Elmira High School poetry students were visited by a special guest this past week to learn about spoken word poetry.
Jorah LaFleur, a spoken word poet from a local literary nonprofit called Wordcrafters in Eugene, visited Mr. Hart’s poetry class to teach students how to use their voice to express themselves. She has visited the EHS poetry class every year since 2019.
LaFleur started the week by getting to know the students. She learned each student’s name before asking them how they feel about writing and how comfortable they are about public speaking. Student responses ranged from “I can do it all day” to “I hate it.”
She further asked students what they do to express their creativity. Drawing, painting, writing and even sports were mentioned.
“It’s a risk-reward situation,” LaFleur told the class, describing what sharing poetry is like. LaFleur explained to the students that sharing was the risk, but the positive response you get from the audience is a fulfilling reward.
LaFleur said she seeks to teach students that spoken word poetry is an art form and that it can sound many different ways.
“My hope is to provide exercises that encourage honesty, metaphorical accuracy and creative thinking, while inviting a step just outside the comfort zone,” LaFleur said.
Poetry student Chenoa Ream, a senior, appreciates LaFleur’s expressiveness.
“She’s very supportive and open,” Ream said. “She’s helping us hone our abilities to write.”
When asked about his favorite part of LaFleur’s visit, Mr. Hart explained that LaFleur has a way of coaxing students to share their work. “I like to see the creativity from my students,” he said.
The class will present their poems on Thursday, before spring break.
“When we harness the courage to share our poetry, to share our inner experiences and personal stories, we welcome a very powerful form of connection with others,” LaFleur explained.
Before visiting the EHS poetry class, LaFleur shared a quick lesson over spoken word poetry with Mr. Hart’s English 1 class. Students were shown a few poetry performances and were given a template to convey an emotion using similes and their five senses. Some students shared, with encouragement and support from their classmates.
LaFleur is grateful for her time at EHS and thanks Mr. Hart for having her in his classroom.
“Elmira students are bright and kind,” she said. “I always leave having learned something new from class discussions, impressed with the work that students create and share.”
