Each month, poets and creative writers are invited to Grayson, Kentucky, for the Holler Down the Holler poetry slam where they can compete for cash prizes.
Poetry slams began in Chicago in 1984, when American poet, Marc Kelly Smith, wanted to take poetry from its traditional academic setting to the places where everyone in the community is comfortable gathering.
The Grayson event was started in August 2018 by Jeremy Wells, and is hosted at the Grayson Gallery & Art Center.
Wells, a native of neighboring Greenup county, moved away from the area for several years, spending time in Austin and Denver – even living with the Austin poetry “slam master” for a time. He said when he heard the poems depicting rural themes, it struck him that there were a lot of similarities to Appalachian life. One in particular was “Abuelo’s Garden” by Mexican-American poet, Joaquin Zihuatanejo, from Dallas, describing working in a grandparent’s garden, which reminded Wells of his own experience digging potatoes in his grandparent’s garden.
It led him to explore the genre of rural roots poetry, and eventually start Holler Down the Holler when he moved back home.
The general rules for poetry slam are:
- There are three rounds wherein each poet reads for three minutes (they incur a 1/2 point plenty for every 10 seconds over)
- Original poems only
- No props or music allowed
At Holler Down the Holler, the performances are judged by a panel of judges – typically five – and usually selected from the audience, or sometimes judged by audience response. The judges usually give each poem a score on a scale of 0–10 (zero being the worst and ten being the best). The highest and lowest scores are dropped and the middle three are kept. Each month, Holler gives out $100 total ($50 first place, $30 second, $20 third).
Holler Down the Holler is open to all ages from across the Tri-State region of Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and beyond.
Wells, who heads up the competition as the Slam Master, said each slam has typically had about six poets. Wells said, “Giving away money helps encourage creativity, and emphasizes that here is value in it. These slams are introducing people to a new way of expressing themselves.”
He said the goal is to get about 13 poets regularly attending. This number allows the poets and audience to have a fuller experience. He hopes to eventually get a group from the area ready for the annual National Poetry Slam.
Hosting a place where all people can express themselves gives Appalachians a larger voice. This voice is critical to Appalachia’s New Day.
About: Appalachia’s New Day is a new storytelling effort offered by MACED to eastern Kentucky communities. We can work with you to help identify, shape and amplify stories about businesses, programs and initiatives in your community that are helping build a new economy in eastern Kentucky. Read more stories here. Contact us or sign up here if you would like more details.
