From condoms to nursery rhymes, the members of Boston University's Speak for Yourself aren't afraid to cover any subject matter in order to express themselves through slam poetry.
A group of about 40 people gathered at BU Central on Tuesday night to watch members of the spoken word club celebrate the start of Speak's on-campus performances.
The gathering had no title prior to its kick off, but promptly earned the name of "Fo' Show" (or "faux show") from one of the club leaders.
Speak for Yourself has been a fixture in BU's community for the past six years, encouraging members to share poems with each other, said club president and College of Arts and Sciences senior Kemi Alabi.
Occasionally, the group takes trips across the river to Cambridge's famed Cantab Lounge, but yesterday was Speak's first on-campus open mic night, she said.
For some students, it was their first time reading their poetry to an audience, while others had faced crowds numerous times.
"I did some spoken word at home, but there's a much bigger [spoken word] community here at BU," said College of Communication freshman Catie James.
James said she wass inspired by personal experiences and her poetry style was influenced by classics and modern poets she admires.
Similarly, COM freshman Jay Schwartz said he also pulled information from his experiences.
"The piece I'm performing is about a condom I found on my brother's floor," he said. "I've practiced in front of my floormates, but this is my first time in front of a crowd."
CAS sophomore Brooke Morgan also performed at Speak for the first time Tuesday, reciting a poem she wrote that was inspired by dark nursery rhymes.
"I write when I can't sleep," she said. "Writing is a great outlet.
"Morgan said although her passion lies in theater, she likes poetry because she can use her own words.
"I was really nervous and felt like a dork," she said about her debut performance. "Speak is really welcoming...but still really intimidating."
A welcoming environment is exactly what Alabi and co-president Keith Esposito, a CAS senior, said they want members of Speak to feel upon performing with the group.
Alabi said she's been writing since high school, but didn't take part in spoken word until she saw Speak's booth at SPLASH her freshman year.
Like Morgan, she was intimidated at first, but quickly got used to sharing her words with others, she said.
"It's a brilliant thing," she said. "Spoken word allows for lots of expression."
Members of Speak gather frequently to work on their poems together but their biggest obstacle is getting members to perform, Esposito said.
"Everyone has something to say," he said.
Esposito said he and Alabi would love for more students to realize that no subject matter is off limits when it comes to poetry.
"Poetry is not boring," Alabi said. "It's the language of today. Taught poetry is one thing, but spoken word is a whole different community."
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