Spring Break
Word of Mouth speaks to ECU's poets
Ashley Abernathy
Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Features
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However, one club that is picking up some attention is the student-ran poetry club called Word of Mouth.
Word of Mouth (WoM) is an organization that allows poets, lyricists and other writers interested in spoken word and performance to come together and share their talents.
Although not an official organization yet, the club has more than 16 poets after its start in August, and confirmation of the organization's official status will be available by the end of October.
Sophomore Johnny Martinez came up with the initial idea of starting the organization.
Martinez, who has been writing poetry since sixth grade, came together with other poets on campus to form the club.
"I founded an organization for poets in the past at my high school and I just wanted to bring that experience to college," Martinez said.
According to Martinez, it's important to have a club like WoM because poetry is often an art form that is overlooked.
WoM is the first poetry club at ECU, but the art of poetry is not new to the university's curriculum.
ECU offers three poetry classes, including Introduction to Poetry, which introduces students to the basics of poetry like metrics, tone and theme; Introduction to Poetry Writing and Advanced Poetry Writing.
Martinez, along with other poets from WoM, are taking Introduction to Poetry Writing this semester.
"In high school, I was very active in poetry. Not only did I have my own club at school, but I also performed with the local poetry group in my city," Martinez said.
The poetry group Martinez participated in through high school, SlamCharlotte, is ranked as the number one poetry club in the country.
This Friday, WoM had its first show at Genesis Lounge on Fourteenth Street.
WoM poets displayed their work in an inviting atmosphere with live music.
"It was a very relaxed show for lovers of poetry and the spoken word art form," Martinez said.
Another show is being planned for late October or early November in Mendenhall.
The event will be free to all students and the public.
WoM is open to anyone interested in spoken word and poetry.
Since the purpose of the organization concentrates on performance, a poem must be submitted and performed before entry is granted.
Anyone interested in the organization can join the Facebook group, Word of Mouth Poetry Organization.
"The purpose of WoM is to give voice to the many pages of poetry that reside in the minds of the students of ECU. We then want to take that voice and enrich the community of Greenville and the campus of ECU," Martinez said.
This writer can be reached at features@theeastcarolinian.com.
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