WAIMEA — About 25 Waimea students have something to say about their world and are bravely willing to share it with family, friends, teachers and the community. The group will perform on Kahilu Theatre’s stage this Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Coming from Waimea Middle School (WMS) and Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA), the students and their classmates are preparing by studying with spoken word poet Myrlin Hepworth, a rising star in mainland slam poetry circles.
At 20-something, he seems like an older brother with two lives: one as a poet-performer and hip hop artist, the other as a young man of Hispanic ancestry with his own painful stories of growing up. For many students, the stories are surprisingly familiar with topics such as bullying, self-doubt, loss, loneliness and deep sadness.
After learning about spoken word poetry, Hepworth discovered that it not only helped him become stronger and more self-confident, but he could use it to help other young adults learn how to use words and performance to share their stories and become stronger too. Armed now with a bachelor’s degree and teaching experience, he travels the country helping young adults put in practice his three rules: Be brave, be respectful and your voice matters.
Hepworth is something of a pied piper for young adults. He is able to reach students with just a few hours of class time, even when English isn’t their first language. His visit to WMS last spring was so embraced by students that he was invited back this week by teachers and administrators to spend five days with all 250 students to create spoken word poems, and, in the process, inspire greater interest in reading, writing and self-expression.
WMS reached out to several Waimea schools offering to share Hepworth’s time. HPA jumped in, allowing middle and high school students to spend class time with him. Several will share their spoken word poems, along with a couple of WMS students, at the Kahilu Theatre presentation nest week.
The show is free and open to the public. Doors to Kahilu Theatre will open at 5:45 p.m. and seating is first come.
Helping underwrite this learning experience are WMS, Hawaii Community Foundation, HPA and Kahilu Theatre Foundation.
Info: 885-6868