VCU slam poets triumphant at Virginia Tech competition, move on to nationals

“It was mutual love,” he added.

Slam Nahuatl, Richmond’s own slampoetry collective, emerged victorious at this past weekend’s Association of College Unions International competition at Virginia Tech, winning first prize against collegiate teams from across the east coast.

In succeeding against university slam poetry teams from Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, Slam Nahuatl secured their spot in the national competition – the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) – in La Verne, Calif. this April.

“They brought a lot of competition,” said Faisal Ilyas, junior information sciences major and poet with Slam Nahuatl. “But they showed us mad love, and in return we showed them mad love.”

Kristine Hadeed, senior mass communications major and fellow poet, said that Slam Nahuatl formed fast bonds with the teams they beat out for top prize.

“Even though it was a competition, and there’s a certain sense of skepticism and rivalry that goes with that, there was also a sense of community and respect for each others’ craft,” she said.

“I think they appreciated the diversity of our group, too. ... (The other teams commented on) how sometimes it’s easy to fall in ruts when you’re around all the same kind of lifestyles.”

“Some of them had accents on them, a little twang in the words,” said Rob Gibson, the senior communication arts major who won a second place individual prize in addition to the team’s collective first place. “It embodied where they were from, using the words that they did.”

The team was made up entirely of the winners of Slam Nahuatl’s Ram Slam nights – smaller slam competitions held over the past several months at Shafer Street Playhouse. Competitors at each Ram Slam entered for the chance to join Slam Nahuatl’s traveling competition team.

Two of the team members, freshmen Saidu Tejan-Thomas (undeclared) and Josh Braunstein (English), competed as first-time Slam Nahuatl members last weekend after earning their spots last semester. Both learned about the group through Gibson, who was a resident adviser on Tejan-Thomas’ floor.

Braunstein said that even as a new member, his experience with Slam Nahuatl was “judgemental-free”: “At the end of the day, we just like poetry. I want to hear other people do poetry and hear people from other parts of the country do poetry.”

“People who write poetry, but ... think that it’s not good enough to share ... (should know that) we don’t judge,” he said.

The Slam Nahuatl competition team will travel to La Verne, Calif. on April 18 to compete against college slam poets from across the country. Until then, they will continue to work with coaches Gaiya Giuseppe, Dr. Tawnya PettifordWates of Theatre VCU and Hamilton Graziano, Slam Nahuatl’s official Slam Master. CT

Slam Nahuatl, which takes its name in part from the Aztec word for “good clear sound,” celebrates the art of spoken word with monthly competitions like Ram Slam, while also holding fundraising events like their End Hunger Slam. For more information and ways to get involved, visit www. goodclearsound.org.

Out of the rubble

Photographers explore Richmond's ruins

Samantha Foster Staff Writer

Decayed Richmond was founded in 2010 as a photo blog, but is now making a documentary about their adventures capturing the abandoned buildings of Richmond on film.

Decayed Richmond is a collective of 10 to 15 artists, photographers and videographers.

“People pop in and help for a while, but they might not have as much to contribute,” said Decayed Richmond founder, J, who requested that his name not be published.

Decayed Richmond began as a photo blog, which is still used, but the website gained a lot of attention very quickly, J said. They then started interviewing people about these “treasure troves of abandonment” and posting the videos to their blog. The idea to create a documentary arose out of the want to combine their photography and interviews.

“We recently just funneled it all into one idea,” J said.

“I was taking photography classes and was looking for different things to photograph,” J said of his first experiences with these abandoned buildings.

“I always had an affinity for abandoned buildings and with my history with graffiti,” said P, a cofounder. “I would hear about these places just through word of mouth.”

Decayed Richmond is no longer affiliated with doing graffiti, however.

Decayed Richmond discovers these abandoned buildings through word of mouth, but also through looking on

Google Maps.

“We drive around looking,” J said.

“We also use Google Maps satellite. You look for vacant parking lots and broken windows.”

J and P said they do not consider what Decayed Richmond does to be illegal.

“I don’t see trespassing into an abandoned building as a crime,” J said. “We don’t forcibly enter buildings. We don’t damage property. We leave it the way we find it.”

P agreed.

“I think that there is a big hysteria around abandoned buildings that since they are neglected, they are dangerous,” P said. “There aren’t crack heads trying to stab you with needles.”

For their upcoming documentary, Decayed Richmond is raising money through Kickstarter.com, a website that helps creative groups to raise money for projects. Rewards for donations are offered.

Decayed Richmond said they hope to raise $3,000 by Feb. 29. This funding will help them buy sound equipment and finish shooting the film.

“It’s a do-it-yourself documentary, but we want it to look professional. DIY doesn’t necessarily mean low quality,” J said.

The Decayed Richmond documentary hopes to be completed by December 2012. They are also hoping to premiere their documentary at The Byrd Theatre.

“We’re not going to make any money off (the documentary),” P said. “It’s basically why the artist does art: We feel like we should be doing it.” CT

Out Of

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