On April 30, Ms. Mosey, Heaton, and Bradley took several students to Verselandia, a slam poetry competition in Portland featuring representatives from several Portland schools. Students were invited on this field trip to observe examples of poetry from various participants, and maybe get inspired for their next poetic adventure.

The trip was undertaken at the perfect time, with the school’s own poetry slam close behind in memory. Poetry is often influenced by other art forms, including poetry itself, so it’s beneficial for students to listen to other poets so they can get inspired.

Ms. Mosey, a Language Arts teacher, says that, “The whole thing is just really impressive and fun, and feels like a serious event. There’s a DJ. There’s just a buzz in the theater. It felt like a big deal. The poets really put on a show.”

She speaks on the field trip experience as a whole. “It was a special occasion. The students dressed up, we got dinner. The crowd was really supportive of all the poets; there was lots of cheering and excitement. Lots of audience participation.”

She very much enjoys slam poetry. “I like that poetry is one of the most un-comodified art forms. Poetry is for the love of poetry itself. But the slam kind of makes it into a cross between a rock show and a poetry reading. It’s loud, it’s rambunctious, it’s fun!”

Slam poetry competitions such as this give students an opportunity to share their hard work with others in the form of performances. It’s a great way to give unique activities like poetry a chance to shine in front of people who may have never known how amazing poetry can be.

All in all, Verselandia was a pleasantly enjoyable endeavor for all involved, and will be fondly remembered for many moons!