Scholars Reflect on Louder Than A Bomb
On March 18, Scholars from CRSM attended a mini-exposure to the Auditorium Theater to be present at the 17th Annual Chicago Youth Poetry Festival, best known as Louder Than A Bomb. See below to read Scholar’s reflection on this event.
“LTAB was great to experience with my fellow Scholars. We were able to see schools from all around Chicago perform at LTAB. I had two favorite slams that people did, ‘Dark Matter’ and ‘Me to Me’. ‘Dark Matter’ was more about how science incorporates one another to make more matter; the young poet expressed how all life matters, referencing the Black Lives Matter movement, which is what his poem was about. The poem ‘Me to Me’ touched my heart in ways unimaginable. It showed us to not fall behind our character that we make but stand in front of it. We sometimes think that it's the right thing to do because society thinks that problems shouldn't be talked about or mentioned. Marquice helped us envision that he is more than just Picasso, that he has feelings like the rest of us. Overall, I really enjoyed LTAB because it was a time to express those different emotions that aren't spoken of so much or enough.” - Ana Maria ‘20
“This was my first time attending LTAB and I really have to say that it was a great educational and fun experience. I was able to see how these individuals have great ideas of which I would've never thought of or structure in such a good way. I think that every poem was great in its own unique way and they all deserved a ten for the hard work that each and every individual was able to put into their masterpiece. I hope to attend LTAB in a near future and experience once more the great ideas that the individuals expressed in regards to segregation, sexism, and homophobia.” - Anayeli ‘19
“My experience at LTAB was eye-opening as I understood the problems of being black, a "refugee," and a woman. There are many problems in today's society where we tend to judge people or try to discriminate against them when we do not know anything that has affected their life. I understood the poems that were said, but they left me thinking ‘why? Why do all these problems still occur?’ Some problems that were highlighted in the poems were rape, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia. It is these kinds of problems that continue to divide the US from being one nation.” - Jose ‘18
“Louder than a Bomb was a completely new experience for me since I have never been to a poetry slam. My favorite piece was the last poem. It was the poem where the performer acted as having split personalities and then spoke about how hard it was to wear a mask every day. Another interesting quote I remember hearing a bit was something about 40 acres. I remember Kanye West mentioned it in his song All Falls Down and Kendrick Lamar repeated it a lot in his To Pimp A Butterfly album. I want to research the meaning about it because it seems to be a recurrent idea in the African American community.” - Joshua ‘19
“Before going to LTAB, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew is that I didn't particularly care for poetry, but I wanted to go in with an open-mind. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the different types of poems that the poets shared and the emotions emanating from their voices as they spoke. The experience was very eye-opening of issues facing Chicago today.” - Julissa ‘18
“My favorite poem from Louder than a Bomb was probably the ‘My name is Lesbian.’ I found this poem very deeply reflecting because I was definitely able to see the discrimination lesbian African American women have faced in TV shows like Orange is the New Black. In the show, I’ve constantly seen them being killed via acts of violence and the hostility placed on them. It's also a really sad thing to say that they're usually the ones who die first in films and seasons. It's not really right or fair to do that because it's not really accurate.” - Kasandra ‘19
“I really enjoyed going to LTAB 2017! The event was something I wasn't expecting. I was expecting the typical poem reading with a small crowd and the snaps and dim lights. But no, it was a really interesting experience. I'm glad I got to experience it. It was really amazing to hear everyone's opinions or interest through their poems. Their passion could be seen as they recited their poems, and I look forward to going to LTAB 2018!” - Lori ‘20
“Louder than a Bomb was bomb. The best part was when I thought I had seen Chance the Rapper in the crowd, but I got close and realized it was Taylor Bennett. It was cool though, because I met his parents and Childish Gambino.” - Susie ‘19
“I think Louder than a Bomb surprised my expectations! I was expecting it to be in a small theater with people reading poems in a monotone. But as we got there, we heard music and a lot of people having fun! It was very interesting listening to people our age expression their opinions and feeling towards a specific experience or topic. It was very inspiring to know that they are doing great things at a young age. What they did on stage helps to impact others by being relatable and bringing awareness. I can't wait to be able to attend next year!!” - Yesenia ‘20
“This was my first time going to Louder than a Bomb and I absolutely enjoyed it. The atmosphere is just so positive and I found that really cool. Also the poems were extremely good. I think it’s great how these young poets are able to talk about real world problems and situations that a lot of people go through in a poem, which is a different context than what we usually hear these things in. They also put so much emotion and expression when portraying these poems which made it even more enthralling. Overall, I had a great time at Louder than a Bomb and it inspired me to actually want to write poems too when that usually isn't something I'm interested in.” - Yisel ‘19
“LTAB was great to experience with my fellow Scholars. We were able to see schools from all around Chicago perform at LTAB. I had two favorite slams that people did, ‘Dark Matter’ and ‘Me to Me’. ‘Dark Matter’ was more about how science incorporates one another to make more matter; the young poet expressed how all life matters, referencing the Black Lives Matter movement, which is what his poem was about. The poem ‘Me to Me’ touched my heart in ways unimaginable. It showed us to not fall behind our character that we make but stand in front of it. We sometimes think that it's the right thing to do because society thinks that problems shouldn't be talked about or mentioned. Marquice helped us envision that he is more than just Picasso, that he has feelings like the rest of us. Overall, I really enjoyed LTAB because it was a time to express those different emotions that aren't spoken of so much or enough.” - Ana Maria ‘20
“This was my first time attending LTAB and I really have to say that it was a great educational and fun experience. I was able to see how these individuals have great ideas of which I would've never thought of or structure in such a good way. I think that every poem was great in its own unique way and they all deserved a ten for the hard work that each and every individual was able to put into their masterpiece. I hope to attend LTAB in a near future and experience once more the great ideas that the individuals expressed in regards to segregation, sexism, and homophobia.” - Anayeli ‘19
“My experience at LTAB was eye-opening as I understood the problems of being black, a "refugee," and a woman. There are many problems in today's society where we tend to judge people or try to discriminate against them when we do not know anything that has affected their life. I understood the poems that were said, but they left me thinking ‘why? Why do all these problems still occur?’ Some problems that were highlighted in the poems were rape, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia. It is these kinds of problems that continue to divide the US from being one nation.” - Jose ‘18
“Louder than a Bomb was a completely new experience for me since I have never been to a poetry slam. My favorite piece was the last poem. It was the poem where the performer acted as having split personalities and then spoke about how hard it was to wear a mask every day. Another interesting quote I remember hearing a bit was something about 40 acres. I remember Kanye West mentioned it in his song All Falls Down and Kendrick Lamar repeated it a lot in his To Pimp A Butterfly album. I want to research the meaning about it because it seems to be a recurrent idea in the African American community.” - Joshua ‘19
“Before going to LTAB, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew is that I didn't particularly care for poetry, but I wanted to go in with an open-mind. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the different types of poems that the poets shared and the emotions emanating from their voices as they spoke. The experience was very eye-opening of issues facing Chicago today.” - Julissa ‘18
“My favorite poem from Louder than a Bomb was probably the ‘My name is Lesbian.’ I found this poem very deeply reflecting because I was definitely able to see the discrimination lesbian African American women have faced in TV shows like Orange is the New Black. In the show, I’ve constantly seen them being killed via acts of violence and the hostility placed on them. It's also a really sad thing to say that they're usually the ones who die first in films and seasons. It's not really right or fair to do that because it's not really accurate.” - Kasandra ‘19
“I really enjoyed going to LTAB 2017! The event was something I wasn't expecting. I was expecting the typical poem reading with a small crowd and the snaps and dim lights. But no, it was a really interesting experience. I'm glad I got to experience it. It was really amazing to hear everyone's opinions or interest through their poems. Their passion could be seen as they recited their poems, and I look forward to going to LTAB 2018!” - Lori ‘20
“Louder than a Bomb was bomb. The best part was when I thought I had seen Chance the Rapper in the crowd, but I got close and realized it was Taylor Bennett. It was cool though, because I met his parents and Childish Gambino.” - Susie ‘19
“I think Louder than a Bomb surprised my expectations! I was expecting it to be in a small theater with people reading poems in a monotone. But as we got there, we heard music and a lot of people having fun! It was very interesting listening to people our age expression their opinions and feeling towards a specific experience or topic. It was very inspiring to know that they are doing great things at a young age. What they did on stage helps to impact others by being relatable and bringing awareness. I can't wait to be able to attend next year!!” - Yesenia ‘20
“This was my first time going to Louder than a Bomb and I absolutely enjoyed it. The atmosphere is just so positive and I found that really cool. Also the poems were extremely good. I think it’s great how these young poets are able to talk about real world problems and situations that a lot of people go through in a poem, which is a different context than what we usually hear these things in. They also put so much emotion and expression when portraying these poems which made it even more enthralling. Overall, I had a great time at Louder than a Bomb and it inspired me to actually want to write poems too when that usually isn't something I'm interested in.” - Yisel ‘19
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