“I don’t know if you’ve noticed from my poems, but I’m hella mental.” –Neil Hilborn
Known virally for his poem “OCD,” college national poetry slam champion, Neil Hilborn, stopped by UNCW on February 25th to share his work. Hilborn shared everything from growing up with OCD and his pet rat, Henry, to unsuccessful pickup lines. Hilborn’s character and charisma filled every inch of the room. As a first time poetry slam audience member, I was truly impressed with Hilborn’s work.
Hilborn’s poem “OCD” has over ten million views and is his most recognized poem.
The Houston native is part of “Button Poetry” and has been touring colleges across the country to perform his work. Hilborn’s first show was actually in Charlotte, North Carolina; he wrote a poem about the city in his book entitled Our Numbered Days.
Touching on many topics in his life, the highlight of the show was a poem called “Joey,” about his childhood friend who was suffering through depression. Tearing up after reading the poem, Hilborn explained that reading that poem never gets any easier. Another audience favorite was the unsuccessful pickup lines, with lines such as “I wanna treat you like a snowstorm. I’m gonna give you 6-8 inches and make it inconvenient for you to get around in the morning.” Neil Hilborn’s comedic and witty outlook on life brought the audience to tears (both joy and sadness) Audience members lined up out the door waiting to speak with him after the show. If you missed it, check out his some of his work here.