Visiting Writers Series Welcomes Poet Sarah Kay

The art of storytelling through poetry and spoken-word evokes emotions allowing listeners to become part of the story. Standing on the stage of the Taylor Performing Arts Center with nothing but a microphone and a notebook, spoken-word poet Sarah Kay performed excerpts from her book, No Matter the Wreckage, for Upper School students and faculty as part of the Visiting Writers Series, a program supported by the Betty Lou Blumberg Endowed Chair of English. Mrs. Blumberg was also on hand in the audience and met Sarah at the conclusion of the assembly.

 

“Hamden Hall has a beautiful tradition of welcoming guest poets as a way to celebrate literacy and the arts,” said English Department Chair and faculty member Paul Gustafson. “It is important to value all art forms from poetry and writing to art and incorporate them into conversation with the intention of uplifting voices.”

 

Weaving her own personal life experiences into her work, Sarah shared six poems that touched on family, friends, childhood memories, love, heartbreak, her love of New York City, and all the emotions that encompass growing up. She detailed her experiences of performing in front of an audience, visiting family in California for the first time, learning that all animals are not meant to be house pets, and her love of puns and celebrating Halloween in New York. She concluded with the delicate personal revelations of how one day it will be just her and her brother and what it means to be loved by someone.

“Poetry is the compass that moves me through the world,” commented Sarah. “I discovered spoken-word poetry as an outlet to express my highs and lows in a space that was safe for me to explore and where I learned how important my own voice was. Everyone has a story to share and the universe has created moments for you to write about so pay attention to what is being thrown at you and let it out.”

 

Following the assembly, Sarah hosted a writer’s workshop with 21 students in the library. With a piece of blank paper and pencil in hand, she encouraged the students to think of themselves as artists and dive into the creative process. The first written prompt asked students to write down three things they know to be true. She then instructed the students to ask themselves three questions: What do I write about? What language do I use to write about it? How do I make this both compelling and authentic to me?

 

Sarah went on to explain how using sensory language evokes the emotions of the reader and connects them to the written story. Students were then asked to write the word “regret” and describe what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like. The final exercise was to combine the first two writing lessons and create a poem based on a literal moment with figurative language.