The Department of African American Studies collaborated with the Luckyday Scholars Program to host the Voice of Resilience open mic night on Wednesday, April 17 in the Residential College Marketplace dining facility, highlighting the power of spoken word poetry.
“Voices of Resilience open mic night is a celebration of National Poetry Month and a collaborative effort born from a desire to provide a platform for students, faculty and staff to share their poetry, spoken word or read poetry that inspired them related to stories of resilience and strength,” Tracion Flood, program manager of African American studies and the University of Mississippi Prison-to-College Pipeline Program, said.
Students and faculty shared both original and published poetry giving everyone the opportunity to take the mic.
Additionally, the event boasted a table with books of poetry and snacks for guests to enjoy. Assistant Professor of African American Studies Owen Hyman shared a humorous poem he wrote on climate change. He shared that the poem was inspired in part by watching “Ancient Aliens” with his mom.
Also in attendance was Dom Novelli, who previously published poetry under the pen name “Jude Tobias” in 2021. In his poem, “From Afar,” Novelli described the feeling of seeing a loved one in public only to realize it is not truly them.
Freshman public policy leadership major Amaya Sukhbaatar expressed that the event allowed her to bond over a shared love of poetry and connect with people through their individual stories.
“I came to support my friend who was reading a poem, and it was cool to watch her do something that she wanted to share with others,” Sukhbaatar said. “I think this event is a great idea because I got the chance to interact with people that I never would have interacted with otherwise.”
The wide variety of poetry allowed for guests to open up and share their work in a safe and supportive environment.
Fatimah Wansley, a sophomore international studies major, took the opportunity to share a poem she wrote about her own identity and experiences as a biracial Muslim African American woman in the South.
“I want my career to take me somewhere where I get to advocate for Muslims in the world that look like me because when I say the word ‘Muslim,’ because of the way we are socialized, it’s not this tall black girl with red hair,” Wansley said.
For Wansley, the open night mic was an opportunity to let her passions take hold and allow her to reevaluate her work-life balance.
“My passion has always been writing, especially poetry,” Wansley said. “I have been focused for so long on my practical career that I have kind of let my passion come under that because I didn’t think it was practical. So I have been dedicating a lot more of my time to poetry, because I know I can do both.”
As the evening continued, more and more students filled the room and gained confidence to take hold of the mic and open up in front of the audience.
African American studies and classics double major Amya Franklin was the main host for the Voice of Resilience poetry reading.
“At first, people are always a bit shy or reluctant to read, but as the night goes on, people really find community and comfort in the poetry,” Franklin said. “By the end of the night, we had people there laughing, discussing art and expression, and we even ended up having a poetry slam.”
The Department of African American studies has hosted multiple open mic nights unique in their focus, including an open mic night during Black History Month to provide students a platform for expression and connection.
“The inaugural (African American studies) Black History Month open mic night partnered with Gender Studies was a success, bringing together talented students to share their voices,” Flood said. “Last year, we celebrated National Poetry Month with another OMN (open mic night and) partnered with Luckyday Residential College, which was also well-received by both students and faculty.”
After the successful evening, Flood expressed excitement for future events and hopes to build a community of poetry lovers at UM.
“We hope to inspire, uplift and connect individuals through shared experiences and narratives of resilience,” Flood said. “While I’m new to the (university), I’m confident that with time, patience and faith, this event will continue to flourish.”
