The WNBA's Miami team, the Miami Sol, may no longer be around, but that isn't because Miami women don't know how to slam. Deborah Magdalena, the local founder of SWAN (Supporting Women Artists Now) realized that 305 women needed a court of sorts to display their poetry slam prowess. "There aren't many events in Miami that focus solely on supporting women artists -- especially poets."
With this in mind, she joined forces with Fuze, the beverage company, and the Miami Design District, to form the Lady Boheme Artists Series: Spoken Soul Festival Quarterly. Now, four times a year, female lyricists battle it out in front of an audience for hundreds of dollars in cash.
The inaugural event took place this past Saturday at the Buena Vista building, and was emceed by local spoken word icon and New Times 100 Creative, Ingrid B.
The poets finishing in the top three spots were Kristina Medero, Katrina "Poettis" Sapp Holder, and Katie Wirsing. The women performed pieces about love, regret, domestic abuse, AIDS, and being a "weird superhero."
The slam was highly interactive with the audience jeering the judges on almost every score and giving feedback to the poets as they performed their pieces on stage. This is definitely an event to mark down in your calendars, especially considering that Magdalena is going to incorporate a b-girl element by having female breakdancers at the next event. To quote Magdalena, "To say the event was a slam-dunk is putting it mildly."
Here's first place winner, Katie Wirsing:
And third Place winner Kristina Medero:
