From the furthest corner of The Venue a weighted baritone breaks through the mumbles of the crowd: “VERB BENDERS!” The response comes in a choir, “GET BENT!” Once more, the call goes out, “VERB BENDERS!” This time, with grit, the choir chants, “BEND ‘EM TIL THEY BREAK!” The energy is palpable, the room is alive and humming, the poets are here for a war of words, and the stage of Norfolk’s “The Venue on 35th” serves as a battleground. It’s Verb Benders Slam Night.
The Verb Benders are Hampton Roads’ adult slam poetry team. They were formed in 2017 by Katrina “Hurricane” Soler, Wesley Fraizer-Keys, and Shanya Lady S following in the core traditions of slam culture as it was originally created in 1986 by Marc Smith in Chicago, Illinois. Seeing a need for a shot of adrenaline in the poetry community, Smith put together the very first poetry slam, birthing what is now a worldwide form of poetry competition. The Verb Benders represent the rebirth of the Norfolk slam scene following an almost 20-year span without a team to represent the region. In their first year of national competition, they ranked a humble 21st out of 32 teams. Since then, hard work, dedication, and talent have propelled them to a current ranking of 5th in the United States and 8th worldwide.
Stephanie Lask, known to the poetry community as Steph Love, stepped into the role of Slam Master in 2018 and is largely responsible for the growth the team has experienced. This is in no small part due to the rigorous training schedule leading up to national competition. “I kind of put us through a performance bootcamp,” she says. “This involves countless hours of brainstorming, memorization, and rehearsal for several months. The challenge is that it’s extremely draining. Also, you miss out on time with your family and friends. Preparing is a lot of sacrifice.”
Slam isn’t just scores, ranks, and competition. There is an underlying love and sense of community that permeates its bedrock. While the competitors are exactly that, competitors, their love of the artform and their genuine respect for each other as artists forms a bond within the poetry community that can only be understood by experiencing it. At slam, you root for your competition, you boo the judges, and “you clap for the poet, not the score,” as Lask kindly reminds the audience after every performer’s score is announced. She adds, “My favorite part of slam is hearing everyone’s work! Especially when there’s a poem that gets that rare perfect score of 30.” That elusive perfect 30 fosters a poet’s artistic drive to elevate their writing and hone their performance abilities. Tom Leveille, who made the 2022 team says of slam, “it has always kept the quality of work I create to a specific degree… it has created a thought process in my head: bring the heat or don’t get up there.” This sentiment is clearly echoed by other slam poets as is evidenced by the caliber of talent that touches the stage during a Verb Benders Poetry Slam. The poets are uniquely talented and well-rounded offering an evening of very stylistically diverse performances ranging from incredibly moving and introspective to light and fun.
The Verb Benders are currently holding monthly qualifying slams in the lead up to The Grand Slam Finals which will determine the 2023 team. These are held at “The Venue on 35th” located at 631 W. 35th St. in Park Place on the first Wednesday of every month. Admission is $5. Your next opportunity to compete, judge, or just enjoy a great show will be hosted by veteran Verb Bender and 9th ranked female indie poet in the world, Cass is Free on October 5th at 7 p.m.
2022 Verb Benders L to R: Maddie G, Symay Rhodes, Gye Nyame, Tom Leveille, Steph Love Photo Credit: Sydney Chewning
2022 Verb Benders L to R: Maddie G, Tom Leveille, Symay Rhodes, Gye Nyame, Steph Love Photo Credit: Kenyatta Bosman
Jorge Mendez
Jorge Mendez is an author, musician and spoken word artist based out of Hampton Roads, VA. He has been the standing host of the weekly “Monday Night Open Mic” at The Venue on 35th in Norfolk, VA since 2012. He currently serves as Vice President of the Poetry Society of Virginia (Southeastern Region) and works in various areas of the arts community in Hampton Roads. In 2015, he created Poet Fest 757, an all-day poetry festival held annually in Park Place during National Poetry Month. Jorge lives in Virginia Beach with his wife Sarah and their many pets and makes his home base in Norfolk’s The Venue on 35th.
