"At Louder Than a Bomb no material was
too sacred, political, violent, cruel, beautiful, or exhilarating. The best
poems were sharp critical reminders of our own humanity, our pain, humor,
strength, and virtue." -- Vileana de la Rosa
We’re
thrilled to have Vileana de la Rosa as our Poetry and Social Change Intern and
Leili Slutz as our Communications and Social Media Intern this spring! This past weekend, both
Vileana and Leili attended the Louder Than a Bomb DMV Teen Poetry Slam Festival
(May 4-5, 2013). Below they share their experience and reflections with us:
Leili:
On Friday afternoon a giggling high school student came into
the Split This Rock office to practice for the weekend’s big slam poetry
competition. The student smiled nervously, shuffled her feet a bit, looked
down, and launched her poem quietly into the floor. After a few lines her
shoulders left her ears and her back straightened and her chin lifted and her
voice took on some strength. By the middle of the poem she had left her
childhood behind and was walking into some devastating personal issues while the
rest of us flushed as the small office room became too hot. By the time she
finished she was shouting and I was fighting back tears and the urge to jump up
and down. That Friday rehearsal served as my introduction to the second annual Louder Than a Bomb DMV Youth Slam
Poetry Competition, and Saturday and Sunday’s competition at George
Washington University followed the same unexpected vein.
This
past weekend I stood witness to some unbelievable power as twenty high school
teams from DC, Maryland, and Virginia laid themselves bare on stage time and
again, hitting the audience with an eloquence for which I was completely
unprepared. Throughout the event students expounded on their frustrations,
their personal battles with rape, violence, racism, and oppression, and their
struggles to shape a future from what they view as a broken system. For me, as
a newcomer to DC and to slam, it showed me the heart of the region, the
resilience of our students, and the transformative power of living, shouting
poetry.
This year’s festival featured
open-floor discussions on DMV identity; workshops on hip-hop, poetry, and
activism; a family block party and a coach’s slam; hours of intense
competition; and a finale featuring renowned poet Alysia Harris. The
competition also brought together an outstanding group of adult artists and
activists from the DMV area, emphasizing the relevance and urgency of the
issues and poetry spotlighted this weekend. The event also highlighted the
essential work of teachers from all three regions and the
coordinators/coaches from the DC Youth Slam Team
and poetryN.O.W.
Louder Than a Bomb originated in
Chicago and co-founder Kevin Coval
and the non-profit organization Young Chicago Authors
continue to build the movement outside of its founding city; Coval traveled to
D.C. for the weekend’s event. The 2013 Louder Than a Bomb DMV embodied
everything we work for at Split This Rock—to celebrate poetry of witness and
provocation as a living, breathing art form and as an active agent for change.
Vileana:
I am still recovering from all the amazing poetry I heard this
weekend. Louder Than a Bomb-DMV 2013 was truly a transformative and life-changing
experience, delivering lyrical and poetic justice bombs that blew the audience
away. Together we laughed, cried, and sighed with words that tore into our
souls; we realized the collective power of each others’ voices. The energy in the
rooms where the Semi-Finals and the Finals took place was incredible--each poet
and poem left an indelible impression on the audience where poets were reminded
“Don’t be Nice”, “Word”, “Yes!”, “We!”, “You got this!”, and “Keep it going!.” In
a society where apathy is the norm, students often do not have the support to
form and express their own social and political analysis. But at Louder Than a
Bomb no material was too sacred, political, violent, cruel, beautiful, or exhilarating.
The best poems were sharp critical reminders of our own humanity, our pain,
humor, strength, and virtue.
I traveled across the country from UC Irvine as part of the UCDC
program to intern with Split This Rock, and never would I have thought that
slam poetry would break me, heal me, and inspire me as much as it did. Our
poets are fighters, lovers, and enchanters, leaving me with a sense of real
hope for humanity. As my peers toil away at their internships with various
state departments, federal, and legal offices, I had the unique opportunity to
help organize the largest teen poetry festival in the DMV area. My experience
at Louder Than a Bomb tore me inside out and reminded me of the social,
transformative power of words. The poetry at Louder Than a Bomb cannot be
undermined, misplaced, or co-opted; each finely tuned poem speaks for itself.
