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By Sofia Johnson
Happy August Modesto! I hope everyone is having a great summer and looking forward to the upcoming school year. Last month, I had the opportunity to watch a Poetry Slam “The Chill List” at the State Theater and it inspired me to write about the poetry scene right here in Modesto. Poetry is such a creative way to express anything whether it be political issue or just a beautiful story. To start, I would like to talk a little about the amazing show. Four teams from Northern California competed in Slam Poetry for a $2,000 prize! There were lots of laughs and plenty of tears. The poems ranged from talking about the stigmas that come with race to body confidence to a dedication to the anniversary of the moon landing. Sam Pierstorff, professor at MJC and the one who put on this wonderful event, even wrote an unbelievably amazing slam poem about Modesto. He hosts this show twice a year and I highly recommend it. If you are interested in writing Slam poetry yourself, I recommend looking into Pierstorff’s class at the JC. MoSt Poetry with Gillian Wegner or open mic nights at the Queen Bean and Barking Dog Grill. I really hope you can enjoy this scene in Modesto as much as I do, whether you’re watching poetry or even up there reading it.
