Feelings can be hard to express. Whether we try to write them out in a journal, express them through a song or dance them out of our system, sometimes, it’s just not enough to get our point across. That’s where slam poetry comes in; as a way to intelligently, cleverly and aesthetically make a point and share our views with our peers.
YouSpeak, the U’s slam poetry group, was founded in 2011, and continues today as a way for people who are afraid of writing and public speaking to have the experiences in a comfortable space, as well as feeling as though their voice is an important one.
Ben Barker and Kari Lindsey currently head up the program. Most of the founding members have graduated and the team is full of fresh faces. This new wave has led to the club developing an outstanding show of diversity. Even last year, Barker noted that he was the only white student on the team and that this diversity allows for more in-depth inquiries into topics like race and upbringing, as well as world issues and views on life. The group includes students from Lebanon and Venezuela as well as several other countries.
Nicholas Shifrar, one of the founding members of YouSpeak, describes the initial ways in which the group was able to take off: “Back then, with the support of ASUU and our independent fundraising efforts, were able to raise enough funds so that team members were able to travel without paying out of pocket for the major expenses. The Student Union has been very supportive of the group and through the years I’ve seen that we’ve continued to engage with the student body to share ideas, to speak out, and to cultivate creativity.”
Now, YouSpeak holds an event the day after the second Thursday of every month. This may seem complicated, but it works out due to the scheduling of their guest poets. These artists, coming from all over the country and generally networked through the national poetry slam community, come into town for the events put on by the Wasatch Wordsmiths (not affiliated with YouSpeak). These events happen on the second Thursday of every month, so the timing works well when they are able to perform the day after at the U. These guests serve not only as a form of inspiring entertainment, but also as a source of networking for students who are looking to get into the slam poetry community and learn how other people were able to make those careers take off.
The best way to get involved with YouSpeak is to attend their 7:30 p.m. workshop every Thursday in the lobby of the Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building. You do not have to have material written, but can use material provided for you — this workshop is by everyone, for everyone. The direction that Barker and Lindsey would like to see the group move towards is one of consistency; a path on which dedicated members are marching on, participating two times per week, in order for the machine to “keep running itself” once its current leaders have moved on.
The next upcoming event being held is the multi-school competition on Feb. 10, in which several schools from the valley will be competing in the Union lobby at 7:30 p.m. This event is free for and open to everyone, in order to continue spreading the enlightenment and power of slam poetry.