Inspire Media teamed up with The OpenShutter Project and The Slam Society on Wednesday to host “Inspire Me,” an open-mic night at Kafein dedicated to spreading awareness about socially conscious media.
Weinberg sophomore Sarah Clark, vice president of public relations for Inspire Media, said the group wanted to answer the question, “What is socially conscious media?”
“We’re basically fostering a more casual dialogue and showcasing different things that can be considered socially conscious media,” Clark said. “We conferred together and decided that this year we should really focus on the theme of exploring different facets of what socially conscious media can be.”
Clark said that in the past, Inspire Media was more of a film-based organization appealing to Department of Radio, Television and Film students. Now, the group wants to expand toward more photography, poetry and art, she said.
“It’s a great way to open your mind and think about things other than the Northwestern campus because people tend to get bogged down with lots of stress,” said Medill sophomore Alison Decker, vice president of advocacy and awareness for Inspire Media. “It’s a good way to get inspired to do something, whether it be a project or to give money to a guy out by CVS.”
Photos from The OpenShutter Project surrounded the packed room, showcasing the organization’s efforts to convert social change and awareness into visual media. The organization is currently taking submissions for its fall show. The deadline to submit is Nov. 1, said Medill junior Heba Hasan, co-chair of OpenShutter.
Throughout the night, audience members and members of The Slam Society, a forum for performance poetry, took the stage to share their poems with other students as well as regular Kafein patrons, receiving snaps and claps after each piece.
Weinberg junior Katie Bock, president of The Slam Society, said she was happy to see unexpected poets go up on stage. She said the organization’s goal is to allow people to hear a new and unfamiliar art form and to inspire them to participate.
“It’s the only place where you get to stand up and frankly say what you believe in,” Bock said. “In many ways honest communication is socially unacceptable. That kind of strict directness you can only achieve with a soap box and that’s absolutely what Slam Society lets you have.”
Performer Crystal Lennix said she came to the event hoping to join The Slam Society. The Weinberg freshman has been writing poetry since the first grade, but hadn’t performed out loud until high school.
“Everyone has a voice, and everyone should share their voice because you never know who you’re going to impact,” Lennix said. “Any time you have anything to share that is important to you, it might be important to someone else.”
Audience members said they enjoyed the ambience and were inspired by the words in the poems. Communication freshman Tracy Kopulsky said she is a fan of slam poetry and appreciated The Slam Society performances.
“It’s cool to see people voice their universal experience that I can relate to,” Kopulsky said.
