Beauty, intelligence and grace are a few characteristics one might first associate with poetry, but how about competitive spirit?

Poets at Friday's 2005 Mesa National Poetry Slamoff will face off for the four spots on the Mesa National Slam Team, which will participate in August's National Poetry Slam in Albuquerque, N.M.

Performing without props or musical accompaniment, the poets go three rounds, presenting an original work in each of them under a three-minute time limit. Five audience members are chosen to judge the performances on a scale of 1 to 10. The highest and lowest scores are not used, but the remaining three are added up to form a poet's score for a particular round.

“If you haven't seen a slamoff before, you're in for a treat,” poet Brent Hefron says.

The participating poets qualified for the event by earning points at weekly slam events hosted by the Anthology Cafe and the Essenza Coffeehouse, both in Mesa. “I'm very political, sarcastic and angry,” says Bernard Schober, aka “The Klute,” of his approach to poetry.
Hefron wants to give audiences something to relate to when he performs.

“I take personal things that I have gone through and present them in a way that somebody else can use them,” he says.

Another performing poet is Phoenix police officer Corbet Dean, who placed second at the 2002 National Poetry Slam in Minnesota and draws inspiration from his experiences on the force.

“I can bring a unique perspective to an art form that traditionally speaks out against authority,” he says.

Schober hopes people will support the slamoff because “it's one of the few events in the Valley that has maintained its spirit over the years” and will offer folks a chance to hear a wide variety of voices.

This will be the ninth year that Mesa sends a slam team to the national competition. Last year's event saw an attendance of over 250 people, but Anthology Inc., the organization behind the slamoff, expects that number to exceed 400. The slamoff will be hosted by Patrick Hare, a four-time member of the Mesa National Slam Team.

2005 Mesa National Poetry Slamoff
Where: Del Sol Reception Hall, 243 S. Mesa Drive, Mesa
When: 8 p.m. Friday
How much: $10 floor seating, $14 VIP
Info: or www.anthology.org