This blog post was written by our student ambassador Ana, who is a student of the semiotics programme at the University of Tartu.
The famous ‘’Tudengipäevad“(Student days) of Tartu are just around the corner. It’s for all the students of Tartu and it is filled with various amazing events such as festivals, cultural gatherings, pub quizzes, pub crawls, sports activities, field trips, and many more. One of those fantastic events includes the Tarslämm, a poetry slam in the English language. A poetry slam is a poetry presenting contest where talented poets recite or read poems on a stage in front of the audience and get points from the audience based on their poems and performances. In this blog, I will introduce the Tarslämm and its main characteristics as well as my own experience in presenting and winning this event. So, to all poets and poetry enthusiasts, I hope you find my blog inspiring and maybe even encouraging for entering the next Tarslämm.
Tarslämm, what is it all about?
Tarslämm, the poetry slam is a significant and iconic poetry event in Tartu where people who enjoy writing poetry have a chance to present their creative work and get scores for it. The slam is more often organized in Estonian language, and it is divided into stages where the finalists compete for a chance to present at the European poetry competition and even the World Poetry Competition. The English Tarslämm is organized once per semester as a part of the Tartu ‘’Student Days’’ and it’s a great opportunity for all the foreign students and foreigners in general to present their poems.
How does it exactly work?
The poetry slam consists of two rounds. In the first round, the poets present poems, and the time limit is 3 minutes (going over the time reduces points). After each performance, the audience presents the points by raising the papers with numbers from 0 to 10 on them. They can also combine the numbers (for example 9.8 or 8.6 points). The highest number and the lowest number are deducted. Then, those poets who had the highest scores are moving to the second round. In the second round, the poem presentation lasts 2 minutes and again, after each performance, the audience gives points. No props are allowed while presenting in both rounds and reciting poetry instead of reading it is preferred. Based on the score from both rounds, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place is determined. The prizes usually include books from Estonian authors in English or poetry books from the World Poetry Competition winners. The event is filled with great entertainment provided by the hosts and their poetry jokes and inspiring poems from guest performers; usually the European competition representatives and some famous writers as well; I remember at my first ever Tarslämm, Hasso Krull, a famous Estonian poet, was a guest performer. Fingers crossed; Kristiina Ehin also became one of the guest performers in the future slams.
Presenting and winning the Tarslämm; my experience
I presented at Tarslämm 4 times already. Two times, I managed to win. I only presented in English so far and haven’t had a chance to recite my Estonian poems yet, but I am planning to. My first Tarslämm performance was back in the autumn semester of 2022. I remember all my classmates coming to cheer me on. I was nervous, but when I got in front of the stage, I was very nervous! But that didn’t stop me from reciting my poem ‘’Across the Periphery’’ which is about dreams and chaos. I got cheerful applause and a high score too. I made it to the second round where I presented my second poem ‘’The myth of the present’’, which is a dialogue with the spirit of imagination. I was also rewarded with a high score and a book ‘’A Man Who Spoke Snakish’’ by Andrus Kivirähk after winning first place. I was super shocked and thrilled at the same time, but what made me proud was the support and joy of my friends. The second and third time I presented, I wasn’t so lucky to win, but 4th time, in the spring semester last year, my luck came back. I first presented with a poem ‘’How Estonia Lovers Do It’’, a depiction of my love for Estonia in a comedic way. The audience loved it! I got the loudest applause and the highest score. In the second round, I presented my poem ‘’Ode to Gloom’’, a dedication to Juhan Liiv. I also got a pretty high score and, in the end, won the Tarslämm for the second time. Those were some of the most memorable moments of my life, not because of winning, but because of presenting my verses and reaching out to some new and incredible heights with them. I am super happy and proud people enjoyed my poetry.
Tarslämm truly is an amazing and inspiring event full of fun, great company and majestic works of art. So, if you are a student in Tartu looking for a great activity during the ‘’Student days’’ or an aspiring poet who wants to show their poetry to the world, then Tarslämm is the right event for you. Let’s cure the curses with the verses.
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