This post was written by Mentor Jackie Clark, who attended our Mentoring Program Slam Poetry Workshop.
Words are powerful. As writers we already intuitively know this, but the Slam Poetry Workshop on Saturday, December 14 really exemplified it. Craft talk authors Mary Anne Rojas, Margaret D’Poet, and Imani Ingram from Power Poetry displayed not only the power that words can have, but the power that comes from performing, or speaking, those words.
I was moved and inspired by each of their performances and the intimacy they were able to cultivate with everyone in the room. Here are some phrases that particularly struck me from the craft talk:
-
- …elegant and quiet, poised fury…
…your body moves…
…the art of our bodies…
…use your fear, it reminds you that you are alive…
…a world that harnesses…
…a woman is a question…
…lose control of how the work affects people…
…question why someone is snatching your voice away…
…feelings are facts…
…activism within yourself…
…constant change…
…reaching beyond your pain…
…posture gives you confidence…
…beyond what I’m expected…
…trace lineage through emotion…
In addition to being inspired by the craft talk, I was equally inspired and moved by the collaborative poems we wrote in small groups and then performed during the Share and Discovery portion of the workshop. Everyone contributed a line beginning with “A woman…” and then each group shared their collaborative piece in front of the room.
My favorite line (and I’m not just being biased!) was my mentee Leilah Fagan’s, “A woman is your biggest threat.” !!! I love this sentence’s boldness, it’s confidence, and ultimately it’s truth. A woman IS the biggest threat to status quo.
And the best way to execute that threat is for more women to participate with organizations like Girls Write Now, organizations that teach girls and women alike how to craft and empower their voice. I left the Slam Poetry Workshop feeling pretty lucky and really grateful to be a part of such an important community.
- Jackie’s mentee Leilah wrote her own take on the Slam Poetry workshop — check it out!