Unlike a poetry reading—in which participants read poetry on stage—this particular poetry slam had a bit more energy. The overall theme of the contest revolved around the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, sloth, envy, and pride. Each “sinner”—contestant—was to perform a piece of poetry pertaining to the theme as judges determined which sinner was to advance to the next round. Three rounds were played overall and the winner was awarded an 8GB iPod Touch.

Some of the participants actually chose a particular sin and elaborated on the sin, while others took a number of them and melded them into their poetry. The audience loudly clapped and cheered the poets as they each performed their pieces with much gusto and dynamics. A few members of the crowd were even brought to tears as a few of the poems emotionally touched them.

The Poetry Slam also featured The Intangibles, a group of poets from Oneonta, New York. They performed a number of poetry, which included their popular “Words Only Words.” In addition to the guest poets, there was also an Open Mic segment called “My 82 Cents,” which allowed audience members to take hold of the stage and perform pieces that they’ve prepared for the slam.

Crowd favorites of the first round were Phyllip Williams ’08, Danny Glavin ’09, Greg Miranda, and Fascious. Once the third round arrived, it was between Miranda and Fascious for the final showdown. Although Miranda gave a good fight, it became apparent that Fascious would take the prize home; he received a standing ovation after finishing his third poem “Cheer.”

There was great energy in both the audience and poets. Listeners reacted to poetry with whistling and claps, as well as shouts of both disgust and amusement when Fascious spoke about his “experiences” with Eleanor, a 90-year-old woman. Still others agreed with Miranda as he poked fun at reality television, while The Intangibles moved the audience with political and controversial topics such as the war in Iraq.