Riley Moloney
I joined Spoken Word in November not really even liking poetry and next thing I knew I had done ten showcases. I participated in the Louder Than a Bomb competition performing the poem that is in this collection. I am currently a senior at Sarah Lawrence College, studying film and creative writing. I have written, directed, and shot several short films and hope to be able to make a career out of filmmaking. I am also head of a small variety show on campus every other week, Midnight Cabaret, where we perform sketch comedy, musical acts, and even occasionally poetry. I have not done much Poetry in recent years but I’ve kept the lessons I learned from the club close to my heart and have used them in all my creative works.
The impact of poetry and the spoken word club
Spoken Word Club did a lot for me in high school. When I first started I really only came because my mom kept hounding me to join an extracurricular club. I didn't really have many hobbies, and my friend group was fairly small. I was shy and rarely spoke to other people in the club at first. I had only kept going because I felt I had nothing else to do, it often just felt like extra work. It stopped being that way after I finally found myself in a group where everyone was enthusiastic to be a part of, sometimes all it takes to enjoy something is to do it with people you like. After that I opened up to a few more people in the club and meetings became the highlight of my day. I do regret never fully taking advantage of being in the club and getting to know a lot of the other talented poets better. I always felt I was a little bit distanced from them. Although I was glad to have known them at all.
Writing Prompts
Write about your first (romantic) crush
Write about the moment you discovered you loved something (that was not a person)
Write about a time you got in trouble for doing something immature
The club gave me a lot of creative freedom with my pieces, the only limitations were time, and the needs of the other people in my performance group. This club taught me that collaboration does not have to be a limitation but instead a source of inspiration. I feel as though my writing abilities, leadership skills, and work ethic grew a lot in spoken word club. These skills I developed made me better in the creative endeavors I undertook after I graduated. Directing my group members and collaborating with them is not unlike working with a team of actors and crew on a film set.
I also believe Spoken Word Club helped me appreciate my place in the world a little more. I was exposed to a lot of new perspectives from the people in my groups and hearing other people's poetry and stories. Being in this club made me realize the reality that other people live in. That not everyone has lived as comfortably as I have, but also that their lives are not all miserable. Hearing people's writing but also getting to know them more directly made me appreciate the many sides that people have, that people's art is a part of them, but that it's not all that they are.
While it’s been a while since I’ve written any poetry I do still appreciate and use poetic language a lot in my writing. Since I primarily write screenplays the skills are not a perfect transition but the need to be descriptive and show things without directly stating them have been invaluable. My better understanding of human nature has allowed me to write more nuanced characters than I was previously capable of and has also helped me open up more as a person. This club’s impact on my life cannot be understated and I am grateful to Mr. Kahn, Adam, and all of the friends I made in spoken word for helping me learn to be a better person.
Top favorite poets or lyricists
A. Van Jordan, Gwendolyn Brooks, Patrick Moloney : David Bowie, Billy Joel, Queen