Writing lets people express themselves through words. The Poetry Slam club at MHS is the place for students to do so.
The club meets on Friday mornings before school and has two different styles of meetings: one meeting is a planning meeting to discuss upcoming writing workshops that we are planning to organize, and the other meeting is to share what the club members have been working on and get inspired.
Marsh Covarrubius, the president of Poetry Slam Club described that club members can bring any kind of writing, not just poetry and share to get feedback. However, sharing is not mandatory; club members can also choose to just listen.
The goal of the club is to create a safe environment for students to be able to talk about their writing, get feedback and make friends. Some people think that the club is only focused on poetry, however, people can share whatever they want; some people even share diary entries as Covarrubius said.
Meredith Teuber, one of the club sponsors and Covarrubius both agreed that it is a welcoming environment; everybody is really kind to each other. The club is for those who enjoy writing, want to grow it and build relationships.
“I really just hope that people are able to find a sense of community… I know some of my best friends I have found through the club so I hope other people get the same experience,” Covarrubius said.
The club encourages expressing emotions through spoken words or writing.
“I had a student who I ran into at a store and they said that they were inspired to continue to write and when they went to CLC, they started a writing club there; we want people to be life-long writers and this club gets people to be it,” Teuber shared.
Covarrubius shared that they are looking for open mic opportunities in the future. They have done open mics in the past few years but they want to make it some place where club members can go on a field trip. They mentioned Area Coffee and some places in Chicago that they are looking forward to hosting an open mic at.
Sylv Pacis, a club member, added, “We’ve been wanting to do open mics for a while and actually tried contacting some local businesses, but we have yet to find a time that works for us.”
Teuber added that Poetry Slam had been hosting wellness workshops each month which students can sign up for in the Wellness Center; it takes place during the fifth period this year. They talk about why people should write.
“I love writing workshops. It is a great chance to get some writing practice in a low-stress, friendly environment,” Pacis added.
In the past, open mics were held during all lunch periods; people signed up for those through QR codes and links in flyers and emails the club sent out. At the open mics, those who signed up, listened to other people’s written pieces and shared their writing with others.
Covarrubius said, “Writing harnesses the emotions in a way that turns a feeling into something beautiful.”
