Slam poet Neil Hilborn claims the title of being the most-watched poet ever. His viral poem, “OCD,” has more than 75 million views online, but BCC students didn’t have to call up the video last Wednesday as Hilborn performed on campus as part of Brookdale’s Dr. Carl Calendar Visiting Writers Series.
Appearing at 7 p.m. in the Navesink rooms of the SLC, Hilborn spoke from the heart and read passionately, and with great intensity, from his writing.
“I thought it was great. I love the way he performs the poems, like with his whole body, not only with his voice,” said English professor Marc Bonagura. “The words and the means resonate with him, and it flows out in his performance…I’m not used to writers who do that kind of thing. It’s very cool.”
“It was really enjoyable. The performer, Neil, did a really great job,” said Declan Cogan, a 19-year-old creative writing major from Union Beach. “He had a lot of great work, and it really spoke to a lot of stuff that he was dealing with.”
“It was just a really good time,” Cogan said. “Dude has a lot of stuff going on, and he turned all that into some beautiful work.”
Hilborn performed one his most well-known works, including “OCD,” flawlessly, and the crowd showed its appreciation by letting out some cheers.
“I like his stories about, you know, dealing with mental illnesses and difficult situations like suicidal thoughts and OCD and how he connects with people. You can tell that he really connected with the people in the audience because they went through the same thing,” Bonagura said. “And he gives people hope, which is a really great thing to do with art.”
The audience stayed involved and enjoyed his high-octane performances, offering enthusiastic applause after each reading and lining up for autographs after the reading.
They also enjoyed coffee, cookies and other snacks throughout the event. The room was packed, with staff adding additional chairs at the start of the event.
“I think Professor Parker, who puts these things together, does a hell of a good job. It’s a lot of work to put these events together… She deserves a lot of props for that,” Bonagura said.