Golnaz Taherian | Arts Editor
Featured Image: This club is an open space where anyone can come perform, socialize, or listen. | Jasmine Wiradharma
With deadline after deadline and exam after exam, it’s easy for university students to become overwhelmed. Trying to juggle multiple classes and activities can be tough and stressful. Fortunately, York offers a variety of clubs for students on campus.
Iyat Khalid, fourth-year kinesiology student, is president of Poet’s Pulse. The aim of this new club is to provide a safe, consistent space, wherein students can express themselves through the art of verse and spoken word. Poet’s Pulse’s team organizes different kinds of events to help students develop both their writing craft, as well as their speaking voice.
The long-term goal of the club is to forge a poetry team to officially represent York at different competitions around the country.
Khalid has been writing poetry since she was 14 years old. She believes poetry is a great way to express herself and communicate her emotions. Even though she has always had an interest in spoken word, her stage-fright dissuaded her from performing. In defiance, she persevered and overcame her fear. Since then, Khalid has been performing for three years with no intention of stopping—she loves the adrenaline rush she gets every time she goes on stage.
Some people believe spoken word is only for bold personalities and loud voices, but Khalid says: “When you perform there’re many ways to do it. You don’t have to change your style or personality, you can perform however you want.”
Khalid wanted to be more active at York, so she followed her poetry passion and created the club. Her goal with this club was to establish a community that focuses on accessibility, safety and convenience for students.
“A lot of poetry events are either in downtown or Scarborough and a lot of them run late. So, another reason that I started this club was because I wanted it to be accessible. This way, at least there’s a place where me and other people can practice our poetry. Also, it’s on campus which makes it a safe environment,” she says.
You don’t have to be a writer to come to Poet’s Pulse events. Poet’s Pulse is an open space, where anyone can come perform, socialize, or simply sit and listen.
On October 2, Khalid and the Poet’s Pulse team held their first event: an open mic. In a relaxed setting, they allowed poets and listeners to come destress, perform and make new friends. This environment also allowed poets to socialize, network—including with featured guests from the BAM Toronto Youth Slam team.
Anisa Ali, a second-year english student who attended their open mic, described the event as: “A judgement-free environment, with good vibes, great poets and an excellent opportunity to network.”
Poet’s Pulse has also hosted a workshop facilitated by Mehul Edward Martin, the club’s vice president of marketing and a well-established poet in Toronto. At the workshop, Martin provided various prompts to write about. Participants emerged with an overabundance of new ideas and poems.
The next Poet’s Pulse event is an open mic and paint night on November 5, in collaboration with the A Thousand Words club.
