Thursday, December 4, 2008

YPC Member Tony takes the grand prize at poetry event!


YPC gathered tonight in the Garfield Park Conservatory for a wonderful poetry slam event. The event was sponsored by the "Chicago Black Gay Male Caucus" and the event offered nothing but spectacular spoken word poetry of all types of people.
The event, held in a cozy hall space deep within the conservatory, and welcomed guest with great food, friendly mingling, and even some slight "old school vouging" to start things off properly. There was a full house, for I'm sure no one wanted to miss this great event. DJ Chip supplied the great music, which set the tone for the event throughout the night. Our wonderful, ever-charismatic host Tommy fro, WGCI kept the crowd laughing throughout the entire night.
The program was set us this way. There were 2 groups, the adults, and the youth. The adults would compete with each other for cash grand prizes, and the same for the youth. Poets could "rhyme" about whatever topic they so desired, but they got extra points from the judges if their poems consisted of topic including HIV, homosexuality, and HIV awareness. HIV awareness was the underlying thread in almost everyone's poems, and our host Tommy made sure we all knew to get tested by making us finish the line in the statement "I'm gonna what!" the audience would then reply "tested!". The adults presented their poems in a more "polished" manner, often times speaking a bit more slowly, calmly, and intimately. You could really tell the adults had passion for their words, and the crowd loved every minute of it, often yelling things like "Work!", "Go head!" and I believe I even heard a woman say "Tell'em preacher tell'em!" The youth, not letting the adults have all the shine, proved to be a force with precesion. The youth as a whole had pieces that were a bit more applicable to youth as of today, and the poems were def more relatable than some. There was a sense of "personability" to the poems, which made them more relatable.
But as good as the youth were, the winner in the youth category was apparent to the judges, as well as the auidence, for Tony received the grand prize of the night, of $250. Now thats a nice piece of change to have in your pocket. Tony's piece was from within, and the auidence could really tell he meant everyword he spoke. One thing that seperated Tony from the pack was his delivery was his words. He spoke with passion, courage, and confidence, everoking strong positive reactions from the auidence. We loved it, the judges loved it, and thats why he won. The night ended on a wonderful note, and as soon as Tony was announced as the winner, everyone packed up and left the building, dreading our long trecks home. But im pretty sure for Tony, that ride was a bit sweeter, since his pockets were a bit heavier.
- The Tea.

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