Gina Scott/Winonan
At 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month, the Black Sheep poetry group opens the night with spoken word poetry. Students are welcome to relax, enjoy food and drinks at Blooming Grounds and be part of the event’s atmosphere.
The night began with a set group of performers that told either Ben Strand or Bethany Stavran, another member of Black Sheep, they had work to share.
“We generally try to get a set list of six to ten people who read anywhere between one and three poems,” Strand said.
After the set performers shared their poems, the open mic portion of the night began and everyone was welcomed to share what they had written.
Spoken word poetry is entirely free form, giving performers the opportunity to speak freely about whatever is on their mind.
“I see all sorts of different kinds [of poetry],” Strand said. “Deep poetry, emotional poetry, satirical or comical, angry happy, political. That’s what makes slam poetry, and poetry in general, so great.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 4, five poets got on stage to share their work. The poems showed variety in both style and stories with different beats and forms as well as describing different events.
One poet, Nicholle Ramsey, had the crowd laughing and cheering. The group welcomes anyone to the stage. Ramsey is a student at Saint Mary’s University. She had previously performed with the Black Sheep at her own school, and at Mid West Music Festival as well.
“I started [writing poetry] as an angsty little middle schooler who wrote about the boy in my social studies class,” Ramsey said. “And then it slowly progressed into me having more story in my life to write about.”
The first poem Ramsey read followed the story of a personal friend who struggled with having someone close to them have an anxiety attack, and the individual was later placed in a psychiatric ward. Her second poem explored the feelings one has with their first love.
“Most of [my poems] are centered in my actual life,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey’s poems surrounded ideas and topics that many audience members could relate to, having had those similar life experiences and feelings.
Senior Cecilia Clark explained how she really enjoyed Ramsey’s poetry.
“I feel like they struck a personal chord with me, and I really liked both [of her poems] a lot,” Clark said.
Clark also admitted she was not expecting this event to be as memorable as it was.
“I’m not going to say I’m a huge poetry fan, but I was asked to come here tonight and I’m really glad I did, because I thought it was really fantastic,” Clark said.
Whether a student is an audience member or a performer, there are things to learn at each slam night.
“It’s a good outlet, and anyone can do it,” Strand said. “Slam poetry is something for everyone, whether they want to perform or just watch. It’s fun to do both.”
At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, the Black Sheep will be hosting a slam night at the Midwest Music Store. On the first Wednesday of every month, the Black Sheep are waiting to hear the works and stories of students in the community.
“I think there are a lot of talented people in our community, especially from our campus,” senior Grace Pesch said. “It’s awesome to come here and listen to them share their work and their stories. I’m always impressed.”
