Magnetic words hang on a wall during the MSU Poetry Slam Team meeting Jan. 29, 2014, at the Writing Center at Bessey Hall. The words are used for inspiration.
Words are powerful on their own, but when they are paired with raw emotion they can capture people in a whole new way.
In slam poetry, the poet not only acts as a writer, but as a performer who reads their written words and emphasizes the emotions behind them with their voices and body language.
When psychology and advertising junior Kelsey Serra was given the prompt “night” during the MSU Slam Poetry Team’s Wednesday meeting, she wove together words that took her listeners on a journey to a dark and dismal abyss.
After she spent 15 minutes writing, Serra performed her newest poem for the other team members.
The poem’s captivating phrases such as “falling through the cracks,” and “whether I go up or down it no longer matters to me. I just want to go somewhere,” were empowered by the rise and fall of her voice and earned a finger-snapping round of applause from the team.
“(Performing) brings a lot more to the poem and makes it an entire experience,” Serra said. “You’re not just sitting down reading words from a page — you’re seeing them performed. It’s a completely different thing and you’re really embracing the poem.”
Serra said she has been writing ever since the poetry classes she took during elementary school. She fell out of writing for a little while, but her interest was rejuvenated during the fall semester of her sophomore year at MSU when she stumbled upon slam poetry and the MSU Slam Poetry Team.
Serra said she bases her poetry off her feelings, dreams and surroundings. Serra said there is an abundance of inspiration for writing poetry.
“I’m overcome by whatever it is and I really need to get it down on paper,” said Serra, when discussing her writing process. “I write really fast and write it as a train of thought.”
She can’t estimate the number of poems she’s written throughout the years.
Since joining, she has competed in three competitions with the team and various other slam poets.
Performances can range from emotionally gripping subjects to more light-hearted topics. Serra said that slam poetry is all about the voice and how the performer presents it to their audience.
“It’s not just going and writing a poem, it’s ‘how am I gonna read this?’ or ‘how will it come off to the audience?’ and ‘what am I gonna put behind this?’” she said. “There are a lot more elements than just the poem itself — you have to think about how it’s going to affect people.”
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