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Acclaimed Slam Poet Visits Prairie Ridge

Guest speaker turns traditional poetry on its head


Valentine's Day is usually a time of odes dripping with sentimentality and loveliness. Cards and gifts given on that day feature poems, messages of love, and images of hearts and flowers. But students at Prairie Ridge High School were exposed to a non-traditional form of poetry this past Valentine's Day when acclaimed Slam poet George David Miller visited the school.



Miller, a professor of philosophy at Lewis University and the creator and president of Before I Read This Poem, Inc., presented an unconventional look at modern poetry. During each of the day's nine periods, Miller presented several interactive poems, a brief history and the rules of Slam, and led students through a Slam writing and performance exercise with other students as judges.



A veteran of the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship, Miller regularly performs at schools, churches, libraries, and businesses. His stop at Prairie Ridge was aimed at making poetry fun and accessible, while enhancing self-expression, self-worth, and self-fulfillment in the students. The community aspect of Slam helped to engage students in a manner that is not always possible in a traditional classroom. But the work wasn't completely detached from the regular curriculum. In fact, seniors in creative writing courses had been exposed to Slam as part of their regular class work, and other teachers were able to incorporate the lessons learned through Miller's presentation into their class exercises.



"For students in my creative writing classes," says teacher Jennifer Fuerholzer, "Slam isn't new, but it's definitely different to experience it live and performed by an established poet. Overall, the presentation showed each of our students that language is alive and goes beyond the 'classic' authors."
Poet George David Miller performs a Slam poem for Prairie Ridge students during his recent visit to the school.

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