By Heather Gursky
Assistant A&E Editor

On Wednesday, March 28, ACE held a slam poetry event in the MSU from 7 to 9 p.m. Upon entry, KU students were given $10 in Bear Bucks and a chance to win.

Slam is a type of poetry written specifically to be performed on stage. The poems usually revolve around injustice like black lives matter, gun control, and gay rights. During the night’s events, these topics were incorporated along with more personal issues like suicide and depression, mental health, and relationships.

When describing what slam poetry is, Daryl Johnson, the chair of the Communications department and teacher of the music and spoken word class, said “Expression means to press out, so often times you get a lot said with spoken word and slam poetry.”

To kick off the event, visiting host Ebony Stewart, a poet and author of “Home.Girl.Hood,” performed some of her own work while getting the audience ready for the rest of night’s performances; she was energetic and knew how to work the crowd. At the end of the night, she was asked if she was inspired by the performances and replied, “Absolutely. There was so much truth and a wide range of styles.”

Expression was evident within the night’s performances as a student in the audience. Laura Keim said, “I loved that people had the freedom to share their stories and work through their emotions in a supportive and understanding space.” Another student, Bojan Millinic, said, “The slam reminded me that everyone is going through tough times, no matter how little they show it.”

Overall, the night was a success. It was a great experience to hear, share and relate to those going through a variety of issues.