At 25 years old, Henry Morray is a two-time SlamoVision winner and a 2023 graduate of Cornell College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in product development and marketing. While at Cornell College, he became president of Lyrically Inclined: The Spoken Word and Poetry Club.
He performed at and won the 2025 Slam-O-Vision Poetry Slam held at Public Space One on Sept. 9. Morray will represent Iowa City in the international UNESCO City of Literature Poetry Slam on Nov. 5.
His recorded poem will be judged against other competing international cities from Dublin, Ireland to Melbourne, Australia.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Daily Iowan: How long have you been performing poetry?
Henry Morray: When I became president of Lyrically Inclined: The Spoken Word and Poetry Club in 2022, I started performing poetry.
My first big performance was at the Cornell College Culture Show, which the International Student Association organized. For the culture show, I did a piece called “Love Is Not A Four-Letter Word (4 You or 4 Me).”
The SlamoVision event was my first slam. I truly did not expect to win it, though. That competition was my introduction to the Iowa City poetry scene.
How does it feel to win for a second year?
It felt so good because I remember when I won in 2022; it was a shock for me. When I took it to the global stage, I ended up submitting “Love Is Not A Four-Letter Word.” It’s a four-part piece, but I only did a section of it for the slam back in 2022. I was feeling good about it, but my poem did not perform super well in the rankings.
In 2022, I felt it wasn’t as great as it could be because I was reading from my phone.
This year, I had all my poems memorized, and my hands were completely free. I want both my hands to be free because I use my whole body when I perform a piece.
How would you describe your poetry style?
I love having repetition throughout the piece because it acts as an anchor for the audience to latch onto, and it keeps a constant in all the changing variables of the poem. I like to use my whole being, embody the piece, and be free with my arms, like it’s almost the choreography of the piece.
For example, the second poem I did during this contest was called “Animal Crackers: A Taxidermy Poem,” and the actual poem is a two-part poem, but I did the second part, which I call “Breaking News.”
In it, there’s this taxidermied deer that I personify, where I put my arms up like the antlers, and I stay in that position because I am the deer.
How does it feel to be representing Iowa City in an international competition again?
I love Iowa City. It is such a beautiful city. The students at the University of Iowa are such a multitude of talented individuals, and Iowa City has such a vibrant poetry scene that’s ever-growing. It has such a deep, rich writing history. To represent it is an honor and a privilege for me.
This town did so much for me and was a key figure in my evolution in my writing and performing.
Do you have any advice for aspiring poets?
Some of my favorite poets tell me not to judge what I’m writing. It’s almost like you open up a faucet and some gunk comes out, but it becomes flowing water. You want to enter a flow state. No need to aspire, just write. Put yourself in spaces where you can be inspired and allow yourself to be vulnerable.