Two poets from Arizona and Utah battled to a tie in the debut of the Southwest Regional Poetry Slam on Saturday night at The Duke.
Jeremiah Blue of Mesa and Jesse Parent of Salt Lake City finished in a dead heat among 14 poets and opted to split the prize money for first and second places rather than fight to the death.
Maricopa’s Laura Ochs Oliveri made it to the final round. Other Maricopans competing were Matteo Valdez and AJ. Themes ranged from the highly personal to the politically charged.
Rounding out the three-round slam were Phoenix poets Logan Caldwell, Sonora Mystique Reyes, Megan Condeno Atencia and Joy Young, Ashley M. Vargas of Las Vegas, Nevada, and R.J. Walker, Meghan McGinnis, Debbie Higham Wood and Kate Wilson of Salt Lake City.