By Kailah Figueroa, Staff Writer
Susquehanna’s Slam Poetry Club hosted their final open mic of the semester at 9 p.m. on Nov. 22 at Trax. The event was hosted by Slam executive members, senior Slam Vice President Deon Robinson, and sophomore Slam head of public relations Anastasia Farley.
Slam’s open mic stage was lit with a collection of colorful hues, bright enough for everyone to see who would perform in the dimly lit space in Trax. The space was filled with students from theater and STEM to creative writing and sports media majors of all years.
Students read their original work, from flash fiction to poetry, to memoirs and essays.
Only after participating in the Slam tradition of yelling when they’ve written the piece earlier that day, to yelling when they haven’t looked at this piece in months, could begin to read their piece for the audience.
“I feel so good about this last slam, I’m so happy that Trax could support this event. We had such a big turn out and I’m so happy that people can come to slam as an outlet for their emotions to an audience that wants to listen to them, cause we don’t get that enough in life and that’s what I want to provide: a nice outlet for everyone to listen to,” Slam president and senior Sarena Pollock said.
The Slam Poetry Club creates a safe space where each individual’s stories and lives are allowed to be spoken about candidly without judgment. It’s a safe and uplifting space for all writers and readers to come and share their work.
The shared pieces ranged from sensitive topics to light-hearted pieces that filled with the audience laughs, joy and screams of enjoyment.
The readings surrounded themes of social issues, love, and romance, heartbreak and even forgiveness.
After everyone shared their pieces, people began to congratulate and thank the performers for sharing.
“The last slam of the semester was absolutely amazing. It’s really great to be here at Trax on the stage. We’ve had more people coming out then what we’d usually have. I just love the community that Slam has,” sophomore Slam member Kayla Bush said.
Food and drinks were also provided at the open mic to encourage socialization.
The Slam Poetry Club meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays in Fisher 223 and they host three open mics per semester.
For upcoming open mic dates, keep an eye out on Slam’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
