Jamie Dawson, Rupi Kaur, Straz Center and 10 years of Spoken Word.
I unpack sealed high school memories and accolades. I lift one folded newspaper out of the box. King High School, Scepter Volume 52, Issue 3, February 2013 front page headline “Dawson Slams at Poetry Competition.” I stand at the microphone animated while fellow student competitors and the audience look on. I won first place that year. But that was just the beginning, and wasn’t even my first foray in spoken word or slams.
The first time I ever competed with poetry I was in the black box of the Straz Center. The year was 2012, and I lost… terribly. I had no idea that poetry could be a performance artform let alone a competitive performance artform. My eyes were opened to the possibilities of poetry. I studied and trained alongside Tampa’s best spoken word artists and masters of slam and came back in 2013 and won the district poetry jam.
Though the first sentence of the article is “… Dawson won the district poetry slam…” it’s what the article goes on to cover that is most important. I am grateful for every time I get to express my self and speak. I delight in the challenge of writing, memorizing and embodying stories. I cherish the village, the community, that it takes to thrive in this artform. And, I have an undeniable work ethic that is rooted in emotion more than it is logic. These are my pillars, and my foundation has hardly ever led me astray.
10 years later, I am back at the Straz Center! This time not in the black box competing against fellow students, but rather in Ferguson Hall sharing the stage with one of the most recognizable poets of our time, Rupi Kaur!
It is a celebration!
It is a joyous occasion!
It is a time for getting free!
I am humbled to represent my city in this spotlight. Encouragement has poured in from all over the country. The entire event is bathed in the positivity and excitement. We are here. This is the journey, and I am so grateful for everyone who comes along.
It’s show time!! (As she sprints to go get ready!)