Community Profile

A place that I have felt heard at is honestly not anywhere that comes to mind. I feel like a lot of the time the things I say don’t really mean anything to anyone else even though they carry a lot of feeling and meaning to me. Growing up I have always enjoyed writing and thought of writing down my thoughts and feelings has been extremely soothing. I always have written stories, thoughts, and even music. I have always had a diary to write my thoughts because sometimes, you really do not know how to express your thoughts. I have always had trouble talking out problems. I would write them down. I would often become very invested and then had no one to read it to. When I speak to my parents, I hardly ever get full attention. Partly because my Dad has hearing loss and partly because they really don’t care. I feel like my friends aren't really that deep, they never really want to have deep conversation. My boyfriend listens to me, but sometimes I really want a lot of people to actually hear me. Whenever I have an opportunity to be heard, I never really know what to say. The best way to be heard in my personal opinion is to write all your thoughts down. Even just by doing this I feel like I am being listened to by the entire universe. When I write things down, it feels like my prayers are being thought upon, even though I'm not religious. When I write, I feel like my words matter, my words are meaningful, and my words have a purpose. I feel like what I say isn't just for shits and giggles or to add to a conversation, it’s more of something genuinely being there for me. My mom was always there but I often felt like she did not fully understand my feelings and would judge me. I want to be apart of a community of people who have experienced the same issue as me. I was to be with people who have deep thoughts and talents that they do not know how to show it off in any other way except by writing.. This is how I picture a lot of people feel, so they try out slam poetry. People like me belong there.

I think slam poem is an art.

The whole passion and thought that goes into performing feelings is something I have always been looking for. In high school, I was somewhat popular and played three sports. I always felt that people thought slam poetry kis were not cool, and that I would be judged. I secretly have had a passion for writing and I never wanted to be judged for it. Since high school is over I really feel like I can finally do whatever I want, because I'm here for myself and not anyone else. Slam poetry is when people write either poems or skits and perform in front of a very supportive audience. Taboo issues and hard topics are often discussed. There is never any judgment, or any guidelines. You can literally say whatever you want or whatever you feel and people will support and snap at you. In slam poetry, to show people applause and gratification, you snap. Snapping is slam poetry nature and culture. You snap while someone is performing when they say a moving line or word. Along with snapping, people also tend to say “ooooh” or “ah” or any other little sounds to give the poet confidence and support. I really like this because it encourages the performer and gives them confidence to keep going with peoples full support.

A slam poetry setting is a place where there are a bunch of people who have things, thoughts, opinions, and stories to tell. There is often a stage, and a microphone. People also are sitting down and lounging around mostly drinking coffee. The performer speaks their writing on the stage and everyone snaps. There may be soft music possibly jazz playing in the background. It is a calm, and cool setting for people to really vibe and support. I can't wait to do slam poetry for the first time. I will finally be with deep people who have thoughts and opinions and are willing to share it to the universe. I want to make friends, learn, and support a group of people who love writing as much as I do.