Post 9

 During the poetry night a few different things stood out to me. I really enjoyed when the students from ISU read their own poetry. Many of these poems seemed to speak to me in a way that I related to more than the Black Took Collective style of poetry. It was my first time at a poetry reading and it was almost what I expected it to be. At first I almost pictured a room with bean bag chairs and bongos by the microphone. I quickly realized that happened in the cheesy movies I watched but would not be in the Prairie Room. As far as the content and language of the poems, I was surprised at first to hear the swearing and sexual content, however my shock faded fast. I realized the importance of personal expression. I personally have never thought of myself as a poet. I would never dream of being able to put myself in such a vulnerable position; on stage, talking about myself and issues that I have. The culture aspect in some of the poems was astonishing. It's great that there are people comfortable enough to share their outlooks and experiences. Hopefully in my future classroom I will be able to have students feel comfortable enough to share cultural experiences with me.