Judging Nuyorican's open mike slamI just spent the last two nights at two legendary downtown spots for slam poetry: the Bowery Poetry Club and the Nuyorican Poets Café. In my next life I would like to come back as a slam poet. The competitors at the Bowery's East Coast Regional Slam - hailing from NYC, Boston, Jersey, Columbus, and Baltimore-DC - were some of the most rhythmic, articulate, ballsy, and entrancing people I have ever seen on stage.
The Nuyorican hosts an open slam on Wednesdays, drawing much fewer people than it's famous Friday slams. It was still a lot of fun and a great showcase for local talent. Jake and I helped judge the competitors, which ranged from cringe-worthy to very impressive. One of my favorites was a woman who faked a spot-on orgasm, no pun intended. Needless the say, the male judge at another table was less impressed.
