By Melanie Jacob
Journal Editor
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When it comes to poetry, most people immediately think of dark, brooding, angst-ridden rhymes. So it was a pleasant surprise to find just as many, if not more, humourous poems performed during Friday night's poetry slam.
"It was awesome. I had a really good time and the turnout exceeded my expectations," said Cat Abenstein, the professional poet performer who ran the poetry workshop and nighttime slam. "The enthusiasm was second to none."
During the day, Abenstein worked with locals to craft poetry the right way and helped them find their inspiration. At night, those who participated in the workshop were given the opportunity to perform at least one of their poems.
After Abenstein opened up with one of hers, the floor was open and the first to go up was a young man by the name of Kagen Newman. His poem was about a young woman in court who really had to go pee; at the end, when the judge asked her if she had to go, she turned a bright pink and said, "not anymore."
"There were three teenagers who came and did spoken pieces and I though all of them were brilliant," said Jean Price, the museum program coordinator. "We weren't really sure what to expect, so I think all of our expectations were met."
Following Abenstein's poetry performances, her associate, Ryan Shotton, usually followed with a tune. In total, there were seven poets, not including Abenstein. Newman went first, followed by Kyla Briettel, Braylee-Anne Reidy, Shirley Guest, Jane Berger, Janine Hart, and Diana Sarauer. Reidy in particular went the opposite way of humour and performed an emotional piece on depression called "No Light."
"She took a knife. She took a knife and in its hands she placed her life 'cause there was no light left in her eyes. No, that light left long ago when she walked through halls, never receiving a smile or a hello," began Reidy when reciting her poem. "But if by chance someone did smile, it was for themselves, not for her."
"People learned about poetry and that's good for the industry and for the spoken word," said Abenstein. "I didn't know what to expect. I was told the spoken word was very fresh in Humboldt."
Judging by the poems recited by the locals, it seems the workshop and its subsequent performances were a hit.
"The face that there were so many people willing to share something as personal as poetry in public was fantastic. Everyone had a different take on things," said Price. "Just seeing Cat and Ryan perform, seeing people who do this in a regular setting coming to share this with us was pretty special."
