When Anthony Gagliardi’s eighth grade English teacher showed his class a video of the poem “Scratch and Dent Dreams” by Eric Darby and told them to write down any lines that jumped out, he found himself writing down the entire poem.

He fell in love with poetry, he said — instantly.

Gagliardi, a College freshman at the University of Georgia, was one of 10 poets competing in the first TEDxPeachtreeSalon Poetry Slam on Friday night. Hosted at Manuel’s Tavern, the slam was a TEDx event, a platform meant to continue  the spirit of the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) nonprofit and share “ideas worth spreading” in local communities.

The event was also a part of the Salon series, which is meant to keep people engaged in the TEDx community between the regular TEDx events.

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Links:

The Emory Wheel | Emory University | University of Georgia | TED Talks