Peera Serumaga
Peera is a high school senior of the 2022 class at Oak Park and River Forest High School. She has been involved in the high school’s Spoken Word club since Freshman year and a volunteer at Louder Than A Bomb since the 8th grade. She was also a Louder Than a Bomb participant her sophomore year. She is also a captain for her school’s Science Olympiad team and a two-year member of Model UN.
In college, she hopes to major in a STEM field and have a minor in creative writing, ensuring that poetry always remains close to her.
The impact of poetry and the spoken word club
OPRF’s Spoken Word Club has been my most profound high school experience. It has completely transformed me and changed the way I view myself and the world. I knew about the club prior to high school and the fact that I have a love for writing poetry. Not only did I love writing it, but I also admired Louder Than a Bomb participants on the finals stage with the authentic emotion and power behind each word and movements that brought each piece to life. I hoped one day I’d be able to perform poetry on a stage like that, pour my heart out to the audience, and leave my own poetic imprint on a community I could submerge myself in.
Spoken Word allowed me that experience.
But as a Freshman, I was pretty shy. Not only was I shy, but I was also closed off. I hated being vulnerable in my writing and couldn’t fathom the idea of putting a raw, detailed personal experience on a piece of paper to be shared with an audience that could either accept or judge me. Spoken Word taught me that poetry is not just pretty words on paper, but it’s a form of healing. It’s a form of taking the harshness of life and turning it into something that could have power, not only to yourself but to others. It also allowed me to network in ways I would have never imagined and perform in many kinds of spaces. I also developed my writing immensely, my leadership skills, and my self confidence.
Top favorite poets or lyricists
Poets: Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou, and Terrance Hayes
Lyricists: Lorde, Kendrick Lamar, and Jamila Woods
Writing Prompts
Write about a time you felt trapped or stuck in a loop
Write about a moment in which time seemed to be moving slower than normal
Start a poem with “It became clear ____ has/have always been my savior”
Write about a time you had to grow up fast or a moment you had to act older than you are