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ONLINE 02-FEB-01 Poetry Slams now on coffeehouse menu Carly Kocurek thresher editorial staff katie streit/thresher Left Sol shares her powerful poem about child rape at the Coffeehouse's second Poetry Slam on Jan. 24. The event's organizers hope to make the slams a monthly event. The next slam is Feb. 22. The Rice Coffeehouse hosted its second Poetry Slam on Jan. 24. Nine performers recited original poetry for judges and competed for cash in the event. Competitors performed and were judged based on three pieces of original work. Baker College freshman Rassul Zarinfar took home the $100 prize. The event was funded and organized by the Coffeehouse. Although the event was open to the public, students comprised most of the participants and the 60-person audience. "We had a couple of community members, but it's mostly Rice students," said slam organizer Layla Fry, a Wiess College senior. The Coffeehouse initiated the slams to increase student awareness of the slam format, and they hope to make the slams a monthly event, Fry said. "It'd be nice if Rice itself got so into it that they could create a slam team to send to nationals or regionals," Fry said. Fry said the slams are also intended to help promote the Coffeehouse as a performance venue and hangout. "We were looking for something that would really go hand-in-hand with the serving of coffee and the atmosphere, and we wanted to promote the new 'red' and 'blue' rooms we opened this year," Fry said. The Coffeehouse will hold its next slam Feb. 22. - back - Search the Thresher pages: Enter your search terms: Copyright © 2000 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved. This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu