Lamar Legend

Sometimes I just go on a Judy Garland binge via YouTube.

I simply create a playlist and let our voices fly...

Writing this one-man show couldn't be more difficult.

Aside from the years of convincing it took from several external sources and forces to get me to finally agree to doing this, now --- that I finally have some semblance of what I want it to look like and be about I'm still running up against internal walls.

The most current? Believe it or not, content.

Yes, I know, I have a wealth of material: My life.

But its piecing together which parts are not only relevant but captivating.

(And still I write poetry... which provides more content. But then I'm not sure where to put it or how to use it.)

Inevitably bringing me to the unfortunate stump or "block".

Don't worry. I'll try to push through.

Last night I won my first slam poetry competition at LouderArts/Bar13.

3 Rounds.

10 Poets.

7 men. 3 women.

All three women made it to the 2nd round. I was one of two men.

And in the 3rd round. I was the only man left.

Really, I still find the whole thing shocking. 

I've only been performing my poetry publicly for the past 8 months. Typically, at Open Mics.

This is the second time I've entered a slam competition. The first time, I was the first poet up, and was out within the 1st round. The poem I used was a love poem ("Liz Taylor"). An interesting point because weeks later, I found out from a veteran slammer that love poems do not win slam competitions (common knowledge amongst them, apparently).

A more interesting point is that the poem I read last night in the final round --- the poem that won me 1st place --- was the same poem that lost me the previous competition: "Liz Taylor"... A love poem.