With Oxford’s annual slam poetry competition, GamSlam, just around the corner, this year’s performers are buzzing with anticipation as they mark their calendars for the big day on Feb. 6.
Since October, The Gamut staff have been coordinating sales, publicizing the event, and facilitating workshops to turn the event into a platform for creative expression and demonstration of the power of spoken word through poetry. Co-Head of the Talent committee, Tyler Nguyen, says that he is amazed by the amount of underclassmen performers this year.
“[Underclassmen] have an unseriousness I find refreshing,” Nguyen said. “Overall, I feel like this year’s submissions were very creative, and the workshops will only strengthen their voice for GamSlam.”
Among these underclassmen, Freshman Felix Enny-Ajayi has always felt a deep connection to his roots in Nigeria. He came up with the idea for his poem, “Robbed Blind: An Olde to my Home” from a history class assignment, where he found his voice to speak out against the injustice and corruption that still continues to affect his home land, Nigeria.
From greedy leaders who turn a blind eye to the slaughter of their own people to the despair of poverty while others sit on their wealth in apathy, Enny-Ajayi’s words call for a movement to reclaim the livelihoods stolen from his home.
“[My favorite part] was where I talked about the leaders turning Nigeria into a catastrophe plantation,” Enny-Ajayi said. “I felt like that came out of nowhere, and I think that’s where I hit the mark.”
Even as AI has overtaken the internet, Sophomore Brandy Xia’s stance remains firm; there is nothing that can replace human creativity. Through biting and fierce critique, “AI: Artistic Idiocracy” confronts the growing reliance on generative AI and pushes back against the idea that humanity and emotion can be outsourced by machines.
“It’s basically my take on the whole generative AI issue that’s been going around, because I’m an artist and a writer,” Xia said. “I could channel my hate towards the end. It’s like a diss track towards AI, and I hope it’s fun for the audience to hear.”
8th grader Amber Buharie’s poem, “A World of Wonder,” invites readers to look at the world through a lens of reflection rather than frustration, thoughtfully weaving together a message of hope for the world.
“Our outlook to it is based on who we are and the things we want to see in life,” Buharie said. “Seeing that as a good rather than bad thing is kind of what my poem is trying to do.”
As a graduating senior, May Huynh began writing her poem as a reflection on her childhood, but quickly shifted focus to how current social and political conditions threaten the idea of childhood itself. Her poem, “I.C.E,” evolved through interviews from a family friend who was deported to highlight the broader human impact behind immigration enforcement. Huynh’s words call for peace and transparency over just anger, challenging the audience to confront uncomfortable truths rather than leave feeling complacent.
“The true meaning of my poem is to act. It’s supposed to be a call to action for the sake of peace in our nation,” Huynh said. “I feel so many things are happening in our world that oppose peace. If we want a more peaceful country, we should be more transparent about what we’re doing.”
GamSlam is set to bring an evening of raw emotion, bold ideas, and powerful storytelling that highlights the perspectives of Oxford’s young poets.
