Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

When the rhymes and lines had settled and poet Dingo delivered the judges' decision at the Village Blues Bar, Barbican Road, St Andrew, last Sunday night, Orrin Carr was declared winner of the Universities and Colleges Seh Sup'm Poetry Competition.

Dexter Malawi was second and Randy McLaren third from a field of nine contestants, eliminations having taken place the previous day.

Seh Sup'm, predominantly poetry with a topping of live music at the end of the event, is staged by Root Cause at the Village on the last Sunday of each month. September's staging saw tertiary-level students putting their verse on the line before a substantial audience for book vouchers, the NCB Foundation being the main sponsor.

First prize was a $25,000 book voucher, with the second and third places earning $15,000 and $10,000 vouchers, respectively. Carr got a bonus - an autographed copy of Joan Andrea Hutchinson's 'Inna Me Heart', while all the contestants earned writing tutorship from Tanya Shirley. Shirley and Hutchinson, along with Dingo, not only judged the contest, but also performed.

Expressing themselves

Before the winners were announced, Anna-Kim Robinson of the NCB Foundation said the organisation got involved with the competition as "seh Sup'm sparked our interest, because it allowed young people to express themselves". She was heartened to see young men especially expressing themselves.

NCB's support of the art of poetry is not new. There was applause when Hutchinson made an impromptu contribution, saying that her first cassette, Dat Bumpy Head Gal, had been supported by NCB.