Visiting Writers Series Hosts Spoken Word Poet

4/6/2022

April marks National Poetry Month, and the Upper School community welcomed guest author Phillip Kaye as he reveled in the art of spoken word and performance poetry while reading excerpts from his book titled Date and Time. The assembly and workshops that followed were part of the Visiting Writers Series, a program supported by the Betty Lou Blumberg Endowed Chair of English, which allows the English Department to host workshops and lectures that support and promote Hamden Hall’s core values of excellence and participation.

On a sunny Friday morning, all Upper School students, faculty, and staff gathered together in Taylor Gymnasium as English Department Chair and teacher Paul Gustafson introduced Phil and gave insight into his background. Phil is a published writer, author, and spoken-word artist. His poems detail sophisticated analogies on the topics of family, friendship, loss, passing time, and reflection. Also in attendance was former English faculty member Betty Lou Blumberg.

“Every year, we invite writers to discuss their body of work to help bridge the world of reading and writing and foster a new love of literacy in the classroom,” said Mr. Gustafson. “There is value in hearing directly from the artist as all writing has truth to it, and students can find a part of the story to relate or be moved by. Listening to what is on the page as opposed to reading it evokes emotion and provides context and a better understanding of the message.”

Phil opened with a poem titled “Before the Internet,” which detailed a summer day with his friend Ben in the 1990s. He recalled the careless, peaceful moments of a simple childhood where days were spent exploring and playing around. He transitioned to his second poem titled “Beginning, Middle, & End” where he spoke on the idea of how our lives are stories and we are in charge of the direction of the chapters and ending.

Taking a moment to pause, Phil spoke to the audience about his background noting he is the son of a Japanese mother and Jewish-American father, who often inspire his writing. He further noted he became passionate about writing at an early age, but it was not until college that he fell in love with spoken word.

“Spoken word is a beautiful art form that gives you permission to be vulnerable with your writing and the means of how you express it,” said Phil. “Writing and telling your story helps guide the path towards self-discovery and turning those events and personal relationships into art helps you find your voice and what you are capable of.”

In his third poem, Phil spoke from the perspective of a dog during quarantine before moving into two other poems, which detailed his memories of conversations with his grandparents about their personal stories. His next poem titled “Repetition” detailed how repeating words and phrases devalues their meaning and the effect they have in emotional situations. Over time, he said, the words come back to haunt him and in turn he experiences the depth of the words.

The final poem titled “My Grandmother’s Ballroom,” told the beautiful story of his grandmother and detailed the pain and bitter-sweet loss of a loved one. He shared vivid memories and embraced the loss before finishing with the poetic notion “still dancing, taken by the music.”

Phil opened the floor up for questions. One student asked what his process was to determine which poems make the final version of the book, to which he responded he puts all of his poems in a spreadsheet and organizes them into different categories based on themes, messaging, and subject. He said he chooses the selection based on the story arc he wants to create and uses certain poems to bridge that gap. After the discussion, students were able to purchase his book, and Phil stayed behind to sign copies.

Following the program was a beginner’s poetry workshop instructed by Phil and Mr. Gustafson in Swain Library. Twenty students from the Poetry Club and FACES, the literary magazine, took part in the lesson where they worked on their writing skills, understanding how to craft a personal voice, and explore what creatively influences them. Phil worked with the students on turning their work into performance as “poetry is not just meant to be read, but to be heard.”

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Visiting Writers Series Hosts Spoken Word Poet