The dynamic poetry slam duo Dirty Rice made a triumphant return to UNA March 21 to present their show entitled “Real Poems. Real Dirty.”

The UNA Student Alliance for Equality (SAFE) and Boxcar Voices joined together to bring poets Regie Cabico and J.T. Bullock to UNA for the second time.

Cabico is an HBO Def Jam poet and National Poetry Slam champion.

“If it were up to me, I would come four times a year,” Cabico said. “I’ve fallen in love with Florence.”

Bullock is a UNA alumnus who is a nationally acclaimed poet and storyteller. Cabico and Bullock were warmly welcomed back to UNA, they said.

“We’re called Dirty Rice because we’re dirty and he’s (Cabico), you know, Asian,” Bullock said.

Bullock said he misses all the perks Florence has to offer now that he lives in Maryland.

“The music and the food stick out in my mind,” he said. “But you can get pretty good Korean food in Baltimore.”

Cabico and Bullock hosted poetry workshops where they shared writing tips and listened to students perform their original work. Students used their tips to construct poems they read during the main performance in the GUC.

Co-founder of Boxcar Voices Andy Thigpen brought the duo to UNA last fall.

“This would not have been possible without SAFE,” Thigpen said. “Bringing in artists like Regie and J.T. and Shadowboxers Anonymous is just another way UNA can practice what it preaches about promoting diversity on campus and in the community.”

Thigpen also said he thinks Cabico and Bullock bring an extremely unique energy that Boxcar Voices has been trying to cultivate for two years now.

“Having such a powerful voice in the slam poetry and spoken word world come to an area where that has been a pretty limited art form is exciting to watch and be a part of,” Thigpen said.

The main performance began Thursday in the GUC Performance Center with an open mic for all who wanted to come and share their poems. Next, Bullock took the stage with his intro poem “Stardust.”

Following Bullock, Cabico wowed the crowd with his opening life-like Tina Turner impersonation. Cabico said his inspiration comes from several ideas such as loneliness, falling in love, music, fantasies and Barbra Streisand films.

“I try to listen to the crowd when I’m performing,” he said. “It’s all about giving people the gospel truth.”

Audience member Jennifer Cravens said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“I thought it was a wonderful performance that showcased art and culture not usually seen on campus,” she said.

Cabico and Bullock said they will return again next year. Cabico currently lives in Washington, D.C., while Bullock lives in Baltimore.