Public speaking is an oft-feared practice, creating angst among those called upon to talk to large — even small — groups.
For writers, publicly sharing their work with others in by any method can be equally daunting.
Friday, a group of Mount Airy High School students will be tackling both exercises, when they gather at the high school’s Blue Bear Cafe to publicly read from poetry and prose they have been creating during the school year in a showcase called Creatures of the World.
Millie Hiatt, founder of the Spoken Word Society, said her organization has been working with the students all year, helping them expand and explore their creativity and working toward Friday’s showcase. This is not the first time her group has worked with the students at Mount Airy.
“The Spoken Word Society adapted this creative writing club at the high school when they didn’t have a mentor,” she said. Hiatt and others with the group work with the youth, helping them overcome shyness and anxiety while learning to express themselves as writers and then helping them get comfortable in publicly reading their work.
“Each year they present a showcase,” she said, alluding to Friday afternoon’s event.
This year it will double as a showcase and a workshop. The showcase begins at 3:30 p.m., with the students, along with their families and friends, gathering to watch and hear the youth share the work they have been putting together.
“Some of these kids have never stood up in front of people and spoken, some have never written a story or poetry and presented those to anyone before,” she said.
Afterward will be a workshop, featuring the artist and author known as Black Noise, Winston-Salem based writer and story-teller La Shunda Booker, as well as Hiatt.
Black Noise, she said, writes free verse that is geared toward “emotional and social learning.” Booker, she said, works heavily in Forsyth County with literacy efforts, focusing on education in poetry.
Later, the club will be holding a third event at Pages Books & Coffee, at 192 N. Main St. in Mount Airy, with an open mic event for anyone who wishes to take part with story-telling or reading in its Poetry After Dark event.
“It is open to the public, the adult version of our club, and the teen version, are all welcome. We accept people from outside,” she said. “Anybody who wants to represent can come and be involved in that. It is open to the public and it is free.” She did say if many people wish to participate, she may have to limit the number of those taking part, on a first-come, first-served basis.
She said the staff at Pages is rolling out the red carpet. In addition to allowing them to use the bookstore, “They have developed three special drinks for us, just for this event,” she said with a laugh. One, called The Elvis, in particular has caught her attention. “It’s a peanut butter and banana blended coffee. I’m looking forward to that.”
For those who might not be able to make the Friday event, she said the Spoken Word Society meetings monthly at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, and she encourages people to come out and give it a try.
“A lot of people don’t realize they have a talent for writing or speaking, until we tap into that.”
For more information about the society or its meeting times, visit the group’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/spokenwordsociety
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