A poetry slam last Thursday evening provided an open forum for Binghamton University students, professors and area residents to share their feelings on issues ranging from the war on terror to global warming ‘ the former proving to be the most prominent.

The event, entitled, ‘The Art of Resistance,’ which drew about 30 people ‘ many of whom shared their own poetry ‘ was hosted by the Binghamton Political Initiative. The organization designed the evening to be a platform for artists to express poetry as protest.

According to Eliot Greene, a sophomore theater and English major, a poetry slam adds an element of performance to the general reading of a piece.

‘You can’t just read slam poetry to understand it,’ Greene said. ‘You have to see it performed.’

BPI is a group of politically and socially conscious students and professors dedicated to planning events and activities aimed at raising awareness and encouraging open discussion regarding controversial issues, according to their Web site.

‘We stand for solidarity with those who are opposed to war and all forms of oppression and exploitation, including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia and rabid militarism,’ reads the group’s mission statement from the Web page.

Some of the pieces shared at the event came from poetry books and anthologies, while other students performed their own works.

One reader shared a poem written by a prisoner in Guatanamo Bay, derived from Eleanor Wilner’s poem on the ‘Poets Against the War’ Web site.

Ben Crossan, a sophomore comparative literature major who said he became interested in the art as a form of debate in high school, performed his own rap style poem.

‘My poem was about the war on terror,’ Crossan said. ‘It [slam poetry] is argumentative, in your face, intellectually challenging, and socially and politically relevant.’

The topics of the readings covered a broad range ‘ from feelings of the Virginia Tech shootings to bias of media, corporate power and poverty in America.

Greene, who also took an interest in slam poetry in high school, performed his poem entitled, ‘Thoughts on a Day after Death,’ about reaction to the VT shootings and a friend who was impacted by the event.

Members of BPI were pleased with the outcome of the event.

‘I think [the poetry slam] worked out well,’ said Dawn Bruffett, a senior anthropology and biology major.

According to Bruffett, events like the poetry slam provide solutions through dialogue.

‘Bringing people together is the key to change,’ Bruffett said. ‘We do a lot of different things to raise awareness on injustice and occupation. We are very interested in networking with other groups.’

Another member seated in the audience said the group rallies on the 19th of every month, including this month, in remembrance of March 19, 2003, the day the United States invaded Iraq.