A Poetry Slam was held on Thursday, April 10th, 2025, in College Hall 100.
Students shared their poetry, resonating with staff and students. The event judged by Shannon Smith, Professor of English; Judy Mathews, Adjunct Instructor and James Zeller, Coordinator of Student Life and
In a little over an hour, six pieces of poetry were presented by Owens students Jessica Williams, Melissa Baranowski, Chalisa Rocker, Shelby Faulkner, Wes Nelson, and Annalicia Keyes. Free snacks and goodies were available as the students captivated the audience with their poetry.
According to Jen Hazel, one of the coordinators for this event, this is one of the first Poetry SLAMs Owens has hosted for national poetry month, which is April. They have done other events for national poetry month, but this is the first SLAM. Jen Hazel is one of the professors for one of the classes that partakes in this event.
“I have students here from my creative writing class, where we explore poetry first in the semester. Then we prepared to be part of this SLAM early on, and we continued to prepare for the last couple of weeks beforehand. Part of poetry is that–a performance, and this gives my students that opportunity to have that performance.”
Students shared many topics through their poetry, ranging from love, autism and religion. Chalisa Rocker, one of the students that performed their poetry, commented on the two pieces she presented and what they stand for.
“The first piece I did was ‘Strings in the Valley.’ It was about my relationship with God and how God has transformed me and changed me. The second piece, ‘Rebirth,’ was my first poem. It was my first time having a spiritual awakening when God was transitioning me over, and I was finding my way to Christ. It was a rebirth of who I am, reclaiming my identity. Stopping myself from drinking and smoking and doing all the stuff that young people do that I no longer do anymore.”
At the end of the event, the judges were in favor of Chalisa Rocker, first place; Shelby Faulkner, second place; and Wes Nelson, third place. Stay tuned for next year’s Poetry SLAM!
