Communication junior Cydney Brown first came to Northwestern in search of a poetry scene. When she discovered at the club fair that such a club no longer existed, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
As a space for Black NU students to express themselves artistically, Brown started the Black Poetry Society with a desire to bring poetry to the broader campus community, allowing people to connect through shared experiences and words.
“(Poetry) gives them a place to start sharing their story and speaking their truth,” Brown said. “When someone hears another person share a poem that might be personal to them, they have the ability to just really sit in that and be like, ‘Wow, someone else is going through the same thing as me.’”
The club meets biweekly at the Black House on campus, where members collaborate and share their written poems.
Brown said they often set themes for poems, such as exploring Black identity or reflecting on childhood, to spark inspiration. She said students have the “liberty to share whatever is in their heart.”
In addition to smaller group sessions, the Black Poetry Society holds open mic events, even inviting poets from outside of NU. Last spring, the club held “Speak On It,” an open mic event that brought poets from Chicago to perform alongside students.
Tobalase Apata, one of the Chicago poets invited to the event, said she enjoyed being able to connect with other artists from the city, whom she still keeps in touch with today.
Apata, who first entered the poetry scene while attending Indiana University, said she didn’t recognize that writing came naturally to her until she attended an open mic event in college.
Indiana University didn’t have a program like the Black Poetry Society while she was there, Apata said. Apata described the “Speak On It” event as “very inclusive,” allowing all types of poets to share their work.
“It was very exciting to watch these young students forge their own path and create their own (poetry),” Apata said. “I wish I had a society of poets while I was in college and I wonder where I would’ve been today if I had.”
Brown said she is still in the process of planning more events like “Speak On It,” but she intends to host a Black History Month event in February, similar to those held in the past.
SESP junior Noelle Robinson, events chair for the Black Poetry Society, shared that being a part of the club has not only helped her grow as a poet but also provided an outlet for her emotions.
As someone who enjoys journaling, Robinson said she often finds herself thinking in poetry when facing challenges in her life. She described poetry as a “limitless way of expressing yourself.”
The club allowed Robinson to put herself out there, something she said she wouldn’t have done if it weren’t for the people in Black Poetry Society. Her favorite part about the organization is getting to know her peers beyond just being a student, she said.
“If not for Black Poetry Society, I probably wouldn’t know (my friends) or know the side of them that’s an artist that can string words together in such a beautiful way,” Robinson said. “To see that side of someone is such a gift.”
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