Matthew Coonan Reaches Semifinals of National Collegiate Poetry Slam Tournament

2013 Apr 16

Matthew Coonan of Shirley, NY, reached the semifinal round of a national collegiate poetry slam tournament as a member of the SUNY Oneonta Poetry Slam Team.

The SUNY Oneonta slammers faced off against teams from Stanford University, Wesleyan University, University of California-Berkeley and Virginia Commonwealth University during a semifinal bout in the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) at Barnard College on April 5. Oneonta finished in 10th place out of 59 teams from across the country.

Hosted by the Association of College Unions International, CUPSI is the only licensed poetry slam tournament bringing college students together to showcase their talents in the competitive art of performance poetry. During the four-day tournament, more than 400 poets representing 59 colleges and universities from across the United States attended workshops and competed for top honors in collegiate performance poetry. This year's event marked the highest attendance in history.

Coonan is majoring in Childhood Education at SUNY Oneonta.

A liberal arts college with a pre-professional focus, SUNY Oneonta features outstanding and accessible faculty, students committed to academics and community service, exceptional technology, a modern fieldhouse and athletic facilities, and a beautiful campus. The college enrolls 6,000 students in its 70 undergraduate majors and 15 graduate programs.