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Printer-Friendly ModeIncreased advertising yields larger crowd at Sins Poetry Slam
September 19, 2005 —
Words came alive in the Cardinal Cage Thursday night as SVSU poets presented their work to a standing-room only crowd. The Cardinal Sins Poetry Slam once again held on campus, and the turnout was better than ever.
"I am amazed ... I am blown away," said Amanda Conner, editor of Cardinal Sins, in response to the above-average attendance. She added more than 140 people attended the Slam this year, well above last year's count of between 80 and 90.
The Poetry Slam is an annual event sponsored by Cardinal Sins, SVSU's student-run literary magazine. Cardinal Sins publishes two collections of poetry, fiction, and visual artwork every year. The top poets from the Slam were awarded cash prizes, and the first-place winner was guaranteed a spot in the Fall edition of Sins.
Kris (K.F.) Peterson won the event, while Ahmad Pritchett took second and LaTreshyn Hunter was third.
The panel of judges charged with picking the winners of the night's poets consisted of three Sins staff members and two SVSU professors.
The criterion for picking the top poets was a combination of three elements - originality, content, and performance. The judged portion of the evening allowed each speaker three minutes to read one original poem. An additional open-mic portion of the evening was not judged, and allowed a reader up to three minutes to read any two poems.
Excited with the great attendance at the Cardinal Sins event, Conner was quick to praise her fellow workers
"Advertising did an awesome job," she said. "I'm very proud of my staff."
Mat Easterwood, co-assistant editor of Sins, also credited the large audience to "kicked up advertising," which included visits to individual classrooms to spread the word on the upcoming event. And though it was too early to gauge, the editors hoped that the turnout was a sign of greater numbers of submissions for Sins.
The staff of Sins once again brought an opportunity to campus from which the artists of SVSU could showcase their talent. The mood of the readers ranged from angry to cheerful to tearful. The hearty applause of the crowd, however, showed that they enjoyed every minute. For more information about Cardinal Sins submissions and events, go to www.svsu.edu/cardinalsins.
Submissions for the Fall 2005 edition of Cardinal Sins should be turned in to Evening Services by 8 p.m. by next Monday, Sept. 26.