Louder Than A Bomb Final Bout

Louder Than A Bomb Final Bout
YCA/file
Louder Than A Bomb Final Bout
YCA/file

Louder Than A Bomb Final Bout

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The annual “Louder Than A Bomb” teen poetry slam engages schools and community organizations from all over the Chicago area. This friendly competition gathers the best and brightest young writers (age 13-19) from thoughtout the region with the winners going on to represent Chicago at the national level.

“Louder Than A Bomb” is a safe space that emphasizes community building, education, and youth empowerment.  By carrying on the rich tradition of oral storytelling and the spoken word, this competition historically engages more than 350 youth participants representing over 40 schools and community centers to share stories, break stereotypes, and speak the truth, challenging themselves and their audience.

The competition took place February 28 through March 9 throughout Chicago.  Presented here is the Final Round of competition, including:

ROUND 1 -
Annie Kahane
Natalia Emanuel
Tim “Toaster” Henderson
Morgan Clevland


Special Guest: The Ravenswood Team (6th graders)


ROUND 2 -
Adam Gottlieb
Ona Wang
Marvin Gutierrez
Deja Taylor


Special Guest: First Wave Program (UW-Madison)


ROUND 3 -
Quenton “Q” Cole
Keith Redman
Josh Williams
Elisha Miles


Special Guest: GLC


INDY ROUND -
Esther Ikoro
Dianna Harris
Demetrius Amparan
Nate Marshall
Camea Osborn
Melissa Goldman


ROUND 4 -
Annalissia-Kiana “KeeKey” Itson
Jessica “Supreme” Disu
Jesse Welsh
Melanie “George” Decelles


TEAM ROUND -
WordPlay
Chicago 7
Kuumba Lynx
Northside College Prep

As co-host Kevin Coval said in the night’s concluding remarks, “the joke of Slam was to get people in a theater to listen to the truths of young people.  …it has worked, clearly.”

To hear studio recordings of the 2008 Louder Than a Bomb Teen Poetry Slam Finalists, click here.

Recorded Sunday, March 09, 2008 at The Vic Theatre.