This time, it was the stage instead of the classroom: On Wednesday evening, June 10, the first Marburg School Slam took place at the Steinmühle. Thirteen students from three Marburg high schools took the stage with texts they had written themselves—and faced the traditional slam judging process: The audience decided who would advance to the finals based on their applause.

The premiere was the result of a collaboration between the Elisabethschule (Ute Trautwein), the Gymnasium Philippinum (Christian Steiner), and the Steinmühle (Kristina Sokoli and Björn Wagner), which had initially held a writing workshop at each school. The texts created during those workshops then made their way onto the stage.

 

Bestselling author Leah Weigand explained how poetry slam works

The evening was hosted by Marburg-based spoken word artist and bestselling author Leah Weigand, who began by explaining to the audience how a poetry slam actually works: only original texts, a maximum of 6 minutes, no props—and an audience of about 130 people, who ultimately become the jury by “clapping” for the winner.

In terms of content, the young poets didn’t mince words. Their texts revolved around topics such as respect and equality, mental health, the big questions, and the meaning of life—topics that visibly moved the predominantly young audience. A total of nine artists or teams competed in the preliminary round; during a break, guests had the opportunity to read the texts displayed around the room at their leisure and strike up conversations with one another.

 

Elisabethschule, Philippinum, and Steinmühle Are in the Running

The Elisabethschule was represented by Rou AbdAlrahman, the duo Nikas Schmidt and Leonie Schultz, and the trio Maria Traute, Jara Jahn, and Louis Klöck. The Philippinum sent Mara Dumitru and Louise Malévé into the competition. Competing for the Steinmühle were Christabel Okafor, Marie Grosse, Sophia Hach, and the duo Ida Kraft and Lennard Kröger.

After the preliminary rounds, the audience first selected three finalists, who then gave it their all once again with a second piece. In the end, Marie Grosse came out on top, winning the first Marburg SchoolSlam.

 

Project funded by the HBB

The event ran smoothly thanks to the “Sound&Light” technical team at the Steinmühle. The project was funded by the Office of the Hessian Innovation and Advisory Network for Talent Development (HIBB), which is responsible for promoting talent as part of the Hessian Ministry of Culture, Education, and Opportunity.

Judging by the evening’s applause, it was clear that this first School Slam couldn’t possibly be the end: Marburg’s first School Slam showed just how much courage, eloquence, and open-ended questions young people possess—and that Marburg’s schools are happy to come together to build a stage for them.

(Björn Wagner/Kristina Sokoli)