Here are some things I saw at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival in Los Angeles last week: Giant metallic balloon animals. Two genuinely heartbreaking poems about zombies. Several transcendent performances on stage, along with a few gratingly histrionic ones. Opposing teams — especially Team Jacksonville — shouting encouragement to other teams for the entire course of a bout: "Tell your story, poet; the streetlight's on!" Wack judges. The Ferris wheel at Santa Monica Pier. Five people sleeping peacefully on two mattresses on a balcony. Common and Kweli on stage together with dozens of pogo-ing fans. An all-night game of poetry tag. The world's most delicious breakfast.

I saw Alia Persico-Shammas perform a brilliant poem in which she reckons the distance between herself and her late mother, and a second brilliant poem which poet and hip hop artist Dennis Kim praised for its courage in finding new ways to confront issues of race.

I saw Isaiah Peet-Blakeney perform "On Being Small and Knowing God Lives in Northern Michigan: A Letter to My Dead Father," a poem full of quiet strength, completely unlike the work of any other poet at the festival.

I saw Allison Kennedy spur raucous laughter and stunned silence with her dynamic poems tackling gender politics and identity in deeply affecting ways.

I saw Glenna Benitez put in two of the best performances of her life, beginning with her poem about talking to a drunk man in the street, and ending with her poem about hitting a deer with her car — which sent chills throughout the room in our second bout.

And I saw one of the best things that I've seen at a youth poetry event.

In the second round of our first bout, Haley Patail took the microphone to do her poem, "The Beekeeper's Wife." Nerves seemed to get the better of her, causing her to stumble and forget a line or two. She recovered and finished on a solid note, but she was disappointed with the overall performance, and neither the crowd nor the judges seemed to really "get" the poem. All these poets put in months of work in preparation for their moment on stage, and it can be devastating to feel that work coming apart in the course of three minutes.

The next morning, Jeff Kass (my co-coach) came to breakfast with good news: Ann Arbor had been asked to do the calibration poem for one of the semi-final bouts that day. (The calibration poem is performed by a non-competing poet at the beginning of each poetry slam bout to provide a baseline for the judges.) This was a great opportunity and honor — of the 30 teams that didn't make it to semi-finals, only four could be chosen to do calibration poems. Because we didn't come to the festival with any group pieces this year (an unusual decision, but that's another story) we had to select one individual poet to perform at semis. The team talked it over and decided that Haley should be that poet.

Haley was quiet on the bus ride to the Los Angeles Theater Co., where the semi-final bouts would take place. I couldn't tell what was going on in her head — hesitancy, determination, panic? When we got to the theater, we had to scramble to find someone who could tell us which theater Haley would perform in. Then the long wait in the theater itself as all the last preparatory steps were taken for the show to begin.

Finally, the emcee called Haley up to the stage. When she delivered the first line of her poem — "The beekeeper's wife shivers when he calls her honey" — the entire crowd gasped. I knew then that we were in for something special. Haley proceeded with a flawless performance, with a more powerful delivery than at any rehearsal over the preceding weeks. Everyone loved the poem, including the judges. It took well into the second round of the bout before anyone earned a score higher than Haley's — which is almost unheard-of for a calibration poem.

Haley's performance was great for our team on many levels. It meant that everyone could come home completely proud of the way they performed at BNV. It showed the love our team members have for each other, in their eagerness to give Haley this opportunity to shine after her initial disappointment. It meant that a wider audience got to experience the quality and originality of poetry produced by the Ann Arbor youth community. And it confirmed to our team that, when we have judges who appreciate unique perspectives and well-crafted words, we can compete with anyone in the country.

So, congratulations to the 2010 Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Team on a successful trip. I could not be more proud of the way our poets acquitted themselves, or more encouraged about the current and future state of the Ann Arbor youth poetry community.

For those who are interested in getting a glimpse of the festival, HBO was on hand to record the poetry slam finals on Friday night, featuring the teams from New York City, Denver, Albuquerque and the San Francisco Bay Area. Unfortunately, I don't think it's the best representation of the spirit and quality of the festival overall. For my money, it was less interesting than any of the quarterfinal and semifinal bouts we witnessed. And from what I saw, even the teams involved in the finals had more compelling work that, for whatever reason, they chose not to perform on the final stage. Still, the final definitely had its moments, so if you happen to get HBO, keep your eye out for the broadcast.

Scott Beal is a stay-at-home dad, poet, educator, and co-coach of the 2010 Ann Arbor youth poetry slam team.

Final stage photo and Haley photo courtesy of John Survivor Blake.

Ann Arbor team photo courtesy of Isaiah Peet-Blakeney.