Twenty-two students gathered in the Goen Hall lobby to partake in Poetry and Pancakes on Oct. 16, an event that allowed students to recite and listen to one another’s poetry while enjoying freshly made pancakes.

Residence Life Coordinator Latoya Bledsoe hosted the event, while MSMS emissaries cooked the pancakes in the lobby for attendees.

The event kicked off with a set of poems from Bledsoe titled “Their Legacy, Your Legacy, Our Legacy” and “S.I.S.T.E.R.S,” both written as tributes during her time in a sorority leadership conference and sisterhood program.

“I have an identical twin sister, and we both were fortunate to join a Black Greek-lettered sorority at the same time making us legacies, which is why I wrote the first poem,” Bledsoe said. “For the second poem ‘S.I.S.T.E.R.S.,’ the acronym stands for sophisticated, intelligent, spiritual, talented, empowering souls. I wrote this poem to honor the four Black Greek-lettered sororities (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.) We may wear different letters and colors, but [we] serve the same purpose.”

Although students were nervous to share their poetry at first, Bledsoe’s poetry allowed students to be more confident and willing to share their own. The poems read included personal experiences, written songs, childhood memories and even a dramatic rendition of the infamous song “Dream” from the movie “Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl,” which all were received with snaps of praise and support.

Junior Amiyah Drummer said she enjoyed listening to her peers and was happy to see the environment it created.

“I’ve heard some really amazing poems,” Drummer said. “Although some were shy, they got up and expressed their feelings, as though there wasn’t a drop of shyness to begin with. Speaking to people, I feel, is the best way to give others an understanding of who you are.”

Senior Jordan Isbell recited a number of his own poems at the event, including “what to say if you’re a six-year-old planning on robbing a bank,” “grandmother’s descent,” “you’re the reason everyone leaves you” and “eternal damnation.” Although Isbell said he was at first nervous to share his poetry, he ultimately said he was glad to share his personal experiences with his peers without judgement.

“I was planning on only reciting [the first] two, but I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from reading both of them, and other people were beginning to share a couple of personal poems, so I mustered enough courage to share the other two,” Isbell said. “I don’t regret it because they really enjoyed it, and it made me more comfortable to see people start to share even more of their own personal poems that reflected loss and pain.”

At the end of the night, the event created a safe space for students to share their creativity and stories.