Club Dada hosts open mic poetry slam “Slamdada”

by Laura Seewoester

I went out to Club Dada to see their new Slamdada, an open mic poetry slam that started last month and takes place about every other Wednesday. Slamdada moved from Pugsley's Library to Club Dada one month ago in an effort to bring spoken word back to Deep Ellum.

The crowd was small but enthusiastic and not lacking in poetry and spoken word. It was not your traditional slam, where random audience members judge and pick apart the poems, but only because us non-poets in attendance were far and few between this time around. The ambiance was also much less pretentious than I expected. No black beret's, no stuffy attitudes, just cool people happy to see you there. If you have never been to see live poetry/spoken word, it's definitely worth checking out. The artists stand up, much like a comic would, but instead of jokes they offer a fusion of the written word spoken aloud.

I would think the artists would sheepishly approach the stage, nervous about spilling their souls out loud, in front of an audience. Much to my surprise, the artists weren't shy at all to stand up and express themselves and share their version of what one could call the human condition. These artists are not asking you to agree with them or even like their work, all they are asking is that you show up and listen. And tip your bartender. They ask you to do that too.

"This is the resurgence of spoken word," said Eric, host for the evening and a poet himself. Their big event of the season will take place on Halloween night with Danny Sherrard, the 2007 Slam Poetry National Champion. Yes, there is a $5 cover, but before you start crying about a $5 cover, remember that it's less than a movie ticket and all the proceeds go back to the poets. Which is good, because if there was money in poetry everyone would be doing it. If you are a poet interested in participating, just show up and write your name on the list, then go up and speak your words.