The Best Part of My Job

I cannot tell a lie. I have a great job. It may not be the most glamorous or high-profile position, but I'm paid fairly, treated well and kept challenged.

I get to do a variety of interesting things, but my favorite part of the job is publicizing our annual spoken word poetry program for teens. Every time I get the media to pay attention to the students in this program, I feel not only that I have done my job well, I feel a sense of personal victory. These are the good kids that deserve the attention. Most of them come from the inner city, from schools that more often make the news for drugs and violence than for anything positive.

These young men and women consistently impress and amaze me with their creativity, their maturity and their wisdom. They speak on a wide range of topics, and I consider it a privilege to work with them each year.

I am proud to report that we are sending a strong team of six students to the National Youth Poetry Slam, Brave New Voices, in July. Many of our participants have already been accepted to the colleges of their choice, and not only do they do well in school, they are active in their communities. You can find out more about them and see some of their performances at these links:

Plain Dealer feature story on teen poet Jonathan Lykes
Plain Dealer coverage of the Slam U Finals
Two Slam U finalists on Around Noon (90.3 WCPN FM) - they come in around the 15 min. mark

Go team!

Cindi