Last night I made my debut onto the art scene in Dallas attending my very first poetry slam. The open mike slam was hosted inside “The Mountain,” a multi-roomed, five-hundred square foot art installment at Conduit Gallery in the Dallas Design District (Pictured below). The Mountain was designed and constructed by Jill Foley, a recent graduate of SMU’s Masters in Fine Arts program.

Apprehensive about venturing into a new crowd, I was put at ease immediately when I was greeted by Jill herself. She welcomed me, introduced me to her brother and boyfriend, and offered me chocolate. Now that’s a warm welcome! Since I was early, we had the opportunity to chat. I was amazed to learn that the entire structure was constructed with cardboard and hot glue. We bonded over our passion for hot glue guns.

After a half an hour of wine and mingling, the poetry slam kicked off with a reading by Jill of Shel Silverstein’s “Yuck.” Several other great performers followed reciting poems, lyrics and more. Some read from books, others from note pads and even one from his blackberry. Some were serious, but most were downright hilarious.

The poetry slam was the first of three Thursday night events running through October 1 to be hosted by Jill at Conduit Gallery. The next two events will be hosted on September 24 and October 1 from 6:30-8:30 pm. Check back at LowerOakLawn.com soon for information on upcoming events.

A crowd of about twenty enjoyed the show on pillows and cushions that were strewn across the floor of the cave. It was a fun,  laid-back way to spend a rainy Thursday evening.

View more photos of the Poetry Slam in our Photo Gallery.

If you performed at a poetry slam what poem would you read?