Light streamed in through the windows. The audience waited with eager anticipation to hear what the poet had to say. They began, spilling their heart out in a wonderful performance, full of emotion and meaning. I myself tried not to move too much to take photos, scared of making the floor creak. The room erupted in snaps before the next poet took the floor.

On Thursday, April 14, the leaders and several members of the Outspoken club performed one to two original poems in Estherwood Mansion for the club’s main spoken word poetry event of the year.

“We tried to put on the showcase in the winter, and in the fall…we had to jump through a lot of hoops to put this showcase on,” Outspoken co-president and senior Finn Alexander said.

The event was unable to run last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, and even after in-person school resumed for the entire community they had significant trouble running the event. However, they were ultimately able to continue the tradition that has persisted for eight years.

“Everyone has a different theme they want to follow with their poems. It’s more about the individual message that they have…however deep, however dark, however light, it’s their choice to perform that,” co-president and senior Dani Appiah said.

The night was filled with poetry featuring a variety of subjects, from a “Starbucks Story” by Jake Lefort ‘23 to “Frankenstein” by Amaris Asiedu ‘23. They also incorporated physical aspects to their performance, such as Lefort smearing his face with lipstick on stage in Joker-esque fashion.

Many people attended the event, so many, in fact, that they had to get extra chairs to accommodate everyone. A lot of students were there, eager to support their peers, as well as some faculty and parents of the performers.

“I knew mostly everyone who performed, and they all blew my mind!” Elma Intinarelli ‘24 said. “It is astonishing how you can know someone a bit from class…and then attend something like this and learn so much more about them from just sitting and listening.”

“I was so freaked out…and then it happened, and that was really cool. What was more exciting than reciting my own work was hearing everyone else’s. There was a lot of tension, fear, excitement, and it was electric. I loved it,” Viviana Simon ‘24, a performer in the event, said.

Alexander said, “The message I want to get out is never be afraid to express yourself, in any and all forms that fit.”