Haitian Beatz

Thursday, March 12, 2009, was the third open-mic poetry slam (monthly) presented by Nadege Fleurimond at Solomon’s Porch Café. It was to commemorate International Women's Day. The spot had a soulful appearance and sound. The DJ was playing slow jams, the lights were dimmed, and the crowd softly mingled with one-another while some munch to  the wonderful cuisine prepared by Chef Stephan Durand.

This event is really about encouraging and bringing people of different backgrounds together to bond in the world of spoken words; and this night many poems were in dedication to the advancement that women have made over the years.

The event was hosted by the talented Ms. Mahogany L. Browne, who is also emcee at the Nuyorican Poets' Café. The three contestants were RonAmber, P.O.E.T, & Radhiyah. The event kicked-off around 9.00pm and by then, Solomon’s Porch had a full house. Just as the two previous events, the competitors were asked to perform two pieces each and by way of popular vote, "Tonight at the Apollo" style, the audience would pick the two finalist to proceed to the final round. P.O.E.T was first to perform and he was quiet a talent. He looked humble in confident while on the stage. He had a very positive response from the audience. The second to go on stage was Radhiyah, whose vivid and at times humorous poems left the audience interrupting with ‘Wows” and “Nice” as she spoke. The last but not least was RonAmber who came on stage portraying her love and compassion for poetry. The winners by way of handclaps came to be P.O.E.T. and RonAmber who were both pretty impressive.

There was a short intermission after the 2 finalists’ were chosen. Ishle Yi Park from HBO's Def Poetry Jam (Korean) blessed the stage with some of her beautiful poems and instrumental piece. It was quite a nice performance, but I think Ishle Yi Park could have stood closer to the microphone to be heard more clearly.

At the finals, P.O.E.T. took home the winning prize. He amazed the crowd with his choice of poems, one in which he brilliantly stuttered to get into character. When the contest was over, the audience participated in a very interesting open-mic event. There were many names on the list, and a lot of excited performers. The open-mic participants included: Mosley Garcon , Marylin Laurent, Universe, Mo Dollars, Shareef, Johny Jacques, Akua, Ramondy, and Benjamin.

Overall the event was very cultural and fun. The outcome of it is a testament to the tenacity of the creative impulse. Attending events where people are given a chance to share their hearts through poetry and prose is always something I want to be a part of. It seemed like a group of regulars, and newcomers in attendance are not striving for riches or recognition, but are fueled by the faint hope that their words may ease the journey for another human being and break the chains of their despair by making them feel less alone.
 
Next Months event April 9, 2008 @8pm
Feature-Jive Poetic slammers- Korim, Kiara and Carvens Lissaint(he is Haitian). This is a lineup not to be missed, youtube them for proof.
 

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF EVENT