Sponsored by the Dept. of Languages and Literature, Benedictine’s chapter of the National English Honors Society, and the Black Student Union, the 2023 Open Mic Night and Poetry Slam drew over 80 attendees to the Pub at the Coal Ben on Wednesday, October 11.

An annual tradition for at least the last 20 years, the Open Mic Night gives Benedictine students an opportunity to flex their creative muscles. And in the accompanying Poetry Slam, student poets compete through two rounds with their best work, with a group of students on hand to judge the results. Chicago-area DJ Pharaoh was also on hand this year to provide music for the event.

Yazeed al-Awaysheh, a Fulbright fellow from Jordan, took first place in the Poetry Slam, with alumna Christine Tran and senior Jennifer Brown-Griffin coming in second and third, respectively.