Writers across the Keene State College campus are celebrating – there is finally a club for lovers of slam poetry! The club, affectionately called the Alive Poets Society, became officially recognized on campus last week, and focuses on other forms of poetry and writing as well.
Founder and President of the Alive Poets Society Nicole Danish said that she knew there had to be other poets on campus who needed an outlet like this.
Danish, who is a junior at KSC, said, “I think the Alive Poets Society is vital to Keene State because there are so many talented writers here and very few assets to encourage, inspire and showcase their work.”
Danish added, “KSC is truly a gold mine of various different talents and this club is a way for poets here to get their work heard.”
KSC junior Sarah Lennon is one such student who joined for that reason.
Tim Smith / Photo Editor
“I joined because I really like poetry, and I sometimes feel sort of pretentious talking about poetry with my friends that aren’t really into that kind of thing, so I wanted to be involved in a community of people outside of academic curriculum that are genuinely interested in sharing their poetry with others and offering constructive feedback,” Lennon said.
KSC junior Sophia Olsen said that most clubs on campus are created out of passion. The Alive Poets Society is no exception.
“The members are given an outlet,” Olsen explained, “And since writing, specifically poetic pieces, are what we tend to feel a pull towards, having this space full of supportive members and peers with similar goals and emotional stamina, sometimes lackthereof, is extremely helpful and healing.”
Olsen continued, “I think that bringing any arts to any academic setting is very important.”
“We encourage one another to grow, evolve and improve as writers and performers,” Lennon added, “That’s something that’s important to me. I think this is important to have at KSC because there’s really no other club like it. It’s a very non-judgemental and relaxed atmosphere, whereas in my experience, the poetry classes offered are usually a little more pressured because you’re being graded on what you write.”
Olsen explained that while the club encourages slam poetry, that is not the only focus.
“It’s [a] two-parter, basically – we also work on just writing things, which I think is really cool. During meetings we also get to work on our writing skills and then we get to work on our slam styles,” Olsen said.
Referring to poetry, Danish added, “It’s such a raw, pure way of expressing oneself and having others connect.”
Tim Smith / Photo Editor
Danish explained that a typical meeting consists of a visceral warm up, then opens to slam poetry readings performed by whoever would like to volunteer. The meeting closes with a fifteen minute free write and reading.
The prompts for the free write come from the Nosebleed Club, Lennon said, which is an online community of writers based out of Tumblr.
Lennon also explained that the club discusses upcoming poetry slams and open mics in the Keene area, which allows members to be able to get their writing out into the community, if they choose to.
Danish said she would like to thank those who helped her follow through with creating the Alive Poets Society on campus.
“Professor Doreski was the first person who told me I had talent and really helped and encouraged me,” Danish said, “I’d also like to thank Jen Ditkoff who helped me find our advisor, Irene McGarritty, and I’d like to extend thanks to Irene for helping me see my dream come through,” Danish said.
The club meets at 7 p.m. on Thursdays in the Appian Room in the Mason Library on campus, and welcomes new members.
Jill can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com