An open mic poetry event focusing on the complexities of love with the English Majors and Minors club was hosted on March 14.
Held once every month, the event provides students an opportunity to share their poetry on a variety of topics with this night focusing on love, ranging from platonic to romantic.
The event is open to all who wish to participate even to those not directly associated with LBCC or the English Majors and Minors club (EMM).
Selena Pedrotti Edge, an English major at LBCC and a long-time member of the English Majors and Minors club, read her poem titled “Hunger Pains” which spoke to the relationships between siblings and one’s past self.
“I wrote it about my little sister… she’s a lot younger than me… watching her go through the tedious trials of your early 20’s,” Edge said.
The poem featured bold descriptions of emotional upheaval and frustration with watching someone you love grow to make similar mistakes.
“She’s made a lot of the similar mistakes I have…We have this push and pull and she is so wildly in her own decisions..it drives me crazy, so I write a lot and that is how we talk about things,” Edge continues.
Matthias De La Cruz, with her poem titled “Penelope” references the epic poem “The Odyssey” by Homer and delves into unrequited love.
The lyricism of the lines in De La Cruz’s poem and the direct reference to Homer’s work left an impression on those who got to experience it and told the tale of those who may have put their all into a love that would never be reciprocated to them.
“I came because my friend invited me and I became kind of interested in hearing what they came to say. The second time I came actually read my own for the first time ever,” Nathan Siquig, a member of the Long Beach community, says.
English professor and co-chairman of EMM, Jeff Epley, shared more about how the English department fosters an environment that allows students to feel comfortable with sharing their work.
“We write poems in my poetry class and then we have open mics… like faux open mics in there and then I ask them to showcase it in front of the English department students because it’s not just our class … it’s a great way to showcase their work,” said Epley.
The EMM club will be hosting more open mic nights in the following months.