A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to Wick’s 12th annual ‘Giving Voice’ poetry event at my alma mater, Kent State University. It focuses around giving voice to those people who may often be overlooked. It also helps those who struggle to find their voice.

I know one of the students that was selected by his school to present his poem. He’s an extremely talented young man who is quite the pianist. Actually, later that week I ended up going to a teen musical competition that he won. I’m a huge supporter of the arts in young people if you couldn’t tell.

This particular event lasted about  two hours and the poets ranged from 4th graders to war veterans. A couple of the poems really spoke to me and I was extremely impressed by the talent shown by many of the participants. In between groups there was a man playing various instruments from around the world.

Except for a few snafus with the microphones, the event went off without a hitch. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was surrounded by an amazing group of people.

Below is the video of Kofi Boakye presenting his poem, “Grandma Who.”

It was a pleasure being able to be apart of this special occasion.

Until next time,