The War of the Words

Though the U-Store and Micawber Books stock dozens of books by William Wordsworth and Dylan Thomas, those by Godiva, Transit Thought and Talaam Acey are nowhere to be found.

These poets are the stars of the area's slam poetry scene, a little-known circle that is quickly leaving trails in cafes and bars throughout the world.

The poetry slam is the literary equivalent of a home run derby, in which poetic heavy hitters step up to the mic to demonstrate their lexiconic prowess and impress the audience.

And every Thursday night at the Urban Word Cafe in Trenton, they do.

"Poetry has as much energy as a movie," said Bob Salup, the organizer of the Urban Word poetry slams.

Hundreds of customers crowd Urban Word's intimate salon for the slams, in which about a dozen poets deliver original verse without the use of background music or props. Judges then rate the poems with a score from zero to 10. The five highest scoring poets compete in a second round, in which the two best poets move on to a third round to duel for a cash prize.

Inside the cafe, dimly lit light bulbs dangle from cords that hang from the ceiling. Artwork on the brick walls changes frequently from landscapes to modern. And two blue lights criss-cross the one-foot-high wooden stage that leans against Urban Word's glass window façade.

When the poets read their works, the words do not just flow from their lips. Instead, the words seem to flow through their entire bodies, leaking from their arms, chests and waists. Poets swing with their poems, wave their hands and contort their bodies to match their inflection.

"It's a real adrenaline rush," slam poet, Roy Smith, said. "It gets your heart pumping. I think everybody feels that way."

Slam poetry is a genre unique from the vibrant Princeton arts community. Though 185 Nassau holds weekly and biweekly readings by acclaimed poets and fiction writers and though Murray-Dodge Cafe occasionally stages open-mic nights, poetry slams are rare, if not nonexistent, on campus.

According to the poetic warriors, slams require more emotion than other types of readings, and they usually cater to an urban flavor.

"Fake poets get disqualified for not thinking loud enough," wordsmith Ainsley Burroughs slammed in his performance as the featured poet.

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Salup explained, "Academics don't always do well. They must be in-your-face performance poets."

Despite being a counterculture of sorts, this new breed of belligerent literati is not afraid to challenge poets who are more notable.

"I really want to slam against Yusef Komunyakaa," Salup joked. "Bring C.K. Williams. They couldn't touch guys like Talaam or Transit Thought."

While many of the poets are in their mid-20s and live in Trenton, others come from Newark and rural Pennsylvania and range in age from 15 to 80.

Though slam poetry is becoming ever popular on the east coast with the highly publicized Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York, the history of the poetry slam dates back more than a decade to a small bar in Chicago. The idea originated when Chicago poet Marc Smith conceived a poetry competition to entertain customers at the Green Mill.

Since then, the poetry slam has taken off with spoken word programs on MTV and television documentaries on HBO and PBS. Salup moved the slams last June to Urban Word after nearly a decade at another venue in New Hope, Pa.

The Urban Word Cafe is located across the street from the Sovereign Bank Arena on South Broad Street. The arts cafe features live entertainment nearly every night and a wide menu selection, from hamburgers to salmon steak. Though the food is excellent, it is a bit pricey for the small portion sizes. Entrees are about $15 and appetizers $6. The crowd is in their late 20s and early 30s and represents a variety of races.

Though slams will continue in February, the audience will be selecting its slam team during the month to compete in the National Poetry Slam in Seattle. In March, featured poets will include Tim Wells, Talaam Acey and Shane Koyczan, the winner of last year's National Poetry Slam.

To get to the Urban Word Cafe, take Route 1 South to the Route 129 exit and follow signs for the arena down Hamilton Avenue. The slam is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays, but the first poet usually does not read until 9:00. A five-dollar cover charge goes to the prize money. For information about the poetry slams or any other events at the Urban Word Cafe, call (609) 989-7777 or visit www.urbanword.com .