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Performers at this year’s Long Beach Poetry Slam. Photo by Emily Haven<\/em><\/p>\n #Service, #love, #slam #poetry, #LBC, #artist, #spokenword and #creativeministry are just a few probable hashtags poetry-goers may have seen on social media on Saturday, May 4 when the electric and dynamic 2nd Annual Long Beach Poetry Slam took over MADHaus on Pacific Avenue in Downtown Long Beach. The poetry slam was hosted by The Definitive Soapbox, a ministry facet of the Redemption Church of Long Beach and spoken word poetry collective.<\/p>\n The night buzzed with exuberance, painted beautifully in a sea of rich Long Beach diversity, and in a collective spirit to absorb encouraging words.<\/p>\n Slam poetry’s roots run deep in Southern California. The nationally known and revered slam and spoken word collective Da Poetry Lounge on Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood was founded by Dante Bosco in 1997. A year later, in 1998, Bosco brought in stellar artists like Shihan, DJ Brutha Gimel and Poetri and revolutionized performance arts and poetry. Bosco\u2019s Da Poetry Lounge was the foundation and main concept behind Russell Simmons’ popularized HBO program Def Poetry Slam, which in 2003 won a Tony Award for its Broadway spinoff.<\/p>\n The Definitive Soapbox\u2019s Creative Director and host of the Long Beach Potery Slam, Antonio \u201cPaz One\u201d Appling, when expressing the program’s success, feels strongly about paying homage to his predecessors in the slam world. Appling credits Da Poetry Lounge as being \u201cThe West Coast Mecca of Poetry\u201d and says Bosco and the rest of the slam godfathers formed the Southern California slam poetry scene.<\/p>\n Essentially, a poetry slam is a competition like boxing, where opponents square off in rounds, usually three.<\/p>\n Each spoken word performer performs a poem not to exceed three minutes ranging on various topics. There is strategy, as one of poets, Jerrica Escoto of San Diego, CA, observed: \u201cThe judges were scoring tragedies high,\u201d so she shifted pieces accordingly to the liking of the judges; a good strategy that worked toward her advantage in later rounds. A poet is judged basically on quality of writing, performance, stage presence and storytelling, but ultimately, it\u2019s all in how the poets woo the judges.<\/p>\n The competition was fierce at this year’s Long Beach slam; beginning with fourteen poets. Several topics ranging from love to family values to coming-out, gender, ethnic identification, abortion, politics and education were performed with sincerity, passion, bombast and humor.<\/p>\n After the cleaving of ten poets in the first and semifinal rounds, there were four finalists: Joseph Limer (defending title holder) from San Diego, Brian \u201cSuper B\u201d Oliva from Culver City, Jerrica Escoto from San Diego and Treesje Powers from the Inland Empire–all excellent, top notch wordsmiths.<\/p>\n Super B–the number four finalist who was disqualified for going over time–performed brilliantly and naturally throughout the evening. \u201cKeep on writing, when somebody tells you that\u2019s not the way to go, tell them to stop giving directions to places they never been,\u201d he said, giving advice to young artists.<\/p>\n Third runner up, Jerrica Escoto–a veteran returning to the slam circuit after obtaining her Master\u2019s degree–was the only gay poet in the lineup and performed her first coming-out poem with visceral power and courage.<\/p>\n {loadposition latestlife}\u201cYou\u2019ll know when you\u2019re ready to come out as an artist. If you\u2019re not, there\u2019s nothing wrong with that either, because the messages you\u2019re saying and who you are is still going to change somebodies life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Treesje Power, Long Beach Poetry Slam’s second runner-up, opened the first round with a powerful and heartfelt piece called, \u201cWhite Roses,\u201d a dedication piece about her grandmother. Power touched on her experience as a bi-racial woman paying homage to the adversity her grandmother faced marrying her African-American grandfather.<\/p>\n \u201cArt is what keeps people going\u2026it\u2019s important to do what you\u2019re passionate about because it can save your life,\u201d she said. Power\u2019s confidence and command of the stage never let up throughout the evening, building on every piece she performed.<\/p>\n The winner of the night, now a two-time champion, was political science teacher, Joe Limer. Limer\u2019s sharp wit focusing on educating and enlightening doled out hefty portions of reality check like cafeteria lunch ladies. Limer, is a very humble winner and even gave kudos to his fellow competitors. Limer shared his approach when teaching slam\/spoken word poetry: \u201cKeep writing to discover your truth\u201d and “fight to legitimize that truth.\u201d<\/p>\n According to The Definitive Soapbox’s Marketing Director William M. Johnson, this year\u2019s poetry slam met and exceeded goals initially set. Last year, there were only fifty people in attendance, this year counted over one hundred. It\u2019s a testament to the rising Long Beach poetry scene and its supportive artist community. Johnson accredited success to his team and finding unorthodox avenues of promotion.<\/p>\n Appling has his vision set on making the Long Beach Poetry Slam a Long Beach tradition like the Zombie Walk and the Grand Prix–a goal that may be attainable for a group that has become the epicenter for a progressive poetry movement in Long Beach.<\/p>\n When asked why he does this work, Appling, taking a moment, serenely stated, \u201cLove through service.\u201d<\/p>\n The Long Beach Poetry Slam will return next year. However, if there\u2019s a spoken word sweet tooth to be gratified, The Definitive Soapbox hosts an open mic night on the last Friday of every month at the Mirage Caf\u00e9 (Bixby and Atlantic Avenue) starting at 7PM.<\/em><\/p>\n For more information about The Definitive Soapbox and the Long Beach Poetry Slam, visit facebook.com\/thedefinitivesoapbox<\/a> or thedefinitivesoapbox.wordpress.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n {FG_GEOMAP [33.77495632634584,-118.19355686347654] FG_GEOMAP}<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Saturday, May 4, the 2nd Annual Long Beach Poetry Slam took over MADHaus in Downtown Long Beach. 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