Spring Break
Emerging poet from Massachusetts to perform tomorrow
Edward Humphrys
Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: Lifestyles
A young Brookline, Mass., poet will take center stage 7 p.m. tomorrow as the University Programs Coffeehouse Committee hosts a poetry slam featuring emerging artist Shirla Erlichman. The event is free and open to the public.
Erlichman's performance is part of a series of slam poetry events that the Coffeehouse Committee hosts through the year, said Michelle Miesse, spokesperson for the committee.
Slam is a method of verbal presentation for poetry characterized by an often-competitive atmosphere. Poets attempt to outperform each other using a variety of theatrical and delivery techniques, ranging from explosions of movement and sound to intense hushed whispers, the selection of which is often dependent on the content of the work the poet is presenting. This facet of physicality serves to differentiate slam poetry from the ordinary written word.
Erlichman has built a considerable reputation for herself through her engagingly accessible style, according to a press release.
Erlichman's performances can be best described as high-intensity exercises in storm and stress. Her voice often falls into a focused dramatic whisper, sometimes bordering on a monotonous drone, only to rise up again in a torrent of unbelievable, precisely enunciated phrases.
Her poetry encompasses themes as diverse as the nature of identity and perception to women's role in modern society, subjects which she portrays with a rich palette of imagery from the contemporary world arranged into dizzying compositions. Humor and a passionate youthful seriousness often intertwine within the poems, giving the performances an intense invigorating multidimensionality.
Her specific brand of poetic delivery has awarded Erlichman recognition beyond her age. An active participant in the slam poetry circuit, Erlichman has been featured at the College National and Adult National annual competitions, aside from securing numerous wins at smaller competitions and events, according to a press release.
"Shira Erlichman is a budding poet. She's already won quite a few awards, but she's still young, and I think it's important to not only showcase the classics (Buddy Wakefield, etc.) but the newer poets as well," Miesse said.
"Her poetry is beautiful, funny and completely rad, so the Coffeehouse Committee really wanted to bring her to the university to expose her work to the students and anybody else who comes," she said.
Erlichman's performance is part of a series of slam poetry events that the Coffeehouse Committee hosts through the year, said Michelle Miesse, spokesperson for the committee.
Slam is a method of verbal presentation for poetry characterized by an often-competitive atmosphere. Poets attempt to outperform each other using a variety of theatrical and delivery techniques, ranging from explosions of movement and sound to intense hushed whispers, the selection of which is often dependent on the content of the work the poet is presenting. This facet of physicality serves to differentiate slam poetry from the ordinary written word.
Erlichman has built a considerable reputation for herself through her engagingly accessible style, according to a press release.
Erlichman's performances can be best described as high-intensity exercises in storm and stress. Her voice often falls into a focused dramatic whisper, sometimes bordering on a monotonous drone, only to rise up again in a torrent of unbelievable, precisely enunciated phrases.
Her poetry encompasses themes as diverse as the nature of identity and perception to women's role in modern society, subjects which she portrays with a rich palette of imagery from the contemporary world arranged into dizzying compositions. Humor and a passionate youthful seriousness often intertwine within the poems, giving the performances an intense invigorating multidimensionality.
Her specific brand of poetic delivery has awarded Erlichman recognition beyond her age. An active participant in the slam poetry circuit, Erlichman has been featured at the College National and Adult National annual competitions, aside from securing numerous wins at smaller competitions and events, according to a press release.
"Shira Erlichman is a budding poet. She's already won quite a few awards, but she's still young, and I think it's important to not only showcase the classics (Buddy Wakefield, etc.) but the newer poets as well," Miesse said.
"Her poetry is beautiful, funny and completely rad, so the Coffeehouse Committee really wanted to bring her to the university to expose her work to the students and anybody else who comes," she said.
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