Performer takes center stage Wednesday

APSU students made some noise for spoken word guest that combined poetry and beat-boxing to address issues in society that are commonly ignored.

The Govs Programming Council hosted Spoken Word artist Lady Caress to perform for APSU students on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Caress Russell travels to different campuses and stages with her unique poetry, beat-boxing and comedy act. Russell uses her act to not only entertain but inform her audience about the issues present in modern society.

“You never know what people are going through,” Russell said, “That’s why it is so important to just check on people. They may really need your help in that moment.”

Russell gave the audience a brief back-story and her history with poetry. She said she was bullied and got into many fights while growing up. Her parents transferred her to many different schools as a result.

She said poetry was a way for her to escape a confusing time of her life, and her love for hip hop music and poetry inspired her to write and perform beat-boxed poems about her personal pain.

After becoming more familiar with poetry and the impact of spoken word, she decided to use her poetry to address issues that could be painful for others to open up about.

During her act, Russell discussed sexual assault, respect for self and others and domestic abuse.

She made a point to engage with the audience throughout the night, allowing the audience to be more involved during the performance.

“I want to be as real as possible with you guys so you will do the same for me,” Russell said.

She opened up to feedback and played quick games to get the audience involved in her show.

While she performed, she passed around a notebook and let the audience come up with a poem about a topic of their choosing, love. As part of her final performance she beat-boxed the poem the audience wrote.

“I love Spoken Word, so I’m glad APSU has programs like this. It was cool how she wasn’t afraid to talk about certain topics and connected to the audience well,” freshman business management major Jasmine Bailey said.

In addition to the hands-on activities GPC and other APSU student organizations provide, performers and speakers expose students to different platforms for culture and self-expression.

Students can see the variety of ways to talk or open up about the issues they face.