When Christine Babiak gets an idea, she runs with it and it’s usually pretty hard to catch her.
The St. Albert poet, a founding member of Art Out Loud, recently attended the Teen Poetry Slam hosted by St. Albert Public Library.
“They’re so good. Now I know where all the poets in St. Albert are,” she was heard to exclaim.
Determined to once again host youth talent, she approached the Art Gallery of St. Albert. Every year at this time the gallery hosts High Energy, a visual art exhibit composed of artwork from different local high schools.
Jenny Willson-McGrath, exhibition curator, immediately fell in line with the idea of creating a night of poetry and music. Schools were contacted and High Energy: A Night of Spoken Word and Music is set to soar on Thursday, May 16 at the art gallery.
Deen Nault, winner of the Teen Poetry Slam, along with fellow Ă©cole Secondaire St. Marguerite d’Youville student Colby MacIntyre, is leading the charge.
Also shedding their inhibitions are Bellerose students Alex Wilson and Robyn Alaschuk along with Paul Kane High students Anna Block, Jesse Beam, Jasmine Paquette and Savannah Newton.
Singer-songwriter-musician Jamie Malbeuf will alternate performances with the poets.
Certain older poets may hesitate to book younger poets for readings because in their own words, “there’s way too much angst.”
“But why not let them say it before the shackles of adulthood muzzle them. I want them to be there and feel some emotion. Poets need to connect with their audience and they can do it,” Babiak says.
She expects the readings to be high-voltage and eclectic with a combination of rappers, beat poets, rhythmic poets and free verse poetry.
“Some are really good. They’re kind of rappy, quick and snappy. Others are touching pieces. One boy wrote about his little brother and how much he means to him. I thought all little brothers were flushed under the toilet. Another young girl wrote about love, but in the end she came back to the realities of life. I saw a maturity I didn’t think I’d see. These kids are tech savvy, they’ve travelled more. They know more than I did when I was their age.”
With the onslaught of social media, especially the 140-character Twitter, Babiak sincerely believes that poetry will not only continue to be relevant, but will grow in unexpected ways.
“You want to encapsulate poetry in as few words as possible. We have a new crop of poets that will provide the seeds for poetry. They will elevate poetry to a new platform and become the ambassadors of our craft.”
“We tend to shortchange the youth. I believe they have a lot to say. They are in tune with technology and culture and we should listen to them. They are our future.”
High Energy: A Night of Spoken Word and Music starts at 6:30 p.m. This is a free event.
