About
Loc'd & Loaded
Poetry Slam
Loc’d and Loaded Poetry Slam is a poetry slam team consisting of five writers and performers coming together to combine their talents and stories into wildly creative group pieces. Each member is nationally ranked and has been on numerous final stages in their own indie competitions. The five members include scholars turned activists, hustlers turned visionaries, immigrants turned bridge-builders, lovers of love, seekers of truth, and warriors of justice.
Spanning across different areas of the country, the team came together by pure circumstance and grace. Wayne Henry, T. Odis, and Javon Rustin met and competed with each other in Texas. Wayne from Cali, T from Chicago, and Javon from North Carolina where he was introduced to Ashlee Connors. Ashlee hails from New York and was coaching Bri Esoteric who is also a North Carolinian and hails from overseas as a military brat.
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Together they went from being top 10 in the south in 2023 to being top 3 after ranking 3rd at the 2024 Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam. While their stage presence is phenomenal, what sets this team apart is their love and passion for the arts and each other. Every member is a coach. Every member learns for the other members. Every member is family. That is the power of Loc’d and Loaded Poetry Slam. Friendship, love, art, community.