Southeast Missouri State University’s Journey Literary Magazine President Shabriel Mack had an idea to present the spoken word poetry with an open mic night called “Write Out Loud.”

“The idea for ‘Write Out Loud’ came from ‘Journey Readings,’ which have always been going on, but I wanted to provide an official title that drew people in. I want people to get excited about poetry and writing and, more importantly, not being afraid to express themselves.” Mack said.

Spoken word is an urban art form centered around vocal storytelling, it's where poetry on paper meets performance art.

“Write Out Loud” has been held two and three times per month since Sept. 8, thanks to Cape Girardeau’s local Cup ‘n’ Cork on Spanish Street downtown, which supports and encourages art and creativity locally.

Mack said she unwinds by writing. It’s what she loves, and said it’s where her heart is. She also enjoys listening to music.

On Nov. 17, Mack wrote in direct reference to the late Emmitt Till.

“I referred to myself as Emmitt Till in that piece because I was comparing my anxieties to tragic American events. The line ‘My war is like Emmitt Till, I no longer recognize myself, I am dying, disfigured, casket open, for all to see’ is a play on words. I juxtaposed those two ideas to not only say sometimes it's hard to look in the mirror, but even further, would I even recognize who I see, or the person that anxiety has made me,” Mack said.

Southeast professor Daniel Crocker and Dr. James Brubaker are the advisers who support and oversee the Journey Student Organization. Both professors are actively involved with this Write Out Loud poetry expression venue and read regularly to inspire students to just give it a try.

“I read ‘Dear Nerd: In Regards to Your Nerd Query,’ ‘The Berryman Thud’ and ‘Some Fava Beans.’ These are all new poems that will probably end up in my next book,” Crocker said. “If I have a favorite right now, it's probably ‘The Berryman Thud,’ if only because I think I might be the only person who has ever written a poem about the guy from the Oak Ridge Boys with the huge beard.”

Michael Council, a Southeast junior and member of the Journey organization, announced and introduced readers and each time offered up this advice to students who write: “Copyright, copyright, copyright, because if you share it on Facebook or anywhere else, somebody might like it and use something you said from your hard work, and this is the only spoken word happening in the area to my knowledge right now.”

Students come and often read a partial poem they were only minutes before inspired to write. While performing, they look to the audience for facial expressions and reactions that will inspire them to either finish and go on to write the finishing touches or leave that for another Journey.

“Whether or not it's spoken word, poetry is mostly meant to be heard. So, it's always nice to hear the students get up and share their new work,” Crocker said. “It's also a pretty low-pressure situation. If you get up and read something that doesn't quite work yet, no worries. Maybe the next one will be a hit. It's also good practice. Some of these students will have their own books out one day and giving readings is one of the main ways to promote poetry or small press books.”

Dec. 8 was the last scheduled “Write Out Loud” event planned for this semester, but Journey will be back doing what Journey does next semester and encourages anyone interested to contact Crocker, Mack or Brubaker for more information.

Journey is an annual literary journal that publishes original writing by Southeast students. Submission is open to all Southeast students, regardless of field of study or major at http://www.semopress.com/journey/.