Poet, you know it

In the first round of the poetry slam, Indianapolis resident Tasha Jones brought the house down with the performance of her first poem. The poem was so intimidating that the next man competing forfeited his time and a chance to win $100.\n“Man, I am not a poet,” he muttered before wandering off the stage, looking like a toddler lost at the supermarket.\nThe Indiana Memorial Union Gallery housed the “Poetry Slam” put on by the IU Hip Hop Congress on Wednesday night. Thirteen poets competed for a $100 cash prize in front of a full house. The poems ranged from political commentary to romantically complex love ballads. Jones won the slam in a narrow victory over freshman Patrick Wilson.\n“I write poetry that reflects society” Jones said.\nJones said she focuses more on content than performance. Runner-up Wilson, on the other hand, turned in such a high energy performance that he didn’t even use the microphone during two of his poems, and people could still hear him in the back.\nHip Hop Congress president Tim Zawada said that lyrics of rap songs are poetry.\n“This event focuses solely on the lyrics, the poetry of hip hop,” Zawada said. “Rap is poetry to a beat. All rappers are poets in their own right.”\nThe mood was set by DJ Xander, who said he was going to set a “coffee house vibe” with the music he spun. He also fed off the energy of the poets performing.\n“If a poet ends on a peaceful note, I might play something peaceful, like Pete Rock,” DJ Xander said before the show. “If they end on an energetic high note, I might play “99 Problems” to keep the crowd going.”\nDJ Xander played everything from the Chicago-based Eulorhythmics to Mos Def and kept the vibe diverse.\nThe slam was hosted by junior Calvin Craig. Wearing red and black Jordans and a sports coat over a red-splattered t-shirt, Craig kept the show flowing and introduced the poets before they came on stage.\n“An emcee is an essential part of the show if you want to have a traditional slam,” Zawada said.\nJudging the poets was the job of Tony Brewer. Brewer picked out three people in the audience and gave them dry erase boards with the instructions to grade the poet after each performance with a number from one to 10. Junior Melody Berry was one of those asked to judge.\n“This is my first time judging, so it should be fun,” Berry said before the show started.\nThe rules of the slam were simple. Every performer was given three minutes on the microphone, and every poem performed had to be the poets own work. There were three rounds. After each round, the four poets with the lowest score from the judges were eliminated.\nLast year’s winner Derrin Granger, a senior, made it all the way to the third round. \n“I knew there were going to be more poets this year and I am grateful I was able to see Tasha Jones compete,” he said.\nJunior Jamel Dotson was also one of four poets to make it to the third round.\n“I like the fact that people came and showed their stuff,” Dotson said. “I always appreciate great art.”