Poetry Reading Blog

Christian and I went to a poetry slam across from the Target Center in Minneapolis. It was in a bar and the atmosphere was really warm and inviting. Since the sun goes down quite early the room was pretty dark, so the candles and low lights definitely contributed to the comforting mood. We sat in the back at the bar, but the room was small enough to see the poet clearly. The stage was brightly lit and slightly raised above the floor. Not that it's a bad thing, but the audience definitely shared a similar look and clothing style. Christian and I were the youngest by far and since we were accompanied by Christians mom, we got some stares. The poetry slam rules were explained and shortly after the poets began. I recorded some of the spoken words on my phone using the voice memo app, but I'm having trouble downloading those or transferring them to text. We recognized Neil Hilborn when we walked in and we anticipated his poems. But unfortunately he recited the same poem we watched during poetry class, about his bipolar disorder called "The Future" and the situations he gets into. I feel he recited the poem better in the video than in person, but that didn't take away from his message. His poetic genius comes from the way he draws the audience into his life and I also enjoy the way he spins his challenges into positives. He talks about how his OCD and bipolar disorder are superpowers and how they mostly help him get through life. His poems are also very sad and towards the end they turn to the more sad aspects of his disorders. Five of the audience members scored the poems and Hilborn's poem was highly rated. Whether it's because he's already popular or whether they actually liked his delivery and poem, I'm not sure. Overall, the poetry slam was a really great experience and I'm glad I went. I realized how many of us have struggles in our lives and how some people express this pain through spoken word. With was an awesome time.

Celebrity Sighting: Neil Hilborn at the poetry slam in Minneapolis. More to come!

Sunday Morning Video Poem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbYfPvbHix0