Creative Writing Club held its once-per-semester poetry slam on Oct. 26 in the cafeteria.
“I’m very glad to see that people are here,” said senior Madeline Loyd, president of Creative Writing Club, as she addressed the large group of students in attendance from a podium set up in front of the circular tables.
Loyd said that the event has grown since she first helped host it as a freshman, jumping from roughly 30 students to the 72 who read this year.
“My freshman year, we were outside, and only a couple of tables were filled,” she said.
This year, the first-semester poetry slam theme changed from “Halloween” to “fall,” according to Loyd. She said this decision made the slam “more inclusive of other topics.”
Senior Katie Weems read “All Hallows Eve” by Dorothea Tanning.
“I mostly [participated] to support my friend Madeline, who’s the president, and then also for extra credit,” she said.
Loyd recognized that most people participate in the slam for the extra credit offered by most English teachers. Weems said the event has an impact regardless. To her, it is important to “shine a light on poetry” in any way.
“I think just being exposed to literature like that is a good thing,” Weems said.
Loyd said the slam provides an opportunity for people to gain exposure to different types of literature.
“Poetry allows a more succinct way to express your feelings that most students are not used to,” she said. “ … in class, we mostly write essays.”
But students don’t just read traditional poems. Some read their own work. Some read songs. Freshman Eshal Hasan read “Fright Song” – the theme song from the “Monster High” series – with her friend. They prepared it together at lunch.
“We both really like ‘Monster High,’ and it sounded fun,” she said.
Hasan was nervous to go up to the podium, but she said it was not as scary as she expected.
“I thought it was going to be the end of the world, but it was actually kind of fun,” she said. “ … it kind of helped me get over my fear of talking in front of a lot of people because I haven’t really spoken in front of that many people before.”
Weems also said that, despite her fear going into the recitation, it was less nerve-wracking than she thought it would be.
“Once you’re reading, you’re kind of just focusing on the poem,” she said. “I think any public speaking experience is good for me, especially in front of a lot of people.”
