The first week of April, Princeton Day School students from Upper and Middle School had the opportunity to engage in thoughtful writing workshops and listen to powerful poems through the Imagine the Possibilities program. One of this year’s guests was Sarah Kay, a New-York-City-based poet, known for her spoken word poetry.

According to The Poetry Foundation, spoken word poetry is defined as “a performance-based art form intended to be spoken aloud rather than merely reading.” Much like a dance routine or song, it emphasizes rhythm and wordplay, often addressing social issues or personal identity. Each poet adds their own special details and accents, making each performance unique and captivating. Upper School English teacher Jamie McCulloch describes Kay’s style as one hard to replicate. He shared, “I was struck by how she could be talking and introducing a poem and I would not notice if she began a poem or if she was still telling a story,” he adds, “I thought that sort of seamlessness was interesting.” This technique keeps listeners eager for more and blends words into one smooth stream of verses.

Her deep and thoughtful poems encompassed themes that also resonated with many PDS students. Freshman Caroline Price finds many of Kay’s poems particularly moving. Price expressed, “To me, her most meaningful poem was the one where she talked about not knowing how to label herself. I thought it had an important overall message, which was that labels aren’t as important as they seem to be,” showing how Kay’s poems captivate audiences by both relating to the listener and expressing her own feelings and emotions.

Besides her fascinating performance, Kay held workshops for PDS Upper School students to experience firsthand what it means to be a poet. Mr. McCulloch attended one of these workshops and described an activity, noting, “We would perform a word, and then we’d add a gesture, a physical gesture to it.” He added, “Part of her message was experimentation…you have to get up there and try different things out.”

The Imagine the Possibilities program allows renowned poets and writers such as Sarah Kay to share their experience and techniques with aspiring artists, making an impact on both students and faculty at PDS.