It was back to school for some people, but it was business as usual for the strong spoken word scene in Toronto. The Slam was rammed once again as poets new and veteran peppered the lineup. In the first round, we heard pieces about working at Tim Horton’s from Kimiko, the plight of child soldiers from Tripp, the frustration of getting outfitted with F-cup bras from Ariel, and many more. Some standout poetry included work from White Noise Machine (welcome back) and the crowd was seriously feeling Arianna’s first piece about her nephew’s medical struggle.

In the second round, Yogi brought the fire with a piece filled with powerful conviction, and Truth reminded us about her hate-on for Santa. Made Wade brought his tight rap flow to the stage, which contrasted nicely with some of the softer pieces by Kimiko and others.

When the third round was all said n’ done, it was Made Wade who emerged victorious, nabbing his first ever Toronto Poetry Slam win. He took home $80 and a gift certificate to Sushi on Bloor, while also nabbing a spot in the semi-finals (as long as he slams once again this season).

Not to be forgotten was our kickass feature, Ardath Whnacht from Halifax. She actually read poetry at a poetry slam — quoi? It was beautiful and intense, tender and captivating. There was a nice moment when Ardath welcomed fellow Haligonian Izreal Jones to the stage, inviting him to read a poem solely written in TV show titles.

Thanks to everyone who came to support the Slam on Saturday, because the event is nothing without the audience love. Also, check out the Listings section in this site to see what else is goin down in the city, and circle Oct. 18 on your calendar….Ami Mattison is featuring, and if the trend holds, more lovely poetry from the Toronto scene will descend on the Drake stage.

Until then!

This entry was posted by Dave under Slam roundups.