Poetry slam helps teens navigate puberty turbulence

It is not easy for large groups of people to come to a consensus on just about anything.  And yet, on Saturday dozens of people packed themselves in to a tiny coffee shop in Manhattan to discuss the one thing upon which almost all humans can agree—the various ways that puberty sucks. 

“Nothing like a little fire hazard on a Saturday night,” Barbara Rosenblat, the emcee of a so-called Puberty Poetry Slam, said jokingly. 

On that particular night last week, teens and adults alike presented original poetry—and even one stand-up bit—about navigating the tricky waters of pubescence. 

Rosenblat, known for her stage acting career and her role as Miss Rosa—a cancer sufferer incarcerated in the fictional prison of the Netflix series Orange is the New Black—also dubbed the event a launch party for Puberty Concierge, the organization that hosted the event. 

The group was founded in November by Riverdale resident Sara Voit to help young people cope with the major changes their lives when they reach puberty. 

“Kids that are unprepared for puberty have a much harder time throughout their teenage and young adult years,” she said in an interview after the poetry slam. “The main goal is to connect adolescents and adults—so, parents or caregivers—to basically a roadmap to go through puberty.”

On Saturday, a wide array of speakers approached the stage, ranging from Voit’s children Sammy and Molly to comedian Atheer Yacoub.

“I think the environment created kind of a warm and comforting energy, so everyone felt safe getting up in front of people and sharing,” Voit said. “That is what really a reflection of what Puberty Concierge aims to be as an organization, to provide this safe place for learning and for teaching.”

The presentations ranged in style and length, with some performers offering longer narratives of their experience with puberty, and with one young man simply asking the adults of his when they will “make up their minds.”

Yacoub, a New York based comedian who often jokes about her own Palestinian upbringing, even found time to joke about President Donald Trump’s executive action barring immigration and travel from seven Middle Eastern nations. 

“Today’s not the best day to be a Muslim, so thank you for letting me in,” she said to a chorus of laughs and cheers. 

Also at the poetry slam was Jill Moon, the director of the New York branch of Days for Girls, an organization that helps increase access to feminine hygiene products for women and girls globally.  She recited a poem written for her daughter. 

“There is for me a necessary conversation that seeks to undermine the shaming happens to some girls around menstruation,” she said. “We’ll have a period party, so all red everything, that’s what it will become.”

Puberty Concierge, Voit said, will work to remove some of the taboo around puberty, and work towards open and honest discussions surrounding pubescence. 

One method for this, Voit said, was to facilitate puberty parties where clients can “choose from a list of puberty-related topics that expert educators will facilitate with your kids.”

“We’re trying to branch out and make ourselves known,” We are trying to bring to light that this is real and kids are vulnerable and there’s a lot that they’re going through and as an adult there’s a lot you’re going through too, like watching your child grow up.”