It’s the right time, right place for Maui’s largest poetry event.You can usually find Maui’s beloved organizers, Chela and Dave Coennen, running around a bit frantically on slam nights, but you’ll never see them without a smile.
As a crowd of over 100 packs into the Moana cafe, cover fees are collected, judges are sought from the audience, and poets gear up for their three minutes of performance.
DJ J.P. spins a smooth beat in the background, and the energy is undeniable. After nearly two years of monthly slam competitions, expectations are high as old hats hone their skills and newcomers have the potential to shine.
The Coennens’—activists, entrepreneurs and general movers and shakers—have found a new home for Maui Slam!, the spoken word competition with a $100 cash prize that has brought a community of poets out of the woodwork and into the spotlight.
The Moana Bakery and Café on Baldwin Avenue in Pa‘ia now hosts the slam on the last Monday of every month, beginning Feb. 26, thanks to competitor Lizzz (her stage named, according to Dave), an employee at the café who began her own “Open Mind, Open Mic” night the remaining three Mondays.
Moana’s casual atmosphere in the heart of Pa‘ia offered a missing puzzle piece to Dave and Chela’s search for a solid, lasting home for the slam. Serving good food, coffee and alcoholic drinks, there was something for everyone this Monday.
Favorites Randy Mills and Pat Masumoto gave signature performances, with Mills offering a flamboyant piece as the voice of the Superferry (“It sure is hard being so super…”) and Masumoto, the inspiration for Maui Slam!, singing and dancing for a full minute on stage, after ripping up her poem and throwing it towards the audience.
Repeat winner was poet Jah Sun, who gave an encore performance afterward that had heads bobbing to the beat of his words.
As the crowd filed out at nearly 10 p.m., Dave and Chela were smiling even wider. The first night at Moana was a giant success, and their last words were “See you next month.”
Like most who have been attending the monthly slams for nearly two years, Lizzz was inspired by the Coennens’ efforts to encourage artistic expression, free speech and community support. “I wanted it to be a way for the community to get together,” said Lizzz. “I want them to get up and do anything. Amazing talents come in. I’m honored to be in their presence.”
Still in its young stages of life, the slam had adopted different homes in search of the perfect fit. It was originally held at the Coennens’ cozy bookstore and café in Wailuku, Maui Booksellers, where over 70 people would pile in and grab a cup of coffee and some floor space.
Then the slam made a move up the street to Unisan Sushi Bar & Grill over the summer, partnered with the East Maui Watershed Project for an explosive slam at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center and then landed at Hapa’s Nightclub in Kihei. Even the distance couldn’t keep the slammers away. It lasted several months there until Hapa’s closed their doors.
The bookstore came to a quiet end in September, when the Coennens closed their own doors for good. It was an amazing experience, they said, but perhaps not the best location for their primary Upcountry customer base.
“We’ve been floating around looking for the perfect space,” said Dave, when Lizzz invited them to Moana. “It was perfect timing. Everything happens for a reason.”
“We’ve always thought Pa‘ia was such a great place,” said Chela before the event. “Based on the response Lizzz has gotten, we think it’s going to fly.”
The couple’s new focus, aside from their day jobs in Lahaina, is organizing a Youth Speaks program here on Maui, a national project that teams young poets with experienced mentors, giving them an opportunity to create a voice of social, artistic, educational and political change.
Dave and Chela said a new bookstore is not out of the question, but “our backgrounds in T.V. and production keep popping up.” They’re going to continue hosting social and political events, including slams, film showings, book signings and talks. Monday’s slam was also recorded for viewing on Akaku Community Television, and they hope to make it a regular production.
Join the next Maui Slam! on Monday, March 26 at Moana Bakery and Café, 71 Baldwin Ave. in Pa‘ia. Sign up begins at 6:30 p.m., slam at 7:30 p.m. There is a $5 cover charge. Poets, spoken word artists, emcees and actors perform original works of three minutes or less on any theme. For complete slam rules visit www.mauislam.com, or call Slam Master D (Dave Coennen) at 244-9091.