2008 Woodie Awards
Students take advantage of opportunity to voice opinions
A review
Lucy Shaffer
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Words cannot describe the success that was the "Politicin' and Poetry" Open Mic Night. When I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago, I had no idea what it was really all about until I stepped into the Moore Building and the ambiance that overcame me was filled with enthusiastic optimism and genuine hope. As the stadium room filled, the excitement grew across the faces of all of the members of the African American Studies Program who coordinated this event.
The audience ranged from first semester freshmen, to seniors, professors, and people who didn't even attend UNCG but were just interested in what today's youth had to say about the fragile state of mind our world is in today. Rachael Hammond, a junior, said, "I write poetry and I get extra credit for class by coming here. It's a double award." Hammond performed one of the most moving pieces of the night, titled "The Trifold Death of the African-American Woman." But she was not alone. Student after student took the stage by storm with their spoken word poems, their melodic sounds, and even a comical dramatic monologue that kept the entire audience laughing the whole way through.
The idea of an open mic night is to allow anyone, from any walk of life, to project their thoughts and feelings to an audience, and see how they react to them. This event was once called a "release," and for many it truly was. Throughout the two-hour span that the program lasted, there were many laughs shared, chills dispersed, tears shed, hearts touched and voices heard. Eric Spencer, a sophomore, when asked why he came to "Politicin and Poetry" said, "It's something different that interests me. I've never been to something like this before." Although some students were there out of mere interest in these controversial topics, the majority of the people there were receiving credit for a class by attending (but you would never have known that unless you asked them).
There were many special guests in attendance on the night of Oct. 24, but the two that held the show together with their grace and stage presence were none other than Amaris and D Noble. Both are spoken word artists as well as motivational speakers and role models. Amaris and D Noble opened and closed the show with their original pieces of art. Amaris, currently living in Atlanta, Ga., said when asked about her feelings regarding the show, "When I was first informed about this, I was told that it dealt with current issues and expressing them through poetry. That is what's important to me. The more talking we do, the more light we can shine and the faster we can bring about solutions. That is what poetry is to me."
The audience ranged from first semester freshmen, to seniors, professors, and people who didn't even attend UNCG but were just interested in what today's youth had to say about the fragile state of mind our world is in today. Rachael Hammond, a junior, said, "I write poetry and I get extra credit for class by coming here. It's a double award." Hammond performed one of the most moving pieces of the night, titled "The Trifold Death of the African-American Woman." But she was not alone. Student after student took the stage by storm with their spoken word poems, their melodic sounds, and even a comical dramatic monologue that kept the entire audience laughing the whole way through.
The idea of an open mic night is to allow anyone, from any walk of life, to project their thoughts and feelings to an audience, and see how they react to them. This event was once called a "release," and for many it truly was. Throughout the two-hour span that the program lasted, there were many laughs shared, chills dispersed, tears shed, hearts touched and voices heard. Eric Spencer, a sophomore, when asked why he came to "Politicin and Poetry" said, "It's something different that interests me. I've never been to something like this before." Although some students were there out of mere interest in these controversial topics, the majority of the people there were receiving credit for a class by attending (but you would never have known that unless you asked them).
There were many special guests in attendance on the night of Oct. 24, but the two that held the show together with their grace and stage presence were none other than Amaris and D Noble. Both are spoken word artists as well as motivational speakers and role models. Amaris and D Noble opened and closed the show with their original pieces of art. Amaris, currently living in Atlanta, Ga., said when asked about her feelings regarding the show, "When I was first informed about this, I was told that it dealt with current issues and expressing them through poetry. That is what's important to me. The more talking we do, the more light we can shine and the faster we can bring about solutions. That is what poetry is to me."
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