Ellington

I belong here. I belong here. I belong here,” junior Katie McCorkell chants, as what appear to be at least 75 “manic mouths” echo these tender words. Here is a cozy attic, in a coffee shop, in an alleyway on the Ave — intimate overhead spotlights illuminating hues of canary yellow paint. Here is a container of body heat, fueled creativity, resounding snaps, claps and taps. Spoken word, short stories, stand-up — hell, even dramatic Gaga readings. Here is a community, a home, a family — UW’s new poetry slam club, Manic Mouth Congress.

The success of Manic Mouth Congress’ first open mic of the year on Oct. 7 at Café Allegro was, perhaps, not entirely anticipated.

“I didn’t think that no one would come, but I was definitely a bit surprised by the turnout,” McCorkell said.

McCorkell believes everyone is a poet, and the range of attendees and mediums shared during the event was testimony to just that.

Among the performers was sophomore officer Sam Kolodezh, who only recently tried his hand at slam poetry. For the open mic, his aim was to create something with “complexity in simplicity.” His simple concept? Laughter.

Kolodezh recited: “Laughter is non-specific / It makes me wonder why it doesn’t come with a manual so that with some assembly required I can put it on my kitchen table and use it to dish out sizzling “heh”s and bursting “ha”s one appropriate piece at a time / An Easter egg chuckle for the neighbor, a truffle smooth laugh for that girl, a pop-rock burst for the school-days friend, and a charming staccato ginger-snap for the boss.”

Kolodezh personally derives inspiration from much of poet Anis Mojgani’s work. “He has a lyrical flow to his poems that I love, and even when writing about serious or sad issues he is hopeful,” Kolodezh said. “There is an openness to his poetry. That’s what I strive for in mine — an openness, something that can hopefully give someone shivers, but keep them light at the same time.”

Whatever you do, just don’t call these poets and their work ordinary. As each artist performs his or her piece, particular attention is paid to inflection of volume and tone. This is poetry with pizazz. Perhaps sitting in the audience is something that must be experienced to fully comprehend the art of it.

Take it from Manic Mouth Congress founder, sophomore Shelby Handler, who is “well-versed” in all things poetry.

“Slam is a speck within the larger category of performance poetry, or spoken word. Obviously, its major difference from page poetry is the added layer of performance,” Handler said. “It brings poetry to people in a way that many have never seen before. It can produce powerful art that an audience is excited to experience. It’s a tiny brick building on humanity’s oral tradition and because of that, I believe it can draw a strong reaction from listeners.”

Handler was the last to stand before the room at Manic Mouth Congress’ first open mic. She recited a piece titled “Lucky,” saving up a considerable amount of exuberance in her performance to leave audience members’ creativity still reeling. (See excerpt at left.)

By the end of the event, there wasn’t an emotion that hadn’t been tapped into; for those few hours, chuckles, knee-slapping and even tears were familiar blurs. In one instant, there was Javonna Arriaga sharing a heartfelt piece of remembrance for her deceased friend — and in the next, Beowulf in Old English.

Each performer that stepped in front of the room was greeted with open arms and audience members were encouraged to shout out their favorite lines from performers’ work upon their completion. This is the sort of community that Handler takes much pride in.

“There is something about slam that builds a unique community of writers and readers,” Handler said.

Manic Mouth Congress is an organization that arose rather organically. Handler worked alongside Arriaga and Kolodezh as members of the Common Book student panel. This immediate circle of die-hard poets expanded with Jessica Yi and Katie McCorkell of Youth Speaks, a Seattle-based non-profit youth literary arts organization. Manic Mouth Congress continues to grow and leadership responsibilities are almost always available for those who seek them. A status of “junior officer” is even available to those who “want to be involved, but not too involved, per se,” Kolodezh said. The club also offers a unique “street team,” for spreading the word about slam poetry.

The club is currently in the process of fundraising to send members of Manic Mouth Congress to Nationals in April (for the first time under the new club name Manic Mouth Congress). Handler was among five members of the then-titled “UW Poetry Slam” to be represented at a national level last year. The group received sixth in the nation, beating out universities like Stanford and Yale.

Manic Mouth Congress expects to move into larger venues down the road, given the large number of participants. And while participants will not be packed into small coffee shops like sardines, the club will likely remain just as intimate, just as close-knit.

It’s this outpouring of support and appreciation for words that have left articulate spoken word artists speechless upon exiting Manic Mouth Congress’ events.

“This was … beyond words,” sophomore Dustin Chiang said. “Just incomprehensible.”

Reach reporter Colin Gorenstein at weekender@dailyuw.com.