Poems that pack a punch at youth slam

Applause filled the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center’s gym on May 4 as dozens of people gathered for the neighborhood’s fourth annual youth poetry slam.

“I don’t get time to show people what I really write about and I’m scared to do it with my friends and be like, ‘yo, listen to this,’” said Diamond Brown, 17. “So this is the perfect opportunity for people to come together and just listen. It’s just a safe place. Nobody’s gonna judge you.”

Themes of the evening ranged from families and mental illness to politics and race.

“This is one of my babies and I take a lot of pride and joy in hearing the kids and what they have to say,” said Lamont Parker, the chairman of Community Board 8’s Youth Committee, who organized the event.

Poet Luke Nephew, who hosted the session, kicked things off with an exhortation to the hesitant. 

“Don’t be shy and come right up because it’s going to be all love,” he told the crowd. “The point is not the points; the point is the poetry.”

Odelia Fried, 16, was not new to the game. She made it to this year’s finals of Urban World NYC’s poetry slam in Manhattan after strong showings at the non-profit’s competition in previous years.

“I write about my personal experiences, about being Jewish, being orthodox and Jewish. Mental health, I write about that,” Odelia said.

Last week, she recited verse about living with obsessive-compulsive disorder and compared her daily life to living in a “horror movie” she never auditioned for.

Leslie Moreaux has only been slamming for a year, but won fourth place at CB 8’s poetry event.

“I write about my race and ethnicity — I’m Afro-Dominican — and how that affects me. I write about immigration, my family’s history with immigration in America,” she said.

Leslie added her favorite part of the night was hearing other participants’ poems.

“I always get inspired when I hear other people, especially young people like myself, speak to the community, because it’s all about community building at the end of the day, and hearing people’s stories,” she said.

Poetry was not the only medium at the event. One participant, Karmesha Peake, sang an audience-pleasing rendition of the Gershwin aria “Summertime.”

Diamond won first place, while Zhane Ligon earned second, Odelia third and Joey Yudelson fourth. Awards included a laptop, iPod mini and a Samsung tablet.

“Everyone’s a winner! We encourage the youth to continue pushing forward to reach their dreams and to never give up,” Mr. Parker stated.