The days of giving Mom a heartfelt poem on Mother’s Day aren’t over yet.
WOW Hall will host its first WOW MOM WOW Poetry Slam this Sunday night at 8 p.m. The event features local slam poets competing for a $100 prize while sharing their thoughts on Mom and more.
Tobiah Tillman, better known to Eugene as Radical Monk, is organizing the event with University graduate student and poet Dandelion. Their first slam at WOW Hall on March 7 was a huge success with 250 people, and they are expecting an even larger event on Sunday.
Although the slam is geared toward Mother’s Day — moms get in free and childcare will be provided — poets will likely slam about many different subjects besides mothers. The event will feature approximately 15 to 30 local poets and looks to be an empowering and entertaining evening.
“I’d say look forward to a lot of passion coming from these poets, a lot of love toward the moms and a way to get really woken up,” Tillman said.
Tillman is doing this slam in honor of his mother, even though she lives states away and won’t be able to attend. He will perform his own poem “Momma,” which he recently shared at an open mic and with his mother via Facebook.
“She loved it. We actually had a good talk after that; she was honored. It inspired her to write a Mother’s Day poem for her mom as well,” he said.
But even if some people’s mothers can’t make it to the event, Sunday’s slam is a way to honor all the mothers of the world by celebrating originality and creativity.
“Slam poetry is something that really brings together a diverse group of people. It’s not just a hip-hop scene, it’s not rock, it’s not anything. So all kinds of people come to these things, from whatever background they come from, and the poetry slam gives people a platform so they can get their message out there,” he said.
Since moving to Eugene from Portland in January, Tillman, 27, has already made an impact on the local poetry scene, organizing events, slamming at various open mics and making plans for larger projects in the community. He’s part of a new poetry slam team at WOW Hall that’s looking for people to join and perform in different cities across the country.
He also holds a weekly poetry slam at the Maitreya Buddha Spiritual Center every Friday and is working with Energy Village, a group focused on re-energizing downtown Eugene, to start a school for local youth.
“I want to get kids off the streets and into putting all that energy and creativity to good use because there’s a lot of wasted human energy out there … And they’re really into the poetry,” Tillman said.
He’s extremely excited about all the possibilities Eugene holds for the poetry slam movement and considers the slam to be one of the most expressive ways to make a difference.
“Slam poetry is a way to really have your ideas and your words understood and heard. Whereas with music people get lost in the melody, in the instrumentals and just the beautiful sound of the voice. They don’t necessarily listen to what you have to say. With slam, I’m able to reach people and spread the love,” he said.
Especially in the current political climate, Tillman believes there is no better time or place for an event like Sunday’s slam, where local poets can reach people, spread the love and celebrate Mother’s Day in style.
“We decided to put on the slam because we wanted to be a part of this artistic revolution that was going on. The way the economy is right now, the war, the police getting more violent, the immigration craziness ­— people’s voices really need to be heard right now,” Tillman said.
[email protected]