Poetry-Slam Semi-Finals, Night 1
Were I poet, I could do last night's Poetry Slam Semi-Finals at Café Deux Soleils justice here, but I'm not. If you were there, then you know. I got to the café just after 7.00 p.m. and the place was already close to half full; by the time the show started, there was a line-up outside. All this for poetry. Say what you will about Vancouver: when it comes to poetry, this city has it going on! Some surprises in the way of judging, with scores often in contrast with audience responses - then again, judging always requires a critical ear, which requires a completely different sense of listening. In the end, though, every poet was remarkable, every poet was passionate, and the real winners were those of us in the audience. Lucky us!
A little surprising that Duncan Shields didn't make it to the finals. If you've ever heard or read his work, then you know just how incredible his sense of wordplay is; his has to be some of the most mature work I've heard thus far. I'm always eager to hear what he has to offer, and continue to look forward to him taking the stage.
Perhaps the most remarkable poet of the night has to be Sasha Langford. I've mentioned her before, and she is someone who deserves to be heard, time and time again. When she steps up to the mic, people listen, and I mean that word in the active sense. Her performance left me gasping, both eyes and mouth exploded wide open in shock and awe, and I know I wasn't the only one in the audience last night who felt this way. Pay attention to this woman, folks: if she keeps this up, then she's going to make a noise in the world in the years to come. Go and watch her in action, if for no other reason than being able to say years from now "I was there when ..."
I enjoy my Monday nights at the slams, and I know that it's all meant to be fun, but the idea of judging Art seems to fly in the face of what I have believed ever since I was much younger - that is, the near impossibility of Art and aesthetics being judged critically, of trying to determine whose Art is 'better'. My concern is that a large part of Art - any art: painting, music, poetry, etc. - involves the personal, subjective interpretation of the viewer/listener, which invariably includes their own biases and prejudices. Is it even possible to be critical and impartial when it comes to Art, especially if one is involved or engaged emotionally one way or another?