Open Mic Night: Campus Programs That Champion College Student Voice and Engagement

WINNER OF 2018 AERA DIVISION B OUTSTANDING BOOK AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING EDITED COLLECTION IN CURRICULUM STUDIES

While campuses across the United States have been offering spoken word programs for over 20 years, little attention has been paid to their purpose and impact beyond their contribution to the campus social aesthetic.

There is an increasing understanding that performance poetry and spoken word is much more than entertainment. Within disciplines such as English, Ethnic, Women’s, and Cultural Studies, scholarship has identified spoken word’s role in developing political agency among young adults; its utility for promoting authentic youth voice; and its importance as a tool of cultural engagement.

This book – compiled by scholar artists, including internationally recognized spoken word performers – offers guidance to student affairs professionals on using spoken word as a tool for college student engagement, activism, and civic awareness. It makes the case that campus event spaces need to transcend their association with the theatre or art departments to provide a venue where students are allowed to be different and find opportunities for personal and intellectual development and civic engagement. Open mic nights offer college students a way to speak out, advocate, lead, educate, and explore with their peers.

This book presents a mix of critical essays and college student writing that explore themes of spoken word, student engagement, and campus inclusion and address these key topics:

• Spoken word as an educational, civic engagement, and personal development tool (particularly among traditionally marginalized communities)
• The links between spoken word and social activism (art as social action; art as a form of civic leadership)
• The importance of privileging student voice in student affairs programming (even when they yell; even when they’re angry)
• The challenges that come with engaging students in exploring intersecting concepts like race, gender, and class
• Considerations for creative and intentional spoken word programming (What does a creative program look like?)
• Scaling up for sustainability (through student affairs/academic affairs partnerships, study abroad collaborations, etc.)

Toby S. Jenkins is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum Studies at the University of South Carolina. Prior to USC, she served as a faculty member at Georgia Southern University, the University of Hawaii Manoa, and George Mason University. Her professional background includes ten years of experience as a student affairs administrator at Penn State University and the University of Maryland. Her first book, My Culture, My Color, My Self: Heritage, Community, & Resilience in the Lives of Young Adults was named to the American Association of Publisher’s List of the Top 100 Books for Understanding Race in America. Her research interests focus on how communities of color use culture as a politic of social survival, a tool of social change, and a medium for transformative education. She is also interested in the ways in which culture influences students’ perceptions of the purpose of education and their commitment to community based leadership.

Crystal Leigh Endsley is Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. Her first book, The Fifth Element: Social Justice Pedagogy Through Spoken Word Poetry explores spoken word poetry as a tool for social justice, critical feminist pedagogy, and new ways of teaching and learning. Crystal Leigh is an internationally renowned spoken word artist. Recognized by Cosmopolitan Magazine as a “Fun, Fearless Female,” Crystal Leigh is both performer and professor, and works to serve her community as an artist, activist, and academic. Her most recent scholarship-activism focuses on how spoken word poetry and performance can connect girls, impact their communities, and inform government policy. Crystal Leigh directed the creative performance of spoken word at the United Nations for International Day of the Girl in October 2016.

Marla L. Jaksch is an Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Coordinator of Competitive Post-Graduate Fellowships. She attended the Pennsylvania State University where she received a dual-title Ph.D. in Women’s Studies and Art Education. Her research and teaching interests include: transnational feminisms, development, art and microfinance schemes, STEAM, visual culture, cultural tourism, heritage, and preservation, feminist pedagogies and methodologies, and global community engaged learning.

Anthony R. Keith identifies as a poet, educator, and a nerd. As a poet, Tony has traveled around the world teaching through poetry and empowering young people to engage in the art of spoken word. He volunteers as coach for Washington D.C.’s Youth Poetry Slam Team and most recently featured at Washington National Cathedral's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. As an educator, Tony strives to ensure social justice and equity is at the crux of his curriculum, pedagogy and professional practice. He currently serves a Director of Programs at For Love of Children, an out-of-school time educational services provider for marginalized youth in Washington D.C. As a nerd, Tony is a perpetual student; he holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Maryland College Park, a M.Ed. in College Student Affairs from Penn State University and is a Ph.D. student in Education Leadership at George Mason University.

Robb Ryan Q. Thibault M.S., is the Director of Student Life and Leadership/Hunt College Union at SUNY Oneonta. He earned his Bachelors of Science in History & Political Science at Western Michigan University, and Masters of Science in Human Resource Development at Indiana State University.