Poetry slam to feature work by Street Sense artists and vendors

KAELA ROEDER Deputy Editor

Street Sense Media will be hosting a poetry slam on April 18 at noon at Planet Word in downtown D.C. About 10 vendors will be performing.

“I’m hyped,” said Nikila Smith, who plans to perform three poems. She’s been writing poetry since she was a kid, but has been writing more consistently since becoming a vendor six months ago, she said.

“I have so many poems, I have so much poetry, and it was so hard to pick three,” Smith said.

Smith’s poetry explores marriage, love and heartbreak through subliminal messaging, she said. One of the poems she plans to perform titled “In those jeans,” is about a marriage breaking up and two people finding other partners.

Maria Lares, the manager of artistic workshops at Street Sense, said she’s looking forward to seeing the poetry performed live by vendors. Street Sense publishes poetry each week in the newspaper, but hearing people perform is a much different experience.

“I really want the vendors to have a space to tell their own poems,” Lares said.

Vendors have been asking Lares to organize a poetry slam since she came to Street Sense about a year ago — the last poetry slam was in December 2021, but it was not open to the public and was just for Street Sense staff and vendors. The plan for a poetry slam began to come together when vendors and Lares were invited to Planet Word a few months back.

Much of the poetry has been crafted during Street Sense Media’s poetry workshop, an hour-long, once-a-week event where vendors come together to write poems. This workshop is just one of a dozen workshops Lares organizes in her role at Street Sense. Some vendors have been working on the same poem for months, Lares said.

“I’ve seen how much they have grown in their poems,” Lares said.

The Street Sense Media 20th Anniversary

SELL-A-THON APRIL LEADERBOARD

Highest Sellers Of The Month

Ssm Family Updates

• The poetry slam is 12 p.m. this Tuesday at Planet Word! Street Sense Media offices will be closed from 11:45pm - 1:15pm.

• April is the last month to compete in the 20th Anniversary Sella-Thon. Remember to pick up Customer Kudos flyers in the admin office.

• Receive extra newspapers for referring someone you know to new vendor orientation. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m.

• Vendors continue to receive free papers for proof of vaccination.

Birthdays

Warren Stevens

April 18 ARTIST/VENDOR

A new month, a new leaderboard! The Sell-a-Thon challenges vendors to sell as many Street Sense newspapers they can in one month. The highest and most improved sellers are awarded $50 at the end of April. We will update this leaderboard for each category every week. You can boost your favorite vendor’s numbers by giving them a “customer kudos” — ask a vendor to learn more!

M Ost Improved Sellers Of The Month