organic farming to artificial industries, "How is it possible for seedless fruit to exist," the poet asked with a facial expression of despair.

After Jive Poetic, the Friday common slam contest began. Four poets got three opportunities to persuade the audience of the quality of their poems. Five judges were randomly chosen amongst the audience who scored the poets from zero to 10. The poets were as diverse as the audience. They consisted of a college student, a Puerto Rican history teacher, a Long Island resident and a Jersey girl student.

The poems were mostly related to the poets' socioeconomic background. The themes varied from a college student's trivial difficulties, Puerto Rico's struggle for becoming independent, Long Island's racially separate neighborhoods, and gender issues. The poems were thought provoking and some even controversial.

Even though there was only one female poet, she stole the show. Nicole Homer's first poem moved the audience as she described a little girl's pain after being raped by her father. Her second poem got the ladies to snap their fingers, clap and laugh. She began by mimicking an orgasm and continued by mocking a man's inability to sexually satisfy a woman. Later, she made the whole audience laugh in a poem based on a Valentine's Day poem of a lunatic girl in love with someone she has not even met.

Homer caught the attention of her audience. Aiste Velyvyte, a Mercer student in the audience, said, "[Homer] was my favorite because her poems and delivery were very dynamic. She spoke about women's struggles in unhappy relationships. Nicole's poetry is very fresh, new and bold; it's definitely not something I have read in the books." Homer also captured the judges' highest scores getting first prize.

Velyvyte says, "[The Nuyorican] is very small, but cozy. The atmosphere was very laid-back, casual and friendly. You get a chance to hear the poem the way it is meant to be heard. You no longer have to wonder about the tone of voice, all you have to do is listen and watch the speaker. You also get a chance to share the experience with other poetry lovers."

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