On Apr. 2, Grosse Pointe Ewald Library hosted an open mic and slam poetry event for members of the community. Everyone listened with open ears when someone shared their work, even those who came to observe. The first event, open mic, was a fascinating way to present your work without being critiqued since participants could recite poetry without being scored while everyone else admired them. The next competition had two rounds of peers exploring their poetry in front of the audience to get evaluated by all five judges. Harry Campion, the director of the Poems Slam team and an AP Literature and Creative Writing instructor, stands at formerly. Campions’ old student Nina Caradonna’s side. He leads the team and the event while his students recite their poems. The slam winners are Stephanie Kosmas ’24, Ghost Lindsay ’25, Cecile Walsh ’24, Dagueneau Jewell ’24, Leo Ned’s-Fox ’26, Josh Sonnenberg ’25, Elen Martin ‘26, Hermes Hermann ‘24, Jules Kado ’24.
If audience members weren’t interested in taking part in writing or sharing their own poetry, they may still observe the performances and listen to others express themselves with a willingness to listen. Lila Devlin ’27, a student who does not create poetry, found it touching to watch someone put themselves in the spotlight in an unfamiliar manner.
“It was very interesting seeing people express themselves through their writing so well,” Devlin said. “The courage it takes to share your work with open ears requires a brave individual.”
Devlin, when listening to other’s poems, tries to have an open mind and perceive them as efficiently as possible, as whether they intend to say anything or just appreciate and listen to the beauty that others have made.
“This was a good event to experience because the slammers were very passionate about their work,” Devlin said. “ It’s also special that this open event allowed people to enter and admire other people’s work without having to present.”
Slammer Stephanie Kosmas ’24 discusses how the event encourages students to freely express their opinions and perspectives in a fun way. It’s an atmosphere where they can all express elements of their lives while also allowing creative individuals to make their poems highly interpretable.
“It’s so important because it’s a place where people can be creative and not judged,”
Kosmas said. “After the first one (poetry slam event), when I saw what it was all about, I decided that I wanted to try it and after that, I loved it.”
Komas says students should go since it is a fantastic opportunity to practice public speaking while having fun. It is also a lot of fun to visit because everyone is genuinely kind and there to have a good time.
“I think it’s so important for students to have a space where they don’t have to joke around or be graded on something they can just do,” Kosmas said. “I highly suggest going to a slam and if you’re not ready to slam, just do an open mic. It is such an amazing way to be creative and get out there and make new friends.”
