YOU CAME BUT YOU’RE NOT SURE YOU WANT TO READ ALOUD? “Yeah, I’m not sure because I do poetry a whole lot and sometimes I want to sit back and listen. BUT YOU HAVE SOME STUFF JUST IN CASE? I do, definitely. I have stuff. [Later that evening] “If you don’t believe in the second coming of Christ I can guarantee you’re going to feel him through these rhymes of mine. I’ve been criticized. They say she thinks she a prophet, maybe because I’m looking for profit like these televised preachers pocketing paper…” Alyesha Wise of West Philadelphia, a champion poet, goes by “Ms. Wise.” With friend Jenica Jones at “the Fuze” open mic and poetry slam, InFusion Coffee and Tea Gallery, Mount Airy. See http://www.mswisedecision.com/ Watch video interview and poetry segment here

"Open mic is anybody can go up for probably 3 to 4 minutes and they can read a poem or a short story or do anything- they can sing. Then the slam is a poetry competition. People have a time limit of 3 minutes and there will be judging and at the end there will be a cumulative score. People will be ranked. And this specific slam is to be qualified for iWPS which is a national individual poetry slam that will be in Philly this year in October." Hannah Adams of South Philly, before she went on to take top prize at theFUZE poetry slam, InFusion Coffee and Tea Gallery, Mount Airy. Watch video interview and slam segments here