Name: Sophia Brown
Hometown: Bethesda, Maryland
Year: 2019
Major: Psychology
After the first week of classes at Bryn Mawr, I was invited to an open mic event for spoken poetry. I was only interested in going because I personally knew someone who was going to perform that night, and at the time I did not know what spoken word was, or the power it had.
What I found in my first exposure to spoken word was, surprisingly, a home. Wrapped in a blanket, and nestled between my newest friends, it was easy to relax in Arncliffe’s art space. The softly glowing string lights hanging in arcs from the ceiling and streaks of dried paint embellishing the legs of tables made the environment conducive to intimacy, and perhaps it was this coziness that made me feel like I could tap into the emotions that I had been accustomed to neglecting. I was not aware of it, but spoken word, or slam poetry, has a tendency for the intense. That night, I learned that snapping meant “I feel that,” and “mmmmhmmmm” meant “I’ve been there, too.” I learned that just like walking leads to running, speaking leads to feeling-feeling deeply and honestly. Poetry gave me the catharsis I didn’t know I needed, and since then, I’ve gone to multiple other slams to listen and reflect. Poetry, especially in its spoken incarnation, is a way for me to find lyrics to the noise in my head.
I sat down with a very close friend of mine, my roommate Sophia Brown (class of 2019, she/her), who is the youngest representative of Bryn Mawr’s slam team. At her very first competitive slam, she became one of five select poets from Bryn Mawr who will travel to Austin, Texas in the spring to compete in the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. At CUPSI, they will compete for honors in their art at the highest collegiate level.
What inspired you to write and perform spoken word/slam poetry? I would say that I kind of discovered slam because of Shane Koyczan. It’s kind of a simple explanation. He has a lot of stuff that’s on YouTube, and I had heard quotes from one of his poems once, and I listened to more of his stuff…and that was my starting point, if you will.
What was your first performance like? I was really nervous. I don’t know, I used to do theatre, so you would think I would’ve gotten over it. I’m just hoping to get more comfortable performing. It was a letter to Urban Outfitters, calling them out on their bullshit. It was not a very big crowd, about 30 people.
What did it feel like to finally express yourself? I think it felt good when people would snap for me and do the “yaaaasss” thing. I write about things I feel about passionately. It’s an empowering feeling.
How did it feel to compete in the slam? To be honest, I don’t remember thinking about the number of people in the room. I had a limited focus on the people in the front. They were friends of mine. And when I started messing up a bit, it made me feel better, because I looked in the audience and remembered that these were all people who were supporting me. I thought it would be pretty cool if I did qualify for CUPSI, but I didn’t have very high hopes. I was just excited because it was actually my first slam and I decided that if I had qualified for CUPSI, that it would be fun. Because I did want to get involved with spoken word poetry.
How does it feel to be the youngest person on the Bryn Mawr CUPSI team? I like it because, you know, not only are the other people older, they have more experience with poetry slams, and I feel like I have a lot to learn from them, and they keep me inspired. They’re also really, really supportive.
What do you hope to bring to the team and to Bryn Mawr? I think that every person has a unique story to tell and I think that beautiful things happen when people are able to share their experiences with one another. I’m a mental health activist. I’ve been through a lot, and I think a lot of what I dealt with when I was younger was worsened by a lot of the stigma of mental illness. I’ve devoted a lot of my life, including my personal recovery, to trying to reach out and to educate. I think it’s a way to express emotion that’s raw. And also with slams–you’re really able to not just emote but…you can get a little political with slam poetry as well, which I like.
What’s next for you? More writing! I’m trying to be the best I can be, because I’m still new to all of this.
What’s been your favorite experience with the slam community? I actually think the first open mic at Arncliffe was great. It was such a cozy setting, and I was so blown away by everyone performing. And I wish I had had something to perform. So I wish that we could have another open mic like that at Arncliffe.
*snaps*