Student Turns Pain Into Poetry Victory

Jasmine St. Clair never imagined the impact her absentee father would have on her 18th birthday.

But he was the inspiration that led to her recent win as the best student poet at the fifth annual High School Spoken Word Poetry Jam at the Patel Conservatory, next to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

"If he was here today and said he was a man, I would recite my poem to him," said St. Clair, beaming after the contest.

A petite young woman with a beauty queen smile, St. Clair considers the win an unbelievable present. Her birthday was Jan. 18.

"I'm just speechless," the Wharton High School senior said. "I can't believe it."

St. Clair's win marks the culmination of months of writing and spoken-word practice time for 24 Hillsborough County high school students who competed in the district poetry contest. Each student took part in a contest at his or her school, and they were judged to be the best spoken-word orators in the county.

Winners from all 23 public high schools and a charter school, Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High, went head-to-head Jan. 16 in front of a packed house at the conservatory's Black Box Theater on the Hillsborough River.

The students presented personal expressions of poetry that touched on an array of social and economic ills, political and societal observations and pop culture.

Among the top finishers were 16-year-old Taylor Alyse Hooten of Temple Terrace, a junior at King High who was awarded second place; and Dione Dennard, a 17-year-old senior at Blake High who took third place. The winner and runners-up were awarded individual trophies.

Spoken word is a form of artistic expression, featuring live readings that pit poet against poet. The art form has gained popularity on college campuses and at schools and coffeehouses in urban areas in recent years.

St. Clair said the win, the love of family and support of local poets who inspired her have given her a reason to smile.

Her life was a lot different growing up without a father in a Miami neighborhood where other kids weren't kind.

"I was an outcast kid," St. Clair said. "I started writing because I felt sad.

"I had a lot of feelings. What I felt turned into poetry."

St. Clair, who hopes to study pre-med at the University of South Florida, said she wrote the poem "Daddy Man-A-Be" last summer as a message to her AWOL father. The poem, she said, provided an outlet for bottled up feelings.

"At that point, I wanted to write something I could really connect with," St. Clair said.

She took the opportunity to channel 17 years of abandonment and rejection into something positive.

With understated confidence, St. Clair stepped to the microphone at the poetry jam and delivered a staccato, rhythmic reading, which ended with thunderous applause from the crowd.

"You say, Daddy, you want to be a man, but you are not," says a line from the poem.

She also laments the paternal bonding she missed. "No lullabies, kiss goodbyes," the poem continues.

Mark Howell, Wharton's media specialist, was on hand for St. Clair's win.

He praised her dedication to prepare for the contest and said the traveling trophy awarded to the winning school for one year would be prominently displayed in the media center.

Local poet Kwabena Dinizulu, who was hired by the Hillsborough County Arts Council to work with the aspiring poets, said all of the students allowed their poetry to speak for them.

Many of the readings focused on pain, disappointments and heartache associated with personal relationships. Some poems explored the power of self-determination, and others highlighted the brighter side of life, such as one performed by Joseph Gallego of Gaither High, who focused on his "good looks" and sex appeal.

All of the performances drew "oohs," "ahs" and loud applause from the crowd.

Spoken word poetry tends to stun the average listener, Dinizulu said.

"You should feel anger or agitation, but you should feel something," he said. "If it's only feel good poetry then it is pop culture."

Poetry is a godsend for many teens who seek to turn negative images into something positive, Dinizulu said.

"It's a lot of anger in our children," Dinizulu said. "There are a lot of them who are alone. This is an outlet for them. Let them speak their minds."

STUDENT POETS & HIGH SCHOOLS

Shanae Simon, Alonso; Dione Dennard, Blake; Kanika Philon, Bloomingdale; Sam White, Brandon; Quanisha McGrew, Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate; Zhalarine Sanders, Chamberlain; Mitchell Varnum, Durant; Freeman Cotton, Freedom; Joseph Gallego, Gaither; Charity Alexis Mitchell, Hillsborough; Lyneisha Miller, Jefferson; Taylor Alyse Hooten, King; Tony Vega, Lennard; Jesse Martinez, Leto; Kylila Bullard, Middleton; Eldred Matthews, Newsome; Jeremiah Hallback, Plant City; Christopher Nunez, Plant; Gabriel Mize, Riverview; Aileen Parks, Robinson; Jeremy Byrne, Sickles; Carlie Hansen, Spoto; Tanquilla Hallback, Tampa Bay Tech; and Jasmine St. Clair, Wharton.