The returning poetry slam crew is excited to premiere their new Open Mic Nights at TJ.
photo by Rebecca Holt
The poetry slammers have new and exciting things up their sleeves this year. The group faced an important challenge: they had to replace their three-year president, TJ Alumni Asia Dorsey. They looked for a student as committed and determined as Dorsey and Liz Hays seemed to fit the mold perfectly, being appointed as the new president and student coordinator of the Poetry Slam. Along with a new president came a new name: what used to be “The Poetry Slam” is now “Open Mic Night.”
Senior Liz Hays is the new poetry slam student president as well as the president of the GSA Club, a member of the Sit-n-Knit Club, and the Drama Club. This will be her fourth year as member of the poetry slam, and she was introduced to poetry in the fifth-grade. “Poetry takes the most beautiful moments of life and condenses them into a few ordinary words, yet it still conveys immense amounts of emotion,” she said. Liz, who hopes that this year the poetry slam will have more diversified acts, is exited to see the students participate in something they all share a great deal of love for. “There is absolutely nothing more rewarding than sharing something you love – something you’re passionate about – with others,” she said.
The returning slammers will be run by the Thomas Jefferson High School Librarian, Sudi Stodola, and returning English Teacher, Gabrielle Gerlits. “I’m most exited to listen to what these kids have been working on, and having them perform it in their own way is great,” commented Stodola. Last year, the Poetry Slams were sporadically attended, and this year the committee expects larger numbers to be present. “Students can expect Open Mic Nights to be a welcoming and nurturing group,” says Stodola. “Performing your work won’t be awkward because all of the students are there to hear what you have to say.” Stodola adds that open Mic Nights aren’t all about performances; students can enjoy a comfortable seat and listen to the incredible talent that the students have to offer, as well.
With the new school year came a new name: Open Mic Night. Open Mic Night will be a non-competitive slam where the microphone will be “open” to anyone who wants to perform his or her acts. Students will be able to do other performances instead of just poetry. Performances can include singing, reciting poetry, performing monologues, comedy acts, interpretive dances, and any new performance idea. “If it’s your first time coming to an Open Mic Night, you should consider only staying to listen so you can be more comfortable performing at the next Mic Night,” Stodola advises.
In the future, the teacher coordinators look forward to themed Open Mic Nights, such as Masquerade Nights in October near Halloween. The teacher coordinators also want to look into having out-of-school-friendly Open Mic Nights in the future. East High School sometimes hosts large Poetry Slams that are open to the public, and any student from any school can attend. “This year the Open Mic Night will be TJ Students only. This will be until we get more organized and maybe later in the year we will host a big Poetry Slam,” said Gerlits.
“Open Mic Night gives people a chance to spread their creative wings in a non-judgmental environment,” said Stodola, who encourages any students who want to spread their “wings” in poetry to attend the Open Mic Night on Friday, October 23rd in Room 108 at 7:00 P.M..
