Poetry Slam featuring guest reader Tanya Olsen
November 13, 2014
Uptown hosted a poetry slam featuring Tanya Olson as the guest reader on Nov. 7. The event was co-sponsored by the Stadler Center for Poetry.
Olson is an award-winning poet who has had her work printed in many known publications such as Pedestal Magazine, PANK, Southword, and Boston Review. Her first book, “Boyishly,” was published by YesYes Books in 2013, and is a collection of distinctly American poems resonating with themes of gender, childhood, and love.
The Uptown poetry slams include poetry and spoken word by both students and a featured poet. Attendees are provided with pizza and other refreshments. Unfortunately, this was one of the shortest shows they have had this year due to lack of student attendance. Those who did attend the poetry slam expressed that it was worth their time.
“It was a fantastic reading of creative poems that made the listener think about the concept of love in non-traditional ways that incorporate other aspects such as environmentalism and gender roles. Her humor was witty, and although the attendance was sparse, everyone seemed to have benefited from listening to captivating poetry from both their peers and Tanya Olsen,” Nicole Srbin ’16 said.
Attendees seemed to have had a great night at the poetry slam and got to appreciate the artistic work of Olsen and their peers.