Joseph Vasquez / The Collegian
On the roll sheet, he̢۪s junior English major Rion Spears. But to those who know him, he goes by Chicago, also known as Chicago the Lyracist, sharing his poems on the stage.
“I’m originally from Chicago, its kind of self-explanatory,â€Â Spears said about his stage name.
Someone called him Chicago at 13 years old, and the name just stuck.
Spears will be reading some of his works at the monthly Poetry Jam at The Bucket, held on the first Wednesday of the month. Today̢۪s will be the first one of the year, and it is already generating buzz according to Patrece Moore, president of the Poetry Jam.
“A lot of people have been asking about it. During the safari at the University Student Union, we ran out of fliers,â€Â Moore said. “I expect about 30 to 50 people.â€Â
The event is open mic, Moore said, and welcomes poets on campus to come and share their art.
Spears is selecting the pieces that he will be sharing, with the theme of the week, Stop the Hate, in mind.
“Most likely I’ll be reading a peaceful piece, something uplifting,â€Â Spears said.
Spears is no stranger to reading his works, which he describes as “more political than anything,â€Â and has over 100 poems written to choose from.
“I’ve been performing at the Poetry Jam since freshman year,â€Â Spears said, who also had a busy schedule during the break from school. “This summer I performed in New York, Chicago, L.A., a lot of different places.â€Â
His poetry even got him recognized by a program director from HBO. He̢۪ll be performing in the network̢۪s Def Poetry Jam in February.
Moore said that holding the jam gives Spears and other poets a chance to share their work not only with each other, but the audience.
“[The Poetry Jam] provides a venue for Fresno State poets and artists to express themselves,â€Â Moore said.
It also gives the poets a chance to vent their frustrations about injustices and to show that it can be done in a much more productive way than resorting to violence.
“The event is an open mic event,â€Â Moore said. “[It’s also] for other students to be exposed to different forms of art and culture.â€Â
Also performing at the event will be a reggae band called The Notones from Fresno/L.A., as well as the campus S.P.E.A.K. (Students Providing Empowerment Advocacy and Knowledge) group.
“S.P.E.A.K. will be depicting violence scenarios through skits, media, reviewing violent lyrics that give direct messages about domestic violence, stalking [and other issues],â€Â Moore said.
A speaker with a very important message about the violence going on today is another performer that Moore mentioned.
“Dalisto Ruwe will be unmasking what’s going on around the world in regards to violence,â€Â Moore said. “For example, the genocide in Darfur, Iraq and Myanmar Monks.â€Â
Spears said he looks forward to not only performing, but also listening and being a part of the whole event.
As for writing his own thoughts, Spears continues to expand on his ideas. In his current notebook, Spears has many different messages and styles of poems.
Spears said that his book holds everything from comedy to issues of racism, to the Virginia Tech tragedy. One of his favorite self-composed pieces is “The Ghetto’s Anthem: From Poverty to Politics.â€Â
To hear Spears and the other performers, the Poetry Jam is the place to go.
Poetry Jam
Come join the first Poetry Jam of the year during Stop The Hate Week co-sponsored by the Women̢۪s Resource Center and the Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute.
̢ۢ When: Wednesday at 7 p.m.
̢ۢ Where: The Bucket
̢ۢ Who: Poet Rion Spears, reggae band The Notones, S.P.E.A.K. (Students Providing Empowerment Advocacy and Knowledge), Dalisto Ruwe and other students during open mic.