All this week WHQR is highlighting the winners of a recent poetry contest sponsored by UNCW's Watson School of Education.
By Catherine M. Welch
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-588115.mp3
Wilmington, NC – All this week WHQR is highlighting the winners of a recent poetry contest sponsored by UNCW's Watson School of Education.
The poets are winners of what's called a poetry slam. It's a competitive arena where poets take the stage to perform their work, with points given for both writing and performance.
Poetry slam gets its sound from the Beat Poets of the 50's, Jamaica's dub poets of the politically charged 70's, and the emerging rap sounds of the 80's.
And while this is an art form that attracts young poets performers of all ages take to the stage to perform their work.
We start our series with Steve Martin, a special education teacher at Gregory Elementary School in Wilmington.
He's been writing poetry for 15 years and is new to the world of poetry slam. In this piece Boot Camp at the Salt Marsh we get an idea of how frogs learn to be frogs.