“Blurred Realities” events and exhibits deal heavily with the effects, both societally and mentally, of AI and misinformation. Director of Marketing and Communications at MSU Museum Stephanie Palagyi had discussed why the Slam was able to bring voice to these topics.

“The content of the performances is inspired by the 'Blurred Realities' exhibition, so poets are responding to ideas like misinformation, artificial intelligence, bias and how we interpret truth in today’s media landscape. That connection gives the event a stronger thematic focus than a typical slam,” Palagyi said.

Palagyi discussed how the “Blurred Realities” Poetry Slam stands out from other poetry slams.

“What makes the MSU Museum’s Blurred Realities Poetry Slam stand out is how closely it’s tied to the Museum’s current exhibition and its themes. While it follows the familiar poetry slam format, with live performances and audience-selected judges awarding scores and prizes, it’s also designed as a more interactive and reflective experience,” Palagyi said. “It is also intentionally welcoming to a wide range of participants, from experienced poets to first-time performers, and encourages audience engagement throughout the evening, both in scoring and in reflecting on the ideas being explored.”

The participants were a crowd of both MSU students and poets from the greater Lansing area. Arts and humanities and English secondary education sophomore Juno Bursch was one participant in the poetry slam. 

“I'm most looking forward to listening to the sorts of poem topics that my peers and colleagues are creating. I'm also excited for some friendly competition! No harm, no foul,” Bursch said.

Journalism freshman Sarah Lauzon was interested in the event’s originality.

“I think the Blurred Realities exhibit at the museum covers topics that are very relevant to everyone on campus whether they realize it or not. We’re living in a world that’s shaped by algorithms and an internet that’s plagued by misinformation and entirely fabricated people, concepts and news," Lauzon said. "People engaging with the exhibit through poetry seems perfect to me because of how deeply human poetry is, and how that contrasts with the inhuman subject matter.”