Poetry Pops Up in Midland

Saturday night at Creative 360 in Midland there was a poetry slam. Maybe you missed it. Maybe you were there sitting in the darkened art gallery paying attention to the words being spoken on stage. And maybe you were one of thirteen readers with excitement bubbling in your stomach waiting for your turn to get on stage and leave it all for the judges.  

The evening of poetry was presided over by microphone master Jared Morningstar. A local poet and language arts teacher in the area. Morningstar is a foster for poetry across the Great Lakes Bay region, recently joining The Friends of Theodore Roethke board in Saginaw. Jared is a great MC for poetry events because he has the ability to provide his own thoughts and connections in real time after each piece is being read. He also inspires poets in the next generation as several of his former and current students write poetry and attend the poetry events in the area.  

Three poets placed for the slam and received prizes. Josh Crummer placed first with his piece “I challenge the universe”. Second place piece was “Misguided love” by Christiana Haight. Third place poet, Izzy Moaville’s piece was “I hear bullets”. You can tell from the titles of these pieces that all the poets were speaking on different topics. That is the beauty of an open mic or poetry slam event. Every single person that comes on stage lets their individual ideas and personalities shine through their words.Someone walks on stage a stranger and then as they walk off stage you know a small piece of who they are. It is also extremely brave to give a vulnerable piece of yourself to a public audience.  

It is always gratifying to place in a competition for words you have worked on. There is also such a great satisfaction for just getting your words in front of an audience. Poets’ pieces ranged from a few seconds to a few minutes. People assume they cannot get on stage and read a short piece but you do not always need a lot of words to get your point across. We have a lot going on in the world and we need to keep talking about these things, one way is through poetry. Poetry allows the writer freedom in how they want to present ideas, it also gives a lot of grace to the audience in how they want to interpret those same ideas.  

Creative 360 hosts a poetry slam once a year and they also have a poetry reading event called Midland Reads Poetry in April to celebrate national poetry month. Larry Levy, a Midland poet, got one stage to read his piece, “Things no one tells you about aging”, and encouraged readers to sign up to read for the event.  

I have noticed that open mic events in the Great Lakes Bay area are not just about poetry, they are also about community and encouraging each other. Every poet received a ton of support from the audience with multiple rounds of clapping. But it was after the event that I noticed everyone was mingling and letting the poets know how much they had enjoyed the individual’s works.  

Humans often feel that they are alone in the world but poetry shows us just how connected we are on so many levels. Put down your phone and pick up a pen, or at the very least pay attention. Open mic and poetry events are happening monthly throughout Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland. Words are being written, and spoken, right here in our hometowns. When we encourage the voices of others within our community it can give us the strength to keep using our own.