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March 5, 2004
Local poet slams to own beat
Of myriad themes, uncovering her Jewish identity dots Adler's
work.
DAVID SILVERBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
For centuries, poetry has allowed people to express their cultural
identity, and 20-year-old Barbara Adler joins their ranks, albeit
with a twist: slam poetry is her medium of choice.
The Vancouver resident recently toured North America to deliver
her thoughtful messages wrapped in high-energy performance poetry.
New York, Boston, Chicago, Boston, Ottawa and Toronto have played
host to Adler's strong slam readings. Slam poetry is a competitive
style where performers are judged on stage presence, literary content
and originality. Think hip-hop intensity without the beats.
With her first solo tour behind her and a new spoken word CD available,
Adler views her passion with greater perspective. "Although
I'm a small fish here, I've dipped my toes into the water and it's
incredible," she said.
For two years, Adler has developed as both a writer and performer
with the Vancouver slam team. Her frequent gigs at Café Deux
Soleil on Commercial Drive, along with readings at the 2003 Vancouver
Children's Festival and the Sista Hood Celebration, have allowed
Adler to blast her words that are both humorous and heavy. Her chapbook
is titled Teeth Like Rakes.
"I tell stories," said the Simon Fraser University arts
student, citing her piece on the Grimm brothers that she performed
to great applause at the Toronto International Poetry Slam. After
discovering that the legendary storytellers were linguists, she
dug deeper and learned that a language dies every 15 days.
Uncovering her Jewish identity dots Adler's work, often in poems
that do double-duty. "They raise questions and offer answers,"
Adler said. "I convey honest doubt because I'm still not certain
where I stand on my Jewishness." Adler's father is Jewish but
her mother is non-Jewish.
"Thinking about my identity infuses my writing," she admitted,
although her poems reflect myriad topics. The future of bananas,
Buster Keaton, breast size, amorous longing and suburbia all come
under Adler's sharp eye.
But any poetry traditionalist will balk at an Adler performance,
where rhythm and pacing energize words ideal for the stage rather
than the page.
"A slam is good training ground because if the audience doesn't
like your poetry, they'll let you know," she said, alluding
to the chorus of boos that can rain down on an amateur reader.
Public reception has been encouraging for Adler. American audiences
gave her a standing ovation and, at the venerable Nuyorican Café
in New York (where slam thrives), she impressed the crowd with an
impromptu performance.
On booked shows, Adler professionally structures her repertoire
by mixing lighter, funny pieces with serious pieces, perhaps adding
a dash of love poetry. She said slam poets need to find "something
that sets them apart" – advice she's taken to the heart
of her performances.
Watching Adler communicates volumes about the human experience.
Her voice becomes commanding and emotional, controlling how quick
the story unravels. At the Toronto event, the audience was captivated
and silent until she spoke her final word, then applause erupted.
Her delivery differs from slam poets who prefer volume over content.
"No one wants to be yelled at," she said.
Adler has been listening to the spoken word long enough to bring
observations into her craft, noting how to steer from overly political
diatribes and personal ethnic experiences. In fact, a simple line
taken from one of Adler's poems best reveals her poetic game plan
and, perhaps, her life strategy: "But I've stayed in the game
/ because I know where to stand."
David Silverberg is a Toronto freelance writer.
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