The whirlwind that was New Orleans and Southern Fried

I'm a child of conferences.
Every since I was in high school, I've been blessed to be able to attend conventions and spaces that feature people that are interested in the same type of things that I like, so getting to travel to New Orleans with my Dallas Poetry Slam teammates was destined to be an experience because I'm so in love with poetry right now. And hearing new voices saying courageous things in ridiculous ways already had me pretty hyped.
But Southern Fried wasn't just about poetry for me. It was also about New Orleans, and I almost feel like, because of the history and Hurricane Katrina, people should visit the city just to get a sense of the resilience that the residents had and continue to have.
That city is strong. And it works hard to stay on top.
The funny thing is, I can't even say that that's something I actively saw with the community. It's definitely something you can feel - driving on the super long bridge into town, your first look at the Superdome (which gave me equal parts infinite sadness and incredible hope), the smiles of the natives. New Orleans plays no games.
That said, Southern Fried introduced me to poets that are genuinely filled with love. I mean, overflowing. They love their poetry family. They love the words. They love just being around each other - not just their teammates - and it showed. It definitely made me understand that, if you let it be, poetry can be a nationwide (and yes, worldwide) community that'll embrace you with open arms. And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a beautiful thing.
As a rookie national poet, which feels weird to say, I wanted to make sure I took in the opportunity to meet everyone I could. The friendly faces from WoWps definitely helped quell my anxiety. Poets who I had only made myself available to via the gushy compliments after bouts or workshops, came up to me with smiles, hugs and love. So that was cool. :)
Because of the purpose of the trip - it was still a competition - I didn't get a chance to go to any workshops, which really helps to establish relationships with people that you wouldn't otherwise meet. But thankfully, staying late for bouts that started after ours made for great networking opportunities, and we even met a team that welcomed us in enough for us to kick it on Bourbon Street with them. (Which, by the way is. . .you know what, nevermind. . .lol)
Speaking of people, my breakfast with *Luka was pretty kick ass, too.
The competition was amazing. As I've said, I'm not necessarily a slam poet. I write what's on my heart at the time, sometimes it has metaphors sometimes not, but I'm not all into the competition. So during our bouts and others, I just wanted to listen. I was able to do that and. . .man, listen. . .those poets were phenomenal. I'm still reeling over Team Treat Yo Self.
Watch this (hands down my favorite poem):


My team did well. We made it to finals, which was a blessing in and of itself, because we got to share a stage with real heavyweights like Denice Frohman, Dominique Christina, Ed Mabrey, G Yawazawa. Several had kind words to say about us, and I thank them for that. I got to perform Snowflake twice, and my teammate Simon Phoenix, who you should check out here because he's a great photographer and performer, consistently did awesome (he was with me in Taos also).
Overall, Southern Fried felt like going to a family reunion on your dad's side. You're not sure who everyone is, but you can feel they love you, and now you can't wait to have another reunion just to see all the faces again. So I will be going back. Greenville, SC 2014.