Youth poetry summit and slam

News
Photo: microphone
Photo: microphone

"Know Your Writes," a daylong poetry summit and slam that is expected to attract more than 900 of the region's best young poets, rappers and singers, will take place Friday, May 13, at Freeborn Hall.

Hosted by the UC Davis School of Education's Sacramento Area Youth Speak (SAYS) program, the event will start at 9 a.m. with a student town hall meeting and workshops on writing, social justice and youth empowerment. The poetry slam will begin at 6 p.m.

The top six poets will represent the Sacramento region at Brave New Voices, an international youth poetry slam held in San Francisco in July.

The third annual SAYS summit and slam is a culmination of year-round programming in regional schools, in which youth from different communities and economic and ethnic backgrounds come together to learn and celebrate their accomplishments. Students also develop plans for school improvement and community change.

Participants were chosen in April through semifinal competitions at high schools and community centers throughout the Sacramento area.

Tickets for the slam finals — $5 for those 10 and under, $7 for ages 11-21, and $15 for all others — are available at the Freeborn Hall box office or by calling (530) 752-1915. Tickets are also available online through tickets.com.

A limited number of seats for the daytime summit will be available to schools.

SAYS is supported by funding from the Sierra Health Foundation.

For more information, contact Vajra Watson, (530) 370-2889, vmwatson@ucdavis.edu, or visit http://says.ucdavis.edu.

Media Resources

Karen Nikos-Rose, Research news (emphasis: arts, humanities and social sciences), 530-219-5472, kmnikos@ucdavis.edu

Donna Justice, School of Education, (530) 754-4826, dljustice@ucdavis.edu

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