Jersey Girl Brings the Slam Scene to Well Read Books

One local woman is hoping to bring some color to the local arts scene with a series of poetry slams beginning tonight at in Hawthorne.

Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory, 22, recently graduated from New Jersey City University in Jersey City with a bachelor's degree in English and moved to Hawthorne, where she noticed something was missing.

"The arts are overlooked here, but art is an integral part of the community in Jersey City,"  Oprihory said. "There are so many non-profits dedicated to the arts, they have arts high schools, we really don't have that here."

Not one to sit around and let others have all the fun, she decided to create the Pleasantville Poetry Slam, a monthly series of poetry events bringing spoken word poetry to the people.

It was personal for Oprihory, who has been writing since she was 12 and performing since 16.

The performative aspect of what Oprihory does is called spoken word poetry. When you mix in judges, it's called slam poetry, or just slam.

According to Oprihory the slam scene originated in Chicago in the mid-eighties as a way to rope in an atypical audience.

"They were trying to get people who weren't necessarily into the arts scene into poetry," she said. "What they had there were sports fans, so they figured if you put scores on art something might click."

And it exploded, Oprihory said.

The poets at a slam make it their business to connect with audiences, firing off allegro rounds of alliteration or drawing listeners in with tactics usually reserved for Broadway productions.

"It's great to write for other poets, but we have to write for the world," Oprihory said.

Also scheduled to perform at the event are Brooklyn-based artist Shane Romero and Leslie DC Rose.

Romero, who's been performing since he was 16 years old, remains thankful for slam.

"It has helped mold me as a spoken word artist," Romero said. "It challenges me to display a very detailed important image to an audience."

"Poetry slams are great in getting people together to share their stories," he added.

Rose, who lives in Louisiana but is originally from Mount Holly, has been performing for 9 years and started competing in 2006.

"My interest in competing came from the sport feel of it," Rose said. "I have always been a very competitive person with no outlet — I can't play sports, I suck at board games, etc." 

The format Oprihory adopted for the event coming up at Well Read Books (which is owned by Glen Rock resident Bill Skees) will include a workshop — half writing, half performing — at 6 p.m. followed by a slam and open mic at 7 p.m.

If this slam is well attended and proves popular in the community, she hopes to continue the event monthly. If it takes root and people participate, she thinks big things can happen.

Oprihory insists poetry — slam, especially — has the real potential to change aesthetics, social norms, economics, education, politics, to help at-risk youth and raise people's social consciousness.

"We really want to become an integral part of the community and make sustainable art," Oprihory said. "It's really transforming the arts from an option to an asset."

Check out the Pleasantville Poetry Slam Facebook page for more info.