Photo illustration by Bryan Cole / The Collegian

A tapestry of Buddha smiled down on the stage of the Full Circle Brewing Co., where a life-size cutout of Marilyn Monroe winked playfully over one cardboard shoulder.

Downtown Fresno̢۪s Full Circle has been home to the Inner Ear Poetry Jam since 2004, when the San Joaquin Valley̢۪s longest running poetry open mic relocated after two years at Kern St. Coffee Co.

Inner Ear, the brainchild of Fresno poets S. Bryan Medina and Mike Medrano, came to being via special request.

“John Baker at Kern St. was looking for someone to take over his open mic,â€Â Medina said. “So I enlisted Mike to help create a new event.â€Â

That event took the shape of Inner Ear in May of 2002, a first for Medina. “After doing all these other venues as a poet, it was a chance to try our own show,â€Â he said.

Disc Jockey Smack Jilly set the stage with his signature underground and trip hop beats as local poets, first-timers and veterans alike, stepped up to the mic.

Poet shows his range

When featured poet, Stockton native Lemuel “Saintâ€Â Gonsalves hit the stage, he got right down to business with his poem “Don’t Talk to Me,â€Â a series of insults targeting bad breath.

“I like to take these off-the-wall things that I notice and write about them,â€Â Gonsalves said.

Pieces that followed were more serious, touching on issues like love and faith.

“It was a way of expressing myself and of overcoming my shyness,â€Â Gonsalves said.

It was one of Gonsalves new comical pieces, “I Hate Fake Poets,â€Â which tackled hypocrisy on the open mic circuit, that was the biggest crowd-pleaser.

But, despite the shrieks of laughter erupting from the audience, the spoken word artist doesn̢۪t really see himself doing comedy anytime soon.

“I could never do standup,â€Â Gonsalves said.“That takes a certain kind of talent and timing, especially. And I consider myself kind of retarded in that regard. I’m more of a spoken word kind of guy.â€Â

And what inspires this spoken word guy the most is life.

“Mostly what inspires me is my faith in God, but a lot of it comes from actual experience,â€Â Gonsalves said.

‘Addicted’ to Inner Ear

These experiences make up the bulk of his act, which he took all over the state when he performed in a spoken word competition called “Step to the Mic.â€Â

Medina said Gonsalves is impressive.

“This cat cut his teeth on poetry at ‘Step to the Mic’,â€Â Medina said, “and he hasn’t stopped since.â€Â

Gonsalves said that when he met Medina through his mentor four years ago he didn̢۪t realize how big the gig was, and after his first Inner Ear experience in 2007 he was addicted.

“I feel honored to be here,â€Â Gonsalves said.