Matt Buchta
I have been in Oak Park my entire life but being so close to the city and having family just a train or cta bus ride away I grew up round a mixed bag of individuals. My constant struggle as a kid and even into my late teens was fitting in, Having adhd and mixed race parents did not give me any advantage. Now 20 I am going into welding and fabrication and hoping to go back to school to get my degree in English creative writing or poetry (ooor all the above). Poetry and this club put my foot in the door as far as public speaking and expressing myself best I could. Being able to use my words as my own way of self-expression has turned me into the little awkward kid with a bad stutter into a big awkward kid with confidence I never knew I had.
The impact of poetry and the spoken word club
Prior to high school I had always avoided poetry. I didn’t much care for it and It never much dawned upon me why. But the events leading up to highschool changed my perspective on a lot. 6 months before starting at a new place my bestfriend moved away and that summer my uncle was diagnosed with stage 3 lung and liver which soon developed into stage 4, later taking his life. around that time or just before then PK and Adam Levin walked into my 9th grade English class and changed my life forever, excuse the cliches but i hadn’t ever been given an opportunity like the one they gave me and at first because it was about poetry i was standoffish. I don’t exactly remember if i showed up to the first meeting they asked me to attend. but soon after that i did make an appearance and they threw me into a showcase. Battling depression and grieving the death of my uncle, Peter Kahn and Adam allowed me to fuel my anger at the world into something truly beautiful. I always hated on myself and my own work but looking back at the creative output i got to produce in my time as a spoken word member inspires me today. I had always struggled with myself but PK, Christian, Adam and so many others allowed me to really blossom. I would never have grown into the person i am and the person im becoming without them, spoken word, and true impact words and poetry and people had on me.
Top favorite poets or lyricists
Lyricists: Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, Defcee, Kid Cudi, Mac Miller, The Wutang Clan
Poets: Jalen Daniels, Nicholas Berry, Tupac Shakur, Levi Miller, Vann Harris, Charles Donalson (I could go on forever so I’m cutting myself off with the few I put)
Writing Prompts
Write about a family member you wish you had gotten to know better
Write about a sport or activity that reminds you of a family member
Write about a favorite memory with someone you no longer see