PULLMAN, Wash. — Witness the verbal wizardry as Isamu Jordan faces Garfield Hilson in the final bout of Palouse Punch 2. Last year’s Punch was a runaway success – this year’s poets are equally talented and will provide a great show, said program organizers.
The two finalists face off is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, in Daggy Hall’s Wadleigh Theater. The event is open to the public without charge.
Returning as master of ceremonies for the final bout is Victor Villanueva, chair of the WSU Department of English. Assisting Villanueva as timekeeper will be Barbara Couture, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Final bout judges will be Judith Roche, of the Bumbershoot Literary Arts Program, LeRoy Ashby, history department faculty member, and Alex Kuo, WSU’s Writer-in-Residence and interim chair for the Department of Comparative American Cultures. As ring girl this year organizers have doctoral candidate Azfar Hussain, a poet and a performer himself. Azfar also was last year’s runner up in the final bout.
While preliminary bouts had five rounds in which poets competed, the final bout will consist of seven rounds – some rounds from memory, some may be read. One round requires a prop and the final round is extemporaneous. Poets will be given a word or phrase and will have to come up with a poem using that word or phrase in a limited amount of time.
