It was a night where poets came out of nowhere to storm the stage with thoughtful verse. In fact, the slammers were completely different than last month’s poets, giving audiences some fresh material.

The first round offered us Yogi going off and on mic, to great effect; Boski telling us about how fucked up his relationships have become; Eytan Crouton explaining his writing process; and Tanya getting geological on us.

Before the second round, the Drake audience was treated to a kickass performance by our first youth slam team. Ronza, Romil, Pablo, Alexandra and Stephen gave us a glimpse of what’s to come in the spoken word scene as they dropped poems about Tamil Tigers protests, fruit bowl indecision, alliteration and sexual tension. We can’t wait to see these poets develop into all-stars.

The second round brought a bevy of dudes but few women. Yusra was the standout female, and she didn’t disappoint, delivering a poem on love that left the room quiet. Adrick, from Vancouver, combined excellent writing with humour to bring some light-heartedness to the round, and Gypsy Eyes told us a touching story about visiting his dying mother.

The third round featured Gypsy, Adrick and Macer, and it was a tight battle. Macer had the anchor spot and delivered his now-classic piece about animals in the woods, but Adrick was the winner (but he’s not coming back to TPS, he said, so catch him in Vancouver when you make the trip there). Undoubtedly, it was a strong slam to cap off 2009, and many people remarked about the diverse voices they heard on stage.

We begin 2010 with a bang, featuring Patrick Swan (Regina) on January 16. And don’t forget our all-female slam on Jan. 20 at The Boat, details in the forum.

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