At some point in our lives, we may be told that we’re not good at something but that doesn’t mean we should give up. Bethany Stavran, a leader of Winona’s slam poetry group Blacksheep, is a prime example of this message. Being only a third grader, her teacher scared her away from poetry and she was told that she wasn’t skillful in this area of literature. Stavran confessed, “I felt like I was always counting wrong and being told certain words don’t rhyme”. This is pretty rough news for a third grader to tackle, but little did she know that in high school she would excel in slam poetry. Stavran explains, “Junior year my friends [as a joke] decided to sign me up for a slam poetry tournament, and I won”.
Stavran wrote her first poem the night before, not realizing a contestant must have three poems in order to compete. She wrote her last two poems during the event, one before the final round. Stavran says, “This was where it all started, it was the day that I found my niche”. Since then, Bethany Stavran has been promoting the art of slam poetry.
What is slam poetry, you might ask? A slam poem is a poem that is written to be performed in front of an audience where the audience is encouraged to energize the performer by giving instant feedback. The type of feedback a performer desires would include verbal cues, lines or phrases that an audience member commends.
These poems are generally expressive. The topics of slam poems are often things that the writer has a passion for, a strong opinion for, or personal experiences. Slam poems are made up of entirely free expression. Stavran clarifies, “Anyone can do slam poetry, and should”.
As an unofficial group on campus, Blacksheep meets for writing workshops to teach people about slam poetry. They brainstorm topics and practice performances to build confidence. Stavran tells Her Campus, “We don’t often critique [poems] because the writing can be very personal, and there isn’t a wrong way to do it”.
Slam poets open up to the audience about things like discrimination, race, relationships, war, poverty, government, freedom, rights, coffee, everything! Poems can range from very serious to hysterical. Expression has no limits. Stavran says, “The coolest thing is to see people open up. Seeing someone who isn’t normally an open person pour their soul out on stage is incredible. People will bawl their eyes out while performing, and audiences are constantly accepting and supportive”.
Each month, Blacksheep has performances held at Blooming Grounds Coffee House in downtown Winona. The day for these performances is yet to be determined, so be on the lookout. They also have performances at Mugby Junction (the coffee shop across from campus), and at Mugshots, hosted at Lourdes Hall. At the end of February or beginning of March, they are planning an on-campus slam. Performance dates can be found in the WSU Update e-mail, on the Blacksheep Facebook page, and on flyers around campus.
Something awesome that this group does at the end of performances is they’ll open the stage up to anyone who wants to share their own work, so if you have the courage to do so, go for it! An open microphone is an open opportunity. Stavran’s goal for the Blacksheep Slam Poetry club is to recruit at least two people for every show. They are also working to become an official club on campus so that they can set regular performances, take trips, host competitions, and get well known slam poets to visit Winona State, but Stavran discloses, “We’ll still be around whether or not we become official”.
Check out these Blacksheep performances: