On Dec. 1, students gathered in Selby Auditorium for Saint Leo’s first ever Slamabration. The event was hosted by the slam poetry club and featured students who sang and recited their original poetry. This event was inspired by last year’s SASSabration held by Saint Leo University’s female acapella group, during which the slam poetry club was invited to perform.
Before the house opened students paced the lobby, calming their nerves, and practicing their pieces. For many students, such as Amy Dipezzia, this was their first time performing in front of a large audience. Dipezzia joined the club this semester and performed one of her first ever pieces, “The Fountain Head.” The Fountain Head is a piece that combines song and poetry, incorporating Nina Simone’s Feeling Good with her own writing on convenient love.
As the crowd shuffled in, participating students filed into a side room to wait until it was their turn to take the stage. Once the crowd had settled down, Professor Marissa G. McLargin welcomed the attendees before passing the torch to Tessy K. Jacques, founder, and president of the slam poetry club. Jacques explained that the slam poetry club was a place where she and other students could express themselves and that it meant a great deal to her to be a part of it.
Following Jacques heartwarming speech was a performance by SASS member Charis Lavoie. Lavoie sang “I Miss the Mountains,” a song from her current theater production, “Next to Normal.” This performance was emotionally moving, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
The performances following Lavoie were serious, thought-provoking, and beautiful. A particularly tear-jerking poem was “The Before and After” by Thalia Munoz. Munoz’s work describes her struggle with self-love and the final realization that “I have everything and I don’t have to prove my worth to you.”
Another highlight of the evening was Brenden Randall and Yohana Fasida’s duet song On the Run. This song was written together over a year ago, and while both Randall and Fasida have extensive experience performing, this was only the second time this song has been performed. The duo commanded the attention of the audience with their clever rhymes and strong stage presence. SASS, the special feature of the event, performed a beautiful acapella cover of Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson’s “Winter Song.” Soloists Madeline Treadway and Rebecca Trabing sang the melody while the rest of the group scatted the accompaniment.
The poetry in this event not only reflected personal feelings and struggles, but also current events. Raeshawn Burke expressed her frustration with police brutality and racism in her poem “Brother Man.”
“I must live” Burke repeats that throughout the poem. “One day my brother man will free themselves from mass incarceration, mental enslavement, hatred of the black woman, black man, black hair, black everything.” Her feelings are not isolated but shared by another poet, Cassandra Pagano.
The last performance of Slamabration was “Love Is” by Cassandra Pagano. Pagano wrote this piece, her first poem ever in fact, in response to the unjustified murder of innocent black Americans. Pagano begs for the world to come together as one and to love each other. She was then joined onstage by her fellow slam poetry club members, who close the show with a song about acceptance.
Saint Leo University’s slam poetry is growing fast! This club is ready to expand and perform at more venues. To feature the slam poetry club at an event, just email slampoetryclub@saintleo.edu.
