Soft music plays from speakers as excited audiences file into the Social Justice Center, waiting to hear passionate poems.
One by one, students step up to the microphone, and words sparkle and dance as captivated eyes take in the interpretative piece, followed by thunderous applause.
El Camino College’s Seventh Annual Poetry Slam honored top poets with cash and gave students prizes on Tuesday, April 29, at the Social Justice Center.
Poets had the opportunity to recite three minutes of their work, with no props, to win cash prizes from a panel of five judges.
Tal Levy, 18, history major, recited his powerful poem “Downward Spiral,” scoring 44 points and winning first place in the poetry contest.
“My mind releases feelings like nuclear fusion, an atomic explosion reverberates throughout the space. Perhaps I can leave this cage that I’ve told myself to embrace,” Levy said during his recitation.
Levy recommends that others in the community participate in future events.
“It’s a great way to really express yourself… your message may get a lot of empathy or understanding … or people they resonate with it, I think that’s an incredible thing,” he said.
The second-place winner was Hazel Parker, who recited her poem, “Melody Motive.”
“I look in the mirror and I say, Black girl, speak up. Speak when spoken to, and make sure if it’s white, it’s right. I say, Black girl, don’t let them get to you. Your voice is power, and your words cut flesh,” Parker said.
In third place came Bianca de-Haro Ondajte, who recited her poem, “Attack.”
“Breathe in, out, repeat, breathe in, out, repeat. Thoughts storm my fuzzy head, can’t focus, can’t think,” Ondajte recited at the event.
On the mic, sociology major Carissa Curriston, 30, and math major Natasha Esparaza, 19, tied for fourth place. Curriston performed her poem, “Pressure.”
“I’m trapped inside a latex balloon. The latex stretched tight from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet. I attempt to inhale, and my lungs scream and protest,” Curriston said during her performance.
Although only the top three finalists won cash prizes, the most valuable element participants took away with them was the sense of warmth and empathy in the room.
Andrew Echeverria, a real estate major who participated in the event, said the event provided a welcoming environment.
“It gets people together, and takes our minds away from all the negativity and the evil that surrounds in the world today, and so it just brings a sense of normalcy back in their everyday life,” Echeverria said.
Victoria Crudup, a 20-year-old film major and an audience member, said she felt moved by the poems, and a couple of them made her cry because she related them to her own life experience.
“I love to see people appreciating art.. Even if you’re not going to submit a poem or write a poem, just show up… You know, see other humans expressing their art,” Crudup said.
