This past Friday I had a chance to head to the London Music Club to check out the London Poetry Slam. In the beginning I wasn't sure what to expect, perhaps 20 people in attendance with a couple of them talking on stage about their boyfriend/girlfriend who dumped them, I just didn't know what I was getting myself into.

Well was I happily suprised when I arrived at the venue to a crowd that was bigger than I thought it would be.  I couldn't tell you how many people were there, but I can say that there was standing room only, with people sitting on the floor, sitting on each others' laps and sitting on tables. There was such a good turnout that next month they are moving to the larger room at the venue.

Throughout the night I was treated to 3 minute performances that spanned everything from humour about cooking, to sonets about love, to the serious side of addiction and abuse.  Listening to 10 performers throughout the night was a real treat.

At "half time" we were treated to a performance by Brendan McLeod a former Canadian poetry slam chamption, the author of a novel and part of the music group, The Fugitives.  His set was both entertaining and touching and added something additional to the evening.

I had never been to a poetry slam prior to Friday but I had a fantasic time.  The relaxed atmosphere, the great performers and the interaction that the crowd had throughout the entire evening are all things that will bring me back next month.

Although I didn't perform (although I did get myself on stage) I am sure that before the year is done I will make participating in the poetry slam one of my projects for http://www.fiftytwoweeks.ca

Make sure to check out http://londonpoetryslam.ca/ for more details of what its all about and the dates and times for the upcoming slams.

If you aren't sure of what a poetry slam is and want some basic details, head over to Wikipedia for some additional info.