“Not everyone can read music or owns a camera, but everyone can communicate in some way. Everyone has stories that the rest of us can learn from,” says poet Sarah Kay in her March 2011 TED talk.
Kay and fellow Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression) co-director, Phil Kaye, were the guest speakers at this year’s Poetry Fest on Tuesday, April 10. The event, co-founded by librarian Lynne Cohen and English teacher Alison Frydman to celebrate National Poetry Month, has had guest poets including Marjorie Agosin, Martin Espada, Regie Gibson, Jill McDonough, Elizabeth McKim, Tim Seibles, Judith Steinbergh and members of the group ARTiculation over the 17 years of its existence.
Kay and Kaye performed during an A-block assembly, while students, teachers and other members of the community recited original poetry that evening at the Brookline Booksmith in Coolidge Corner.
According to Kay, Project V.O.I.C.E.’s mission is “to entertain, educate and inspire,” a mantra that Cohen connects to Poetry Fest.
“I think it absolutely gives a forum and a voice to people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to do that,” she said.
Junior Ariel Robinson, who has participated during his sophomore and junior years, believes that spoken word poetry can create a unique understanding of a poem, one that the Poetry Fest makes tangible.
“It’s just amazing to see how you’re affecting the crowd and what it will do to people,” said Robinson. “Anybody who has any complaints or anything they’re proud of, they can put it with syllables and rhythm and go out there and say it. There are no bars, you can talk about whatever you want and that’s pretty cool.”
Frydman credits this to Poetry Fest’s diverse, nurturing atmosphere, which, she said, has no judgement, only support.
“It’s all different people from the school: It’s people who do sports, ELL, OFC, the headmaster, Paul Priestly. Everybody comes together for this one thing,” said Frydman. “It’s a real community.”
“Everybody has walked away feeling two inches taller because they feel so proud of themselves, and everybody has received so much applause,” said Cohen.
According to senior Oren Leifer, who performed his junior and senior years, this atmosphere gave him confidence when performing despite his nerves. Leifer said that he was able to represent a different side of himself to his peers and learn that age was not a constraint in doing what you love.
“It helped me realize that there are more venues out there than just English class,” said Leifer. “Just because you’re in high school doesn’t mean you’re limited to high school for where you can show your work off.”
In fact, it was during high school when Kay and Kaye fell in love with spoken word poetry as a means of communication.
“Spoken word poetry allows for immediate connection,” says Kay in her TED talk. “It’s not uncommon for people to feel that they’re alone or that nobody understands them, but spoken word teaches that if you have the ability to express yourself and the courage to present those stories and opinions, you could be rewarded with a room full of your peers or your community who will listen.”
Ayesha Mehrotra can be contacted at [email protected].
