Elon Law’s 4th Annual High Rhymes & Misdemeanors Poetry Slam in downtown Greensboro celebrated the rhythm of the written word on October 20, 2022, in a program that commemorated the National Day on Writing.
A fall tradition returned to Elon Law this month as students traded a focus on legal writing for a demonstration of their prowess with pentameters and prose.
The 4th Annual High Rhymes & Misdemeanors Poetry Slam on October 20, 2022, featured three law students and a staff member who read original works before a few dozen audience members.
A panel of three judges bestowed Sydney T. Kofi Ladans L’23 the top award for his work “May We Rise.”
Ladans said he enjoyed performing his poetry and appreciated how the law school allowed students “to flex our creative muscles.” The poetry slam mixed two of his personal loves: the arts and writing.
“My poem is a part of my personal story,” he said. “I hope those who listen and read it understand the world I come from and realize that even those with a seemingly gruff exterior may actually be much more than they appear to be.”
1st Place
“May We Rise”
Sydney T. Kofi Ladans L’23
2nd Place
“An Ode to Kenyon”
Emmanuel Agyemang-Dua L’22
3rd Place
“But for the Mice”
Chuom Prak L’24
People’s Choice Award (Selected by Audience Vote)
“Reflections of a Pandemic: U.S.A. 2020” and “The Pause and Affect of a Pandemic 2021”
Danny Little, Custodial Supervisor at Elon Law
Hosted by Elon Law’s Legal Method & Communication Program with support from Elon University’s Center for Writing Excellence, the poetry slam coincided this year with the 2022 National Day on Writing established by the National Council of Teachers of English.
2022 Judges
- Associate Professor Tiffany Atkins L’11
- Professor Enrique Armijo
- Laké Laosebikan-Buggs, Director of Inclusive Excellence for Graduate and Professional Education
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Enrique Armijo
Professor of Law at the Elon University School of Law
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Laké Laosebikan-Buggs
Director of Inclusive Excellence for Graduate and Professional Education
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Tiffany Atkins
Associate Professor of Law at the Elon Universty School of Law
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Danny Little
Custodian
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Steve Friedland
Professor of Law and Senior Scholar/Director of the Center for Engaged Learning in the Law at the Elon University School of Law