The Gobs Poetry Slam, which took place on Saturday 8th June in Nottingham Central Library, saw some of our city’s most creative poets battling it out in one of its best literary locations. As the sun went down through the panoramic windows that evening, everyone attending knew that we were in for a treat. As for myself, sitting behind the judges’ table, the excitement was met with the challenge of scoring and choosing a winner amongst this group of performers. The judging panel was made up of Jake Wild Hall (Bad Betty Press Poet), Carolina Rodrigues (Host of Get Mouthy), Ioney Smallhorne (Co-Founder of Gobs Collective), and me, Oli Nicol (Workshop Lead at Invoke Poetry and Co-Vice Chair of Nottingham City of Literature’s Youth Board). It was our job to find one winner amongst the talent on display. The scoring was split into three categories: writing skills, performance and stage presence. Then, when each performance was done, our individual scores were given to the City of Literature’s own Katy Birch and Paty Bennett to count the scores and determine which four poets made it into the final.
Photo by Mihai Bircu
After this night, I am persuaded that libraries being a quiet place is something of the past. Our hosts Bridie Squires (Co-Founder of Gobs Collective) and Cae Capurro (Host of Free Minds Poetry Open Mic) warmed up the crowd and filled that cavernous space with claps and cheers. Each performance was met with rapturous applause from the crowd and the other members of the Gobs Collective supporting their own. The range of poetic styles, voices and performances was a treat to hear and view. From robots learning emotions and raw life experiences to lines about our very own Nottingham streets, each poet brought a part of themselves to the stage and it was a pleasure to be present as they did so.
After the heats were finished and our four finalists chosen, the competition was still neck and neck, with any of these poets worthy of winning. The stakes at hand: a cash prize, a bespoke crown, and the opportunity to represent Nottingham at the UNESCO Cities of Literatures global poetry competition, Slam-O-Vision. With Nottingham having two Slamovision wins back-to-back in 2021 and 2022 with Cara Thompson’s ‘Island Screams’ and Abíọ́dún Abdul’s ‘Strong Tea’ respectively, the desire to bring back the trophy to Notts was fuel for performance. You could split the tension with a library card.
Our four finalists took to the stage to perform a second poem, a wonderful chance to hear more of each poet’s repertoire. Any would have made a worthy winner, but ultimately, there could only be one Gobs Champion – Bep. Rebecca ‘Bep’ Summerscale displayed across both performances that they were a deserving winner. Their poems took an entire crowd on a journey and were carried through with beautiful eloquence and performance. Bep covered all bases of the judging criteria, which amongst so much talent, edged them ahead to take the crown.
Photo by Mihai Bircu
With this much poetic skill on display, there was also a People’s Choice Award, giving the audience a chance to choose their own winner. When counted, it was Davina Songbird who captured the audience’s attention. The musicality found in her performance was notable and she was more than deserving of this award.
Photo by Mihai Bircu
The Poetry Festival and the Gobs Slam may have come and gone, but do not fret. Bep is now our Nottingham Slamovision Champion and will be going head-to-head against other UNESCO City of Literature Champions from across the globe when the slam of all slams comes around again. This year’s Slamovision Finale is being hosted by Manchester, after Esther Koch entranced us last year winning Slamovision 2023 with her poem ‘Taurean at the Nightclub’. Keep your eyes peeled across the Nottingham City of Literature’s social media to see how you can support our Nottingham Champion Bep at Slamovision 2024.