Wordsmiths to hold first slam in new Campus Y home

If they like what you spit, they’ll reward you with snaps.

The UNC Wordsmiths, an organization that promotes poetry on campus, are hoping for more snaps in their new home at the Campus Y.

The Wordsmiths will host their second poetry slam of the year Saturday.

It will be their first slam since moving from Bull’s Head Bookshop because of space constraints.

When the Wordsmiths ended last school year with a poetry slam about Amendment One, which constitutionally banned gay marriage in North Carolina, they fell into a niche of poetry founded on social justice issues, said Tariq Luthun, founder and executive director of the group.

Since then, the Wordsmiths have formed partnerships with the Campus Y and Nourish International to further their collective advocacy.

“Poetry is very important, but the point of poetry is to get us to feel something, share our experiences and mobilize us to act,” Luthun said. “Words mean nothing if we don’t act upon them.”

Luthun said he expects that when people attend the poetry slams at the Campus Y, they will be more inclined to act on what they heard.

“You hear poetry, the form gives them an expression, and then after they spit it you are in that place where all of the social justice things are actually fought for,” Luthun said.

He said the setting at a poetry slam is always loud and unpredictable — but also friendly, fun and engaging.

Layla Quran, director of campus external relations for the Campus Y, said her main focus this year is to connect the Campus Y with the arts, and she sees this partnership as an avenue for advocacy.

Quran said spoken word embodies the mission of the Campus Y, which is to promote social justice through a diverse set of perspectives.

Colleen Daly, marketing and graphic design coordinator for Nourish International, also saw opportunity for furthering social justice in a partnership with the Wordsmiths.

“We’re always looking for ways to spark dialogue about systems of social justice and systems of overcoming poverty,” she said.

Daly said she hopes the poetry slams will help the Wordsmiths and Nourish International spread their shared message of activism by making the issues relatable to students.

The poetry slams will each have a specific social justice issue as a theme.

Luthun said the members of the Wordsmiths are excited about their new purpose and partnerships.

“We vocalize the activism, and they embody the words through activism.”

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.