Orange and red lights shined on the stage with a single stool, a microphone and a faux brick background.
This isn't a nightclub or coffee shop. This is Lansing Community College's Kennedy Cafeteria.
As students grabbed pizza, salad and other snacks at one side, the far end of the cafeteria was filled with anxious students ready to perform.
"I'm a little nervous being in front of a new group, but I'm going to give it my all," said Brenden Todd, a senior at Everett High School and member of the school's urban arts society.
Lansing Community College, or LCC, hosted its third annual "Lyrical Slam and Poetry Jam" on Wednesday night. Rina Risper, coordinator of the Lansing poetry group, Nu poet Collective, and publisher of The New Citizens Press, hosted the event.
Voices were raised, words were rhymed and the entire stage was controlled by the body movements of the artists. The audience snapped, shouted and cheered the performers on from cafeteria tables.
College students performed original poems and competed for prizes. First place went to Dominique Patterson, an LCC motion picture production student.
There was a separate competition for middle school and high school students. Five judges ranked the performers on poem content and performers' originality, quality and use of imagery, as well as rhythm and stage performance.
Winners were chosen at the college level and at the combined middle and high school level. First-place got $100 and second-place winners won $50.
The event also featured Grammy-nominated artist Umar Bin Hassan, a member of the Last Poets, who does slam poetry all across the country.
"This is great for people who want to deal with things that are real and substantial," Hassan said.
The slam poetry event brings a different flavor and a chance for the community to come together, Risper said.
"The main thing is this gives us the opportunity to work with young people. It allows them to express themselves," she said. "Oftentimes we pay attention to the jocks, and this gives the literary stars an opportunity to get out there. It is very important that we support events like this. It's fun and it's therapy for the writers, as well as for the audience."
Risper believes everyone can enjoy the atmosphere, find a common ground and get something positive from poetry events.
"This is my motto: 'Some people like to wear Birkenstocks, some people like to wear stilettos, but everyone has to wear shoes,'" she said. "We can all learn from each other."
Tiya Kunaiyi, a member of the Nu Poet Collective, said the Lyrical Slam and Poetry Jam gives artists in the area a medium for expression.
"Here in the Midwest it's easy to get sucked into this idea that if we were in some big, cool city the art scene would be better," she said. "We need to push artistic events like this to the forefront so everyone can see this amazing underflow — this strong current of art that is alive in our community."
