Eliana Gerace

I am on a break from school and planning to take up a trade in the near future.

The impact of poetry and the spoken word club

Freshman year, I joined Spoken Word Club because I've always loved words, and I stayed because the environment was one I knew I could do a lot of growing within. It was an extremely welcoming and supportive space. I faced a lot of grief throughout high school -- and when it got its heaviest during my senior year, being on Slam Team and writing poetry were the main things that helped me cope. Those deaths are the most difficult experiences I’ve had in life, and I wouldn’t have gotten through it the same if I didn’t have a space like the Spoken Word office. If I didn’t have a way to channel that hurt.

Top favorite poets or lyricists

Poets: Olivia Gatwood, Rudy Francisco, and Carol Muske-Dukes

Lyricists: Megan Thee Stallion, Mac Miller, and Frank Ocean

Writing Prompts

Write about a “constant” in your life
Write a poem that focuses most on the sense of smell
Write about something that haunts your family
Write about the first and last time you remember something about someone (think smells, tastes, sounds, etc.--re. the first and last time I tasted my Grandma Liz’s Matzo ball soup)
Write about something you shouldn’t miss, but do
Write about a time something was missing from someone you cared about
Write about your own version of rehab
Write about something that when it happened you didn’t know the full story