Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone’s story is meaningful and it offers the world new insights on life. What is your story? What can your story teach us? Poetry is a powerful tool that humans have to carry their stories to many ears over many, many years. Put poetry and rhythm together and you have “spoken word.”

In the United States, the spoken word has been a creative medium used by different people, for example the Harlem Renaissance, the Beat Generation, and figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr’s style of oration (Poem Analysis: Spoken Word Poetry). This medium is also an important part of African American oral tradition, and it reaches us across time through jazz, spirituals, and hip hop. It is a powerful mode of storytelling that is part of American culture (Smithsonian FolkWays Recordings), and often the topics have themes in justice, oral storytelling is also a global and human practice. 

You will work with Ebo Barton, mixed Black and Filipino, Transgender and Non-Binary, Queer, spoken word artist. Prior to working with Ebo on April 10, you will have workshops to develop your story/poem. The following are the dates and times:

Workshop #1 Feb. 20 11:30-12:30

Workshop #2 Feb. 27 11:30-12:30

Workshop #3 March 6 11:30-12:30

Workshop #4 March 13 11:30-12:30

Ebo's Workshop April 10 11:30-12:30

Performance April 17