BLOG: Nobleford students bare souls in raw poetry slam

As a journalist for Global Lethbridge, I travel to many communities throughout southern Alberta to tell the stories of people in our region. On Friday, I found myself in the small town of Nobleford, at Noble Central School’s poetry slam.

When I was driving out to the school, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I admit, poetry is pretty foreign to me and I wondered if it was that exciting. Well, to even question it, I was dead wrong.

The Noble Central Poetry slam was one of the most authentic shows of self expression I’ve ever seen. One after another, students recited their poems to a large group of peers, parents and even judges. This wasn’t something that students were forced to do; they were emotionally invested in every word they spoke.

The poems shared stories of depression, bullying, body image, expectations, teenage friendships and views of the world. They were sad, funny, entertaining, sometimes vulgar, but most of all — honest. The students bared their souls in front of the audience, throwing away all notions of self-consciousness. Most spoke for about three minutes, though it seemed much quicker.

Some students shook while speaking, a fire burning inside, others teared up as they shared emotional stories. It was quite a scene. Teachers coming up to comfort teary eyed students, educators beaming with pride after seeing a pupil show tremendous courage in sharing their story. It was a unique moment seeing a teenage judgement-free zone. Scratch that. It was amazing seeing a judgement-free zone, period. No one laughed if a mistake was made, or a phrase was forgotten; the audience simply cheered — or snapped — encouragement. For three hours, everyone was on the same team.

While some students were first timers, Noble Central School does have some history with poetry slams. It has captured second place in the Calgary-based provincial competition before and plans to compete in the event again this year. It is the only area school going to the event.

The teachers say the Noble Central Poetry Slam is a way for students to express their creativity, find their voice and gain confidence. From what I saw, it did just that.

And I can now say I am a fan of poetry. It’s not because a Nobel Laureates recited words to me; it’s because I went to the Noble Central Poetry Slam.