News
DEARBORN — A violin, guitar, five-piece drum set and microphone all helped students, a professor and a pair of professional poets express messages from boosting both racial and gender minorities to honoring military troops.
Slam Poetry generally refers to poems meant to be performed for a live audience in a competitive environment. This year’s event, however, was not competitive.
Other artists contributed artwork to hang at the 8th Annual Poetry Slam and Human Rights Exhibit that took place from 6-9 p.m., Thursday in the auditorium inside UM-Dearborn’s engineering building.
Detroit native and renowned slam poet Natasha T. Miller and her colleague, poet Deonte Osayande, helped host the event and performed several times.
Hamzah Latif, 24, is a senior at the university with a triple-major in Psychology, Sociology and Women’s Studies. He’s also the president of the UM-Dearborn chapter of Amnesty International, which presented the slam with the Poetry Arts Movement and Lyceum.
Before the show began, Latif bustled around the auditorium and hallway outside, which in addition to the artwork also was adorned with a food and beverage table. Latif helped hang posters, do sound checks and organize performers. He said Amnesty International helps fight for every right listed on the universal Declaration of Independence.
“Today we are celebrating the freedom of speech in the form of poetry and the arts,” Latif said.
Fourth-year psychology major Reema Bilal, 21, showcased a self-portrait she created as a sophomore at the International Academy of Bloomfield Hills. It depicted a woman wearing a hijab. Different phrases, words, and sentences clipped from magazines and newspapers filled in surrounding areas.
Words on the left, Bilal explained, were harsh and born of hatred. Tolerant words and phrases decorated the right-hand side. Bilal said when she originally designed the piece in high school, tolerance of the traditional Muslim head covering was much lower than now.
“A lot of people know more about the subject now, they have more information,” Bilal said. “I think that’s the way it should be.” Continued...
- 1
- 2
- 3
- See Full Story
Fellow psychology student Glenn Cantwell, 23, performed the John Mayer song “3x5” with an acoustic guitar. Before the show began, Cantwell explained his choice.
“It doesn’t have anything directly to do with human rights,” Cantwell said. “I think he [Mayer] wrote it for a different purpose.”
Cantwell said the song, about being away from home and people you love, reminds him of people he loves. He said he has a lot of friends and family serving overseas in the military, and listening to “3x5” helps him cope with by reminding him that he will see them again.
Miller is a slam poet who snagged the Detroit Poetry Slam team’s Grand Slam Champion crown and has been a member of four National Poetry Slam teams.
She’s been a two-time Women of The World Poetry Slam finalist and ranked as the third female slam poet in the world in 2008.
Last year, she started her own publishing company, All I Wanna Say Publishing, and published a book of quotes, “Dreams of a Beginner.” Another book, “Rape, Suicide, God, and Poetry,” is in the works.
Miller warmed the crowd with her energy, encouraging audience members to shout out or snap their fingers when they liked something, or throwing something at the stage when they didn’t.
“Just don’t hit me,” she said, drawing laughs. Standing in the middle aisle at the foot of the stage, Miller delivered poems several times throughout the night that addressed all that’s wrong with society.
In one recital, she questioned how celebrities influence can make young girls ashamed of themselves, citing a nude-photo scandal in July of this year when Amber Rose, a model and a DJ who dated Kanye West. After the photos of a nude Rose touching herself leaked, Rose reportedly tweeted, “I’m really hurt embarrassed because I have so many young girls that look up to me.”
In slick rhyming lines, Miller said the apology only would teach young girls to be ashamed of their bodies. Continued...
- 1
- 2
- 3
- See Full Story
“Instead, you should have prepped your body for the camera and asked, ‘Where’s my reality show?” Miller slammed.
Hours after the event ended, Miller tweeted her thanks to the University and Latif.
“Thank you for bringing me in again as your feature U of M Dearborn...you are family, accept it” and “thank you for bringing me back Mr nice dress and “good hair,” lol.” The latter referencing Latif, who drew good-natured teasing during the event about having nice locks.
A mix of people filled seats in the auditorium, including a professor and her date for the night, the youngest in attendance.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology and faculty advisor to Amnesy International Megan Moore came with her six-month-old son, Jameson Patrick.
Moore came a bit early and helped set up, while Jameson cooed and smiled at mingling students.
Moore said creative events like the poetry slam are important to the university and its student body.
“It’s been an important event not only to showcase young poets in the community,” Moore said, “but also to promote human rights in an easily digestible manner.”
- 1
- 2
- 3
- See Full Story
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- See Full Story
DEARBORN — A violin, guitar, five-piece drum set and microphone all helped students, a professor and a pair of professional poets express messages from boosting both racial and gender minorities to honoring military troops.
Slam Poetry generally refers to poems meant to be performed for a live audience in a competitive environment. This year’s event, however, was not competitive.
Other artists contributed artwork to hang at the 8th Annual Poetry Slam and Human Rights Exhibit that took place from 6-9 p.m., Thursday in the auditorium inside UM-Dearborn’s engineering building.
Detroit native and renowned slam poet Natasha T. Miller and her colleague, poet Deonte Osayande, helped host the event and performed several times.
Hamzah Latif, 24, is a senior at the university with a triple-major in Psychology, Sociology and Women’s Studies. He’s also the president of the UM-Dearborn chapter of Amnesty International, which presented the slam with the Poetry Arts Movement and Lyceum.
Before the show began, Latif bustled around the auditorium and hallway outside, which in addition to the artwork also was adorned with a food and beverage table. Latif helped hang posters, do sound checks and organize performers. He said Amnesty International helps fight for every right listed on the universal Declaration of Independence.
“Today we are celebrating the freedom of speech in the form of poetry and the arts,” Latif said.
Fourth-year psychology major Reema Bilal, 21, showcased a self-portrait she created as a sophomore at the International Academy of Bloomfield Hills. It depicted a woman wearing a hijab. Different phrases, words, and sentences clipped from magazines and newspapers filled in surrounding areas.
Words on the left, Bilal explained, were harsh and born of hatred. Tolerant words and phrases decorated the right-hand side. Bilal said when she originally designed the piece in high school, tolerance of the traditional Muslim head covering was much lower than now.
“A lot of people know more about the subject now, they have more information,” Bilal said. “I think that’s the way it should be.”
Fellow psychology student Glenn Cantwell, 23, performed the John Mayer song “3x5” with an acoustic guitar. Before the show began, Cantwell explained his choice.
“It doesn’t have anything directly to do with human rights,” Cantwell said. “I think he [Mayer] wrote it for a different purpose.”
Cantwell said the song, about being away from home and people you love, reminds him of people he loves. He said he has a lot of friends and family serving overseas in the military, and listening to “3x5” helps him cope with by reminding him that he will see them again.
Miller is a slam poet who snagged the Detroit Poetry Slam team’s Grand Slam Champion crown and has been a member of four National Poetry Slam teams.
She’s been a two-time Women of The World Poetry Slam finalist and ranked as the third female slam poet in the world in 2008.
Last year, she started her own publishing company, All I Wanna Say Publishing, and published a book of quotes, “Dreams of a Beginner.” Another book, “Rape, Suicide, God, and Poetry,” is in the works.
Miller warmed the crowd with her energy, encouraging audience members to shout out or snap their fingers when they liked something, or throwing something at the stage when they didn’t.
“Just don’t hit me,” she said, drawing laughs. Standing in the middle aisle at the foot of the stage, Miller delivered poems several times throughout the night that addressed all that’s wrong with society.
In one recital, she questioned how celebrities influence can make young girls ashamed of themselves, citing a nude-photo scandal in July of this year when Amber Rose, a model and a DJ who dated Kanye West. After the photos of a nude Rose touching herself leaked, Rose reportedly tweeted, “I’m really hurt embarrassed because I have so many young girls that look up to me.”
In slick rhyming lines, Miller said the apology only would teach young girls to be ashamed of their bodies.
“Instead, you should have prepped your body for the camera and asked, ‘Where’s my reality show?” Miller slammed.
Hours after the event ended, Miller tweeted her thanks to the University and Latif.
“Thank you for bringing me in again as your feature U of M Dearborn...you are family, accept it” and “thank you for bringing me back Mr nice dress and “good hair,” lol.” The latter referencing Latif, who drew good-natured teasing during the event about having nice locks.
A mix of people filled seats in the auditorium, including a professor and her date for the night, the youngest in attendance.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology and faculty advisor to Amnesy International Megan Moore came with her six-month-old son, Jameson Patrick.
Moore came a bit early and helped set up, while Jameson cooed and smiled at mingling students.
Moore said creative events like the poetry slam are important to the university and its student body.
“It’s been an important event not only to showcase young poets in the community,” Moore said, “but also to promote human rights in an easily digestible manner.”
- Return to Paging Mode
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Press and Guide.
Open all references in tabs: [1 - 4]