Poetry slam first round

This video from the USA is called National Youth Poetry Slam Finalists “Conquest”.

On 19 December, I walked on the main street, near the city hall.

That street was originally, in the Middle Ages, a dyke to prevent the river Rhine from flooding the land.

I still could see that, when I took a right turn to the small street called Wolsteeg: I went down, to a lower level than the main street.

In that Wolsteeg is a café, where tonight would be the first poetry slam ever.

There had been poetry there before, years ago, but not slam poetry.

Though it was the first time, quite some people turned up.

Eight participating poets had been announced.

Emma Burns did not turn up.

When local poetess Xena (Monique) heard one spot at the slam was vacant, she quickly went home to her computer and printed out some of her poems, printing too quickly to see which poems.

Other participants: yours truly, with poems on a ladybug, Dutch Princess Mabel, war, trains, and the Iraq war.

Also Don, a philosopher.

And Barry Veugelers.

And Niels Schoenmaker, all the way from Brabant province.

And Gijs ter Haar, winner of previous poetry slams.

And Odette van Kempen.

And Hans Bouman.

And Mart Brok, all the way from Drenthe province, with guitar player Hans Bos providing musical background to the poems.

The jury decided Mart Brok, Odette van Kempen, Gijs ter Haar, and Niels Schoenmaker would proceed to the next round.

Of those four, the audience decided Gijs ter Haar would proceed to the night’s final round.

The jury decided that Odette van Kempen would join him there.

In this way, both will participate in the semi final round in the theatre, later, in 2007.

In the final, Gijs, though irritated by a mobile phone going off, was declared overall winner of this evening by the jury.

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