The Latin American Student Union (LASU) held the first of its biannual “Palabras” poetry readings yesterday at the Undergrounds Cafe in the Old University Union.
LASU has hosted Palabras each year since 1969. Yesterday’s event included a mix of traditional poetry, freestyle rap and beat-boxing.
“We’re just keeping the tradition going and making it accessible to just about everyone that wants to come,” said Jessica Lucas, a junior majoring in English and president of LASU.
LASU encouraged students to write their own poems for the event. The presenters shared poems about personal topics including sex, feelings of loss, life on the streets and dealing with AIDS.
Caroline Castro, a senior majoring in chemistry, read a story titled “He’s Not My Man.”
She said the poem was not her original work, but rather that it was a work of one of her sorority sisters who could not make it to the event.
“It’s such a broad topic, but something that girls can relate to, and I personalized a lot of it,” Castro said.
For each semester’s reading, LASU invites a host to help break the ice for students and get the attendees involved. Mahogany Browne, a poet who usually performs in New York City, was scheduled to headline yesterday’s event, but canceled at the last minute.
LASU invited Idasa Tariq, a Binghamton native and member of the independent record label Diverse Cultural Excellence, to host instead.
Tariq began the event with his own poem “If I Had A Million Dollars,” which referenced the struggles of New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina.
“The event was really cool,” Tariq said. “To be able to host an event in my hometown is great.”
Diverse Cultural Excellence was represented at the event not only by Tariq, but by several others from the record label who performed freestyle for the audience.
Jorge Medrano, a senior majoring in history and vice president of LASU, said that LASU advertised for the event through Facebook, its website, its blog and various campus listservs.
“The biggest thing with an event like this is getting the word out, promotion is key,” Medrano said. “We’re hoping students will be able to help express themselves since sometimes it can be really hard for people to open up and share their feelings.”
The group will hold another spring semester event, but the date is not set.