Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam (Finals, 2024)

I’ve been a fan of poetry for many years now. I was interested in poetry as a young person, and that has carried over into adulthood. I was lucky enough that my teachers in elementary and middle school made us read poetry, and that has sparked an unending fascination with written words and literature to this day. To my surprise, I was so happy to learn that the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam (2024) was held in D.C. this year! I immediately got a ticket and just knew that I had to be there in-person at the competition finals. Brave New Voices is a nonprofit organization that promotes spoken word poetry, also known as slam poetry for middle school and high school students. It is electric, passionate, and a true art. The poem that I saw ~10 years ago that introduced me to Brave New Voices was a poem called Thinking About You (click to view). It is still one of the most creative, unique, and unforgettable poems I have EVER HEARD! I wanted to go to the competition finals to get a better understanding of young people these days and the problems that affect them.

The finals were held at Howard Theaters and the finals consisted of student teams from around the country. There were four rounds of competition and only the best teams moved on to the next round. Each team had to present an original poem and be able to recite it as well as perform it in real-time, not an easy feat. I think students could basically write about any topic. Themes that kept showing up over and over again among the students this year were: 1) Gun violence in schools and how that affects young people physically and mentally, 2) under-represented minority youth who don’t feel like they belong in America nor have the opportunities to thrive, 3) the impact and the legacy of slavery, 4) young people who have experienced family problems and emotional trauma, and lastly 5) young people who are trying to find their identity and voice in a world that seems to give them less and less. I share in the students struggles because I was also once a young person who felt like he didn’t belong and didn’t have an identity nor voice. Some of the stories that the students shared about not having opportunities or being held back resonated with me. But what I found after listening to all the poems was a sense of awe and inspiration. Even with all the adversity, these students were speaking out and fighting for what they believed in. They were using spoken word poetry to make a difference. I take great solace in this and know for sure that: the students I saw at the competition are going to be special people when they grow up. Going to the competition finals and listening to their stories has given me a new found energy, and has given me continued confidence to always speak up and speak out for what you believe in, no matter what the world thinks or what the costs are.

At the end of the finals before announcing the winners, they brought on Grammy-nominated poet Aja Monet to perform a few poems from her new album. That was incredible! I was in the audience seeing a modern-day Maya Angelo at the top of her game. Just so special. The winners ended up being Meta Four, a team from Houston, TX. In fact, this was the second consecutive year that they won the competition, well done!! My favorite poem in the whole competition was a poem they composed. It’s on Youtube (poem starts at 1:47:00) and serves as a powerful reminder to always be who you are; never let anyone steal or take away your identity as a person.

I guess one of the biggest takeaways I have from the event is a deeper understanding into the nature of creativity. Being creative can come in many different forms and expressions. It can be poetry, writing, singing, music, sports, tech/engineering, etc. The most important thing is to make it your own unique expression: do something that’s never been done before and do something that comes naturally to you. I noticed how it was effortless for most of the students at Brave New Voices to remember and recite their poems. I know for me it would be very nerve-wracking to write an original poem and perform it at a poetry slam in spoken word. I would not be afraid of the new experience, but it would definitely not be easy for me. I would have to practice for a long time to get better. The students I saw obviously practiced a lot to gain confidence (as I saw one student practice right before the competition in the Howard Theater ground level); however, doing slam poetry is a lot easier if you are passionate about it and make it unique to who you are. You have to believe that what you are doing is important and that the story you tell has meaning for others. This will motivate you to put in the reps of work overtime and make your ability to perform poetry effortless. Therefore as creative people, I’d like to say that we have to always create stuff by doing what comes naturally to us! Don’t copy others, rather create and trailblaze yourself!