By Josh Del Rio/ reporter

Anthony Santiago won first place for his original poem in the second annual poetry slam and open mic on NE Campus.

Santiago will have his poem published as the NE TCC Top Performance Poet in the NE literary journal Under the Clock Tower.

Andres Tagliaferro and Glisha Alexander won second and third place, respectively.

Mike Guinn, founder of the Fort Worth National Poetry Slams, hosted the event, wearing a pair of jeans and a Batman T-shirt saying he intended to create an atmosphere where students felt welcome. His attitude reflected that of NE English professor Stacey Said, who hoped students could see the campus had events that were more than just sitting and listening.

Guinn has hosted poetry slams at college campuses all over the country, and his hope is that more students attend poetry slams in the near future. He wants to encourage up-and-coming artists who express themselves in the form of poetry and spoken word.

“If I walk in a room and there’s more than one other person, it’s like this art form is valid and legitimate,” he said. “It’s an art form that has a lot of energy and allows for creative self-expression.”

His desire to bring that energy was apparent when he started the event by leading a big game of Simon Says. By starting the event with a game of instruction, he wanted to show students that they should also follow the instruction of their hearts.

During the open mic portion, students could come on stage and perform anything, whether a poem, song or comedy routine. Most students chose to recite poetry while some students sang.

Members of the National Fort Worth Poetry Slam team then performed some of their original work. One of the members even took time off of his lunch break to perform.

Themes discussed in the poems performed ranged from love to school routines to life’s hardships. One poetry slam team member performed a poem from the vantage point of rapper Kanye West.

NE student Dimaggio Escobedo said this was not his first poetry slam. While he was there for class credit, he also liked poetry slams. He enjoyed the energy that came from the crowd.

“Poetry slams show that these kind of events aren’t just for a certain group of people,” Escobedo said. “Everybody can be involved.”