On Tuesday, Sept. 11 the Campus Activities Board hosted an event called Mayhem Poetry.
The board was eager to host this event because of the variety it offered in terms of the styles of poetry.
“Mayhem Poets is a group of theatre-trained spoken word poets who use different styles such as stand-up comedy, hip-hop, improv and theater as contributing factors to their work,” Sophomore and member of the Culture and Diversity Executive Board Tyra Banks said.
The event was planned in order to expose Gustavus students to more styles of poetry than they might otherwise believe exists.
“The Campus Activities Board felt that this event would be very beneficial to the Gustavus community because the plan was to expose students to other realms of poetry that isn’t necessarily “boring” to them or that they don’t relate to,” Banks said.
One specific style, spoken word, gives an opportunity for anyone to make a statement or express their feelings on serious topics or issues.
The poets use this type of poetry to also emphasize real events and feelings in their lives.
“Spoken word poetry is a very interesting form of poetry where every and anyone can use a platform to have their voice heard, and express it in a way that they feel represents who they are and what they believe in,” Banks said.
This event was made possible because of the hard work CAB put into planning it.
“The event was planned based on input from the entire Campus Activities Board, and the logistics such as contacting the poets, going over their contract and making sure it is Gustavus appropriate material were also considered,” Banks said.
This event was put on by different members of CAB and there were many pieces that were put together by the different executive boards within the group.
“We have different positions for different people who work with groups. This event had to do with the Diversity and Culture group,” Sophomore Stella Hadjiyanas, social media and marketing coordinator for CAB, said.
The event was carefully marketed and advertised around campus in order to boost awareness and attract as many students as possible.
“Part of my job is to market for all of the events that are going on, so I put everything on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, all of the social media platforms…I do all of the in the moment type of marketing. I’m also in charge of taking photos of [the event], so spreading the word to get people to come to these events,” Hadjiyanis said.
This event promoted a topic that might otherwise get overlooked by students and put off as one of the least interesting or most intimidating forms of writing.
Mayhem Poetry helped to promote and encourage the idea of poetry to Gustavus students and to make the whole activity.
It also helps to encourage unity and interaction between students of all different backgrounds with different stories to tell.
“This event is important because it shows a group of people, all from different backgrounds, coming together to create something as powerful as poetry,” Banks said.
“[The poets] were very cool and it was great to have a new group come in and do improv and really incorporate culture and different aspects, like hip hop, into it,” Hadjiyanis said.
The poets have been featured on The Today Show and Eyewitness News. They also won first place in the Microsoft Idea Wins Challenge.