After hosting the Phoenix Poetry Slam for three years, Aaron Hopkins-Johnson announced on Nov. 25 that he and Lawn Gnome Publishing will no longer run and host the slam.
The decision was a result of growing conflict and tension between poets as the slam has become increasingly competitive and popular in Phoenix.
“The stakes are really high and the competition gets fierce,” Hopkins-Johnson said. “When there are threats of violence and disagreements of politics or how to write poetry, there is all kinds of conversation back and forth between the poets and it gets really heated, to the point where it got really scary for me three weeks ago.”
He said the violent threats stemmed from a disagreement between two poets. At the last slam, poets were asked to sign a code of conduct, and the two involved in the disagreement were asked to apologize. When these efforts failed to remedy the situation, Hopkins-Johnson announced his decision to step down as “slammaster.”
“A lot of time is dealt with trying to make sure the slam is as fair as possible to as many people as possible,” Hopkins-Johnson said. “I’d rather end on a high note and be proud of what I have done than to hurt any more egos, deal with politics or have violence break out in my venue.”
Although there are no more poetry slams at Lawn Gnome, the business has already added a new weekly Thursday night event, the WikiMedia Show. Each week, a team of poets, storytellers, musicians, academics and other performers will present pieces centered around a preselected topic, such as ants or buoyancy.
“The goal is to shift away from competition and highlight how performance of storytelling and music, combined with academics, can provide an educational and entertaining platform for the community,” Hopkins-Johnson said.
Deborah Berman, a local poet and co-founder of Balboa Poet House in Tempe, said she wants poets to use this time to step back and think about their goals.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for slam poets and supporters of slam to reassess why they are in slam to begin with,” Berman said. “I think the slam itself has created an atmosphere where the people that are involved in it focus more on the numbers or building a name for themselves or being better than their competitors.”
Berman said she is hopeful for the future of slam poetry in Phoenix, but she realizes that change is necessary.
“One thing that really needs to be improved upon is our diversity,” Berman said. “I think there is a big gap between the races and the genders, and I think we need more women, Hispanic, black and gay writers.”
The lack of diversity in the Phoenix slam scene has been a growing concern for many, including Joy Young, a poet and teaching artist. Young has been advocating for safe spaces where people of all genders, races and sexual orientations can enjoy and read poetry without feeling uncomfortable.
“People should be aware if their words are harmful to others,” Young said. “I believe that free speech left unchecked becomes exclusionary, because privilege exists.”
Young said they believe changes need to be made to ensure the comfort of all poets and audience members in environments that encourage growth and experimentation.
“I would like a code of conduct and a slam that pushes new material and spaces for writing, (one that) allows poets to grow because they have to think more and experiment more,” Young said.
Excitement and interest in slam poetry have increased since Phoenix hosted the Individual World Poetry Slam in October. Local poets and organizers are picking up where Hopkins-Johnson left off by creating new events that introduce more people to slam and give the community a platform for open expression and free speech.
Phoenix poet and host Emily Cimino has helped organize a new monthly event, tentatively titled Downtown Phoenix Slam, that will start Saturday night at Firehouse Gallery.
“I think that it’s time for the city to expand poetry slam to a wider audience and to get more people involved,” Cimino said. “I hate to see it go there at Lawn Gnome because that’s where I got my start, but at the same time, I am excited about the change.”
Cimino said she is eager to establish an open community where a diverse group of poets can perform and anyone can participate.
“I would like to start fundraising now to send teams and individuals to represent Phoenix in national events,” Cimino said. “Poetry has no division. Anyone can perform and anyone can enjoy it.”
Contact the reporter at rbouley@asu.edu
