The Valley Vanguard ? Last week's poetry ?Slamson? a hit

Asia Samson says he is an aspiring novelist, astronaut, oil painter, brain surgeon and ninja, but it was his spoken word poetry that the crowd jingled their keys for.

Last Monday, Feb 6, a poetry slam was held alongside The Asia Project, a performance by spoken word poet, Samson alongside his brother-in-law, Jollan Aurelio playing the guitar.

Vanguard photo | Jess Ellison

Asia Samson performs spoken word poetry while his brother-in-law, Jollan Aurelio plays guitar in an event named The Asia Project. Instead of clapping or snapping after his performances, Samson asked the audience to jingle their keys instead.

Program Board and Cardinal Ink put on the event.

In it?s entirety, the event was half contest and half performance. The contest consisted of ten SVSU students showcasing their creative writing skills and passion for public performance.

Marlin Jenkins, creative writing senior, received second place.

J?nai Taylor, theater freshman, won first place for her poem entitled, ?Baby Girl.?

?I got the inspiration for the poem from lots of things that have happened to me over the years,? Taylor said. ?It was my life.?

In addition to this being the first time that Taylor took first place in a spoken word poetry slam, this was also the first time she performed her poetry on stage in front of an audience.

?This was an absolutely amazing experience,? Taylor said. ?I?ve been writing my own poetry since I was in third grade and I?ve always loved it. I feel like poetry is an expression of something great.?

When asked about her plans for the future, Taylor said she wants to keep performing her spoken word.

?It?s all about performance,? Taylor said.

The second half of the evening featured the poetry of Samson, who asked the audience to jingle their keys in enthusiasm whenever they heard something great, honest and true in his lyrics.

The 34-year-old Florida native started the evening by performing a poem entitled, ?Breathe,? which seemed to silence the audience in captivation.

?I?ve been writing poetry since I was a kid,? Samson said. ?I guess I?ve always considered myself a writer, and I?ve always tried my best to make it a part of my life.?

The path to success was not an easy road for Samson. In 2006, he was diagnosed with cancer and considered halting his career in poetry, fearing that it had no future.

However, while recovering from a successful surgery, Samson found the strength to quit his dead-end job, as he called it, and pursue his poetic dreams.

In 2011, Samson broke the record for most college-booked poet with over 185 college shows.

He has been featured on Russell Simmons? HBO Def Poetry and Black Family Channel?s Spoken, took first place at the 2008 southern-fried poetry slam championships, was named 2006 performer of the year by the association of the promotion of campus activities, and many more accolades.

?Performing my poetry has been a great experience for me over the years, as well as a great milestone,? Samson said.

Speaking to other passionate writers, Samson urged poets to follow their aspirations.

?When you?re writing, it?s all you can think about,? Samson said. ?You have to be honest with yourself. Don?t feel like you have to write in a style that doesn?t fit you. And always be sure to read as much as you write. People sometimes forget about that part.?

Looking at what lies ahead, Samson said he is working on creating a one-man show, merging poems together into one giant production. He also plans to travel more and continue to work on novel writing.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 13th, 2012 and is filed under A&E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.valleyvanguardonline.com/?p=1549

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