Poetry Slammed

If you, reading this, know me at all, you know that Sarah Kay is my aspiration. She is the embodiment of everything I'd like to be.

She's half-Jewish, so that's a start.

 Now in this specific TED Talk, Kay mentions this quote from Jean Luc-Godard, a French-Swiss film director which reads, "a good story has a beginning, a middle and an end, although not necessarily in that order." So in the spirit of Mr. Luc-Godard, I'd like to begin at the end of this post, with my personal relationship to this talk-my beginning with Sarah Kay. 

I can't remember how many years ago it was that I first saw this talk. But I do remember feeling the chills that come when you're watching a great performance and wanting to know how this one person could write such beautiful things. And how on earth could I be like her? Thankfully, her talk was meant to teach audiences how to do just that. Well, okay, maybe not to be like her, but to write like her. That is, to write like yourself. 

Now is when we jump to the beginning: the summary of the talk, although I encourage you to watch and experience it in its entirety. Here are the arguments Sarah Kay presents, in order of descending importance (except not really because they're all terribly important):

#1: Everyone has stories the rest of us can learn from.

#2: Great stories start from intersections of what you're passionate about and what others might be invested in.

#3: Spoken word poetry, as a medium of telling stories, allows for immediate connections.

#4: The journey to becoming a spoken word poet has three steps: I can, I will, and do. This last step invites you to write what you know; infuse the work you're creating with the specific things that make you, you.

#5: Spoken word teaches that if you have the ability (which every one does) to express yourself and the courage  to present those stories and opinions, you could be rewarded with a room full of your peers, or your community, who will listen. 

And now for the middle piece. The whole point of this talk is to educate and inspire: to teach people how to become spoken word poets and to tell them why they should.

The intended audience is literally everyone. In the words of singer Brendan James, "Nobody started from the place that you started from, and nobody hopes to go, where you're hoping to go...'cause none of them are you." Sarah Kay preaches that everyone has stories the rest of us can learn from. Everyone has stories that are uniquely theirs and that deserve need to be told.

Sarah Kay uses ethos to establish credibility. She starts the talk with a spoken word poem of her own, so the audience knows she's the real deal. She mentions in the midst of the talk that she's been performing spoken word poetry since she was 14 and that she is the founder of Project V.O.I.C.E. (Which she later re-founded with Phil Kaye who is equally as fabulous.) She's made it a priority to educate and inspire people on the subject of spoken word poetry since she was in high school, and continues to do so to this day. 

She also uses pathos to make herself more personable. It can be a bit intimidating as a new writer to see this fantastic individual get up on stage and do so perfectly what you can only dream of doing. But Sarah Kay reveals her less-than-perfect side, admitting to the fact that she's nervous.  She even makes a point to say that every time she gets on stage, she feels nervous. 

This is incredibly effective, because it breaks down the inhibitions the audience might have to trying out spoken word poetry. It forces all those people inflicted with shyness or stage-fright or nervousness to think back to argument #4: "I can, I will, and do." 

And now, back to the end. As the first annual Millbrook High School Poetry Slam approaches in the coming week, I'm so thrilled to have re-discovered this TED talk for what's probably the 100th time. It always seems to come into my life right when I've forgotten and need it most. 

It was hard to get over my initial nervousness, to even consider entering myself into this slam competition. I've been told I have a habit of underestimating my strengths and overestimating my weaknesses, as the portrait/self-portrait assignment taught that many of us do. But with a lot of coaxing from friends, I finally hit the first step: I can. 

And (step two) I will. Because, connecting back to the Brendan James quote and Sarah's first argument, everyone has a story to tell. Our unique stories and our ability to share them are the core of what I believe makes us human. And Sarah Kay, along with her spoken word, has taught me that "if you have the ability to express yourself and the courage to present those stories and opinions, you could be rewarded with a room full of your peers, or your community, who will listen." 

And that's what I'm hoping to find next Thursday. A room full of people who will listen, and possibly connect, to a small piece of my story, on my journey to harness my inner Sarah Kay.

Now, all that's left is to do. 

Edit: I did it. And I won (: Thanks to all of you for your never-ending support!