University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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STUDENT LIFE ONE BOOK, MANY SONGS 28 TOP Organzier of the “One Book, Many Songs” competition, Chris Goering, introduces The Working Poor , his inspiration for the event. BOTTOM Freshman Jeanie Lopez-Hall strummed her guitar as she sang of her experiences with poverty. STORY Casey Freeman PHOTOS Whit Pruitt DESIGN Rachel Tucker ONE BOOK MANYSONGS

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STUDENT LIFEPOETRY SLAM 27 LEFT Jeremiah Blue reads a poem by a deceased author to keep her art alive at the poetry slam competition. The Individual World Poetry Slam, or IWPS, was a four- day festival where seventy-two of the best poets across the nation and beyond gathered together to compete in hopes of being crowned the greatest performer. The schedule for the festival included writing workshops, special evening events, and parties, which were hosted at venues throughout Fay¬ etteville for the first time. Doug Shields, a grad student in physics and volunteer coordinator for IWPS, managed the festival from behind- the-scenes by organizing many of the events, communicat¬ ing with volunteers, and making sure the festival was a huge success. “There has never been a poetry event this big in Fayetteville before,” said Shields. “The performing poets are known as slam champions in their home cities and it is an honor to have them here.” For those that are not often involved in this hip, under¬ ground scene, slam is described as a poetry stage show and competition that is judged by the audience. “The idea of slam is to make poetry into a show that everyone can par¬ ticipate in,” said Shields. The poets present their work under certain requirements and their ratings add up to an overall score, determining whether or not they win the slam. Local poets and spoken word fans gathered together at various themed open mic events, such as the Haiku Death- match, Erotic Poetry and Burlesque Show, Roots Open Mic celebrating the African American community, LGBT Open Mic, and the Nerd Slam. “There was never a free seat where I volunteered,” said junior anthropology major Reon Mobley. “However, when a poet began their performance, everyone got silent to enjoy the show.” Professional slam poets from around the country per¬ formed at popular locations in downtown Fayetteville, like Nightbird Books, Rogue, Scrapinos, and the UA’s very own Union Theatre. The Last Chance Slam, sponsored by the UP Coffeehouse Committee, allowed the winner to be entered into the “wild card” spot in the tournament. “It’s always a fun experience,” said Shields. “The poets brought their best to the table and the students seemed to enjoy when the competition got heated.” Students also took the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get involved and volunteer by hanging up posters, helping spread the word, and having various responsibilities at the slams that helped everything run smoothly. “Being a time keeper during a competition was an extraordinary experi¬ ence,” said Mobley. “I got to sit up close to the stage and listen to the poems with the utmost clarity.” According to Shields, more than eighty volunteers in total assisted in run¬ ning the event.

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Quiet settled in Nightbird Books as songwriters competing in the “One Book, Many Songs” competition moved to the front of the audience. For the second year in a row, local songwriters were given the opportunity to share songs they had written with the Fayetteville community. “’One Book, One Community’ is a campus-wide reading program where everyone on campus and in the community ideally reads one book together each year, and we have events for the community based on that book,” Chris Goering, committee member of the program, said. In 2011, Goering had the idea to create a competition where local songwriters could write songs based on the themes found in the chosen book. “I think there is no better way to communicate to the world than through song ... you may be able to reach more people with those ideas than the book itself,” Goering said. The 2012 book was The Working Poor by David K. Shipley. This book was chosen because of the relevance that the economy and poverty have during election years. Jeanie Lopez-Flall was the first contestant, and before she began singing, she shared with the audience her experience with poverty. “When I was younger I lived in Guatemala. While my father was in the United States trying to get visas for my family, we were living in a home made of dirt walls,” Lopez-Hall said. “So this is just written about my experience, and trying to do better than people thought I could do.” The winner of the competition, Judd Burns, brought in a piano to perform his song, titled “Stay Flungry.” “We push and strive, but it never amounts to a Single sliver of an ounce of the Life we lost and our lack of energy And the three meals that we slave to earn Aren’t enough quell the debt we’ve churned So I think I’ve found a recipe for me And that is to stay hungry,” Burns sang. The prize for winning was four hours of free studio recording time at East Hall Recording studio in Fayetteville. Goering hoped that the competition would continue to grow and that more people would support the “One Book, One Community” program in the years to come.