Poets to display talent

By Royce Mori
Special to the Daily Forty-Niner

The fourth and final Poet Lounge and Open Mic for the Fall 2000 semester is scheduled to take place Tuesday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Soroptomist House.

The Lounge is a place for Cal State Long Beach State poets and spoken word artists to showcase their talents. Also performing live Tuesday is Sanctuary, a jazz and hip-hop band.

It is presented so students have a venue where they can express their artistic side and showcase their talents, according Poet Lounge host, Mei-ying Pu'ali Ho.

"Poetry is an artistic means of expression," Phu'ali Ho said. "Students are empowered through this expression and it's important for students to connect with this aesthetic outlet."

This Program Council-sponsored event has blessed CSULB students with performances ranging from first-timers all the way up to featured seasoned veteran poets such as Los Angeles local, Artus Mansoir.

"The goal of the Poet Lounge is to let CSULB students express themselves and make a name for themselves," said Poet Lounge host The Obvious One. "We don't want the presence of famous poets to discourage anyone from coming out to represent so we stay away from inviting big names."

The audience turnout for the Poet Lounge and Open Mic has increased with every show, Pu'ali said. Likewise, the increase in talented artists always leaves a crowd yearning for more.

"This semester has been really successful in terms of having new talent coming out to represent," Pu'ali Ho said. "We hope to keep people coming out to participate because this is the only place on campus where you can freely display your talents."