Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
MutaBaruka
When the finals of the 'Sey Sup'm' poetry competition begin at Weekenz, Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, tomorrow, six poets will be going stanza to stanza for a $50,000 winner takes all top prize.
Four of them, Joseph Current, Ites, Soupbone and Latoya Saunders, won their nights over the contest's four weeks, with Natalie Reynolds and Daniel Jennings being what Clement Hamilton of Root Cause, organisers of the contest, calls "producers' picks".
"What we decided to do, based on the level of the competition over the past two weeks, was collect the scores and select two extra persons," Hamilton said.
Although the contest is the focal point of the evening, it is part of an extensive package. Howard James of Root Cause outlined a programme which includes guest poets Sabrya Simon, Kei Miller, Dingo and Abebe Payne, as well as music from Serita and Airplai, with Dance Theatre Xpressionz putting on the moves. Steppa will once again host the contest while DJ Afifa will spin the discs.
Growing
The six competitors will do an introductory piece, which will not count towards the outcome, and then a single poem which will be assessed by judges Trevor Rhone, Lisa O'Gilvie and Mutabaruka.
There is the possibility of an extra poem as James said if there is a tie, the poets involved in the dead heat will do an extra poem and the judges will then make their decision.
Hamilton said over the past four Tuesdays of 'Sey Sup'm' "in terms of turnout, we would have expected more. But it has definitely been growing". He also points out that the audience on nomination day for the upcoming general election was surprising and he was pleased that "people still turned out to see poetry and that was encouraging".
'Sey Sup'm' is put on by Root Cause, in association with Mudslide, other sponsors being Exquisite Occasions, Carlo Rossi Wines, Weekenz and Niche Ideas.
Jamaican playwright Trevor Rhone performing his one-man play 'Bella's Gate Bot' before a NY audience at St. John's University recently. Contributed
