On April 13, the JP Stevens Poetry Performance Club hosted its annual Slam Poetry Contest to celebrate National Poetry Month. This year’s poet lineup had performers from all grades, attracting a diverse audience of around 40 students and adults. Upon entering the auditorium, viewers had the opportunity to enjoy student-made posters displayed around the room featuring the poet’s favorite quotes relating to the theme of hope. 

“The Poetry Performance club put a lot of thought into the theme,” said junior poetry performance captain Edith Zhao, “But eventually we settled on hope, as it was a prominent theme in all our lives.” 

The auditorium stage was transformed into a cafe-like setting, which consisted of diner style tables, comfy sofas, and 90s music to set the tone. Lights were dimmed and replaced with candles to provide a mellow atmosphere. On the side of the stage was a long table where the judges of the evening sat. This consisted of Mr. Robinson, Ms. Solak, Mr. Alfonzo, Ms. Betancur, and Ms. Crowley.

The event began with junior Ella Paul, who delivered an introductory speech conveying  appreciation for the audience and poets. Sophomore Anushka Dubey kicked off the event with her poem, “Light and Dark,” which expressed how the relationship with hope is not always positive. Several other poets then went on to deliver heart-touching performances, detailing their relationships with hope in passionate ways. The last poem of the first batch, “Hope Habits” by sophomore Emily Hsu, which detailed the integral part in her recovering from her grandfather left the audience in tears. Afterwards, the audience was dismissed to enjoy a short intermission and reflect on the poems performed. 

After 10 minutes, audience members were politely asked to return to their seats for the second batch of speakers. The second batch of poems began with, “Physical Reality” by sophomore Nandita Anandkumar who described how hope played a significant role in providing her immigrant parents confidence when making the journey to America. She was followed by a series of talented poets that delivered extremely creative poems that left the audience in awe. The last poem, “Love and Loss” explaining the role of hope in loss, performed by senior Annika Santhanam, was a heartfelt end of the night. 

By the end of the performance, the auditorium resonated with applause. The judges were then given a 10 minute grace period to discuss the outcome of the event. During this time, poets were given the opportunity to mingle and chat with the audience consisting of friends and family.

 “I tried my best to relax, but I couldn’t help but be anxious in anticipation of the results,” said freshman Sneho Gosh.

When the grace period concluded, the poets returned to their comfortable seats on the stage. Performance Poetry Advisor, Mr. Kuczynski, began by expressing the difficulty of making such a decision and his love for all the poems presented today. The third place winner, receiving the prize of $50, was tenth grader, Kashvi Gera, who delivered an interesting poem that compared hope to her hatred for snow. The second place winner receiving the prize of $100 was tenth grader Emily Hsu. Her heartfelt poem detailed her experiences with hope when her grandfather was in the hospital. The first place winner, who received the prize of $150 and a trophy, was none other than eleventh grader, Edith Zhao, performance captain of the Poetry Performance club. 

“It was truly a great night,” says sophomore Nandita Anandkumar, “Edith’s poem about her sister provided us with a new perspective on hope. It was exciting to see the different interpretations of the prompt.” 

To conclude the night, the audience and poets were dismissed into the library, where they got to enjoy a variety of snacks and refreshments. In its entirety, the JP Stevens Slam Poetry contest turned out to be an amazing experience for all that attended.