Standing on the black glittery stage, a bearded, bespectacled man prays to God.

He thanks God for appearing in his early life, but then goes on to tell God he does not need him anymore. He ends by screaming his atheism, and walking offstage while being welcomed by thunderous applause and people holding dry erase boards with numbers on them.

This is not some anti-religious group. This is slam poetry.

Shadowed by I-35, The Independent on E. 5th St. is home to slam poets and their fans every Wednesday night as a part of the Austin Poetry Slam.

Twelve poets from all around Austin come to this snug venue looking to compete and rack up points from the Austin Poetry Slam in hopes of becoming a part of the APS National Team.

Illuminated by blue lantern light, slam poets have three minutes to perform an original piece that will hopefully propel them through three rounds and catapult them on to victory.

On Oct. 6, Lacey Roop won all three rounds and received seven points that would go towards her overall APS scoring. In one of her poems for the night, Roop left her audience breathless by relating her lover to the books found in a library, the rhythm of words and undiscovered authors. Her performance was met by thunderous applause and a score of “10.”

Though she is relatively new to the slam poetry scene with only a year and a half of competing under her belt, Roop is determined to spread awareness and bring attention to slam poetry.

The graduate student admonishes academia for virtually ignoring performance poetry as a recognized art form. She describes slam poetry as being the most neglected academic expression.

“Most people hear ‘slam poet’ and think ‘So, you couldn’t get published?'” Roop said. “That’s just not true at all.”

Roop describes performance poetry as an introspective art that allows a poet to bare his/her soul for three minutes while a crowd of peers and strangers watch.

“Before humans could read or write, we could speak,” Roop said. “Slam poetry is interactive in the most primal level. Everything a poet speaks about is passion.”

After receiving the perfect score of 30 on her first slam poetry contest, Roop has been steadily making a name for herself in the slam poetry community both nationally and locally. Google her name and multiple hits of her poetry, volunteering and influence will appear on the screen in seconds. With her newfound and hard-earned success as a slam poet, Roop has been touring the country and spreading the gospel of performance poetry in competitions such as the Women of World Poetry Slam 2010.

Roop has participated in various panels that discuss slam poetry, and she spends her free time teaching at poetry workshops for high school students.

“The voice is an instrument and gets shut down first,” Roop said. “Art should never be repressed-it’s an injustice.”

As the young poet described the after-school urban youth program for poetry she is helping with, an audience member walked by and called her “dreamy.” Roop smiled shyly, then she softly apologized for the interruption before launching back into her description of the program.

But, before she could further discuss the need to introduce young people to performance poetry, a red-faced man interrupted her mid-sentence.

“I just wanted to tell you thank for exposing me to this,” the nameless man said. “I’ve never heard this before, and man, you really showed me what [poetry] is.”

Roop immediately stood and embraced the man who forgot to introduce himself in a friendly hug. He left, looking awed.

Honestly, both fans were right; there is an undeniable allure to Roop and her poetry. Her Mississippi drawl sounds surprisingly Germanic and gives her voice an unmistakable and individualized quality. In the span of three poems, she tackled everything from critical lovers, literary love and mystical creatures. Every time she spoke, the audience became enthralled by her metaphors, personal passions and distinctive voice.

“Never underestimate the audience,” Roop said. “I try to write as if the five most intelligent people I know will be in the audience.”

As the newest addition to the APS National Tour, Roop is looking forward to traveling to St. Paul, Minnesota to compete in the National Poetry Slam with four fellow slam poets. Fans of slam poetry are excited to see what she will do next.