Acclaimed ŒSlam Poet' Steve Colman to perform in Union Small Auditorium

Daniel Bercaw
Reflector Reporter

His style certainly isn't that of Robert Frost or Emily Dickenson. Taking a new-age slant on poetry, slam poet Steve Colman has transformed the art of the written word.

Colman will recite his hip-hop, rap-like poems tonight at 7:30 at the Union Small Auditorium in Colvard Union. The Campus Activities Board encourages students and members of the Starkville community to attend the free performance this evening. CAB attempts "every year to do a diverse range of programs to fit the campus. We had a relationship speaker in the spring and a speaker on why people believe in God in the fall. We want a wide range of programs," Paula Raffo, assistant director of the Colvard Union, said.

Raffo believes firmly that Colman fits CAB's goal to benefit the students. "He's a great speaker," Raffo said. "He's really interesting. (He) seems to attract to students."

Colman comes to Mississippi State this evening for his first performance in Starkville. Since he began reciting poetry in 1996 for crowds, Colman has received a wealth of awards and recognition. "From what I know, he has won numerous contests and poetry readings," Raffo said. "He is highly decorated; he has come highly recommended." Colman has been featured on CNN's Entertainment Weekly and is a regular on PBS's TV411. He has also performed for radio stations such as the BBC of London, CKUT-Radio of Montreal, WOR-AM of New York, WHYY-FM of Philadelphia, Pa., and WESU-FM of Middletown, Conn. He has also made his way to numerous clubs and colleges worldwide. Notably, Colman received the honor of "Fresh Poet of 1999" by the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and was the runner-up in the Nuyorican Grand Slam Finals.

Colman's performance here at Mississippi State will be the first of its kind sponsored by CAB. "We've never done any poetry readings (before). This is a new experience for us. We think this a very unique program, and we want to see how receptive students are to this on campus," Raffo said. Raffo went on to say that Colman's performance will "benefit students" academically. "Any time we can feature a speaker in an educational setting, the students have an opportunity to learn. Students may be inspired by the different types of poetry," Raffo said.