Cotsen Library kicks off a poetry appreciation group for kids with the Mayhem Poets.
By: Kristin Boyd
Long before Pirates of the Caribbean and its sequel struck box-office gold, Ian Segal was writing his first poem about scheming bandits plundering the open sea.
Mr. Segal, then a fourth-grader in Los Angeles, used his words like LEGO blocks, stacking one on top of another until he completed two glittering versions of "Pirates Gold."
"I beat Johnny Depp to it, I suppose. But he did it better," Mr. Segal, a junior at Princeton University says, laughing. "It was a terrible, atrocious, little piece, but at the time I enjoyed it. I thought it was brilliant. I thought I was doing great work."
Writing poetry has a way of making you puff out your chest and marvel at your work. That’s good, especially for youngsters who need a creative outlet or confidence boost, says Mr. Segal, student adviser of the new Poets’ Society at Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton University.
The Cotsen Poets’ Society, for ages 8 and older, will kick off Sept. 30 with a free performance by the Mayhem Poets, a diverse collective of young writers and entertainers formerly called Verbal Mayhem.
"At Cotsen, we want to instill the love of literacy in children, and I think poetry is an essential part of that," says Dana Sheridan, the library’s education and outreach coordinator. "I wanted to offer a fresh angle to get kids interested. I wanted to start with a bang."
That’s where the Mayhem Poets step in.
"I heard about Mayhem Poets through Young Audiences (the nonprofit organization providing arts education to children), and I thought, ‘This is so cool.’ But it’s something I would never be able to do myself rhyme and do improv poetry. It’s amazing," Ms. Sheridan says.
The Mayhem Poets are dedicated to helping children foster an appreciation for classical, contemporary and theatrical expression, according to the group’s Web site. To do that, members combine their backgrounds in spoken word, filmmaking, art, dance, music and theater to create a high-energy, interactive poetry performance.
Ms. Sheridan and Mr. Segal hope the Mayhem Poets intrigue youngsters, and thus, get them excited about the Cotsen Poets’ Society. The group is open to children who live in Princeton and surrounding areas and have a passion for writing, a zeal for expression and an active imagination.
"This will most benefit children who are motivated to come, children who want to be here, want to develop, want to learn," Ms. Sheridan says. "It’s not a classroom experience. There are no grades, no assignments."
However, children will read and write poems during the meetings, where they can also share their work. "This is a welcoming environment and one of camaraderie," Ms. Sheridan says. "The most important thing is that kids feel comfortable."
Ms. Sheridan believes the mix of older and younger children will work in the group’s favor. Teens can serve as mentors while, in turn, youngsters, who are often more willing to try something different, can serve as examples of how to think outside the box.
"I think they will complement each other," Ms. Sheridan says. "Their different voices and different perspectives will allow them to develop further in their love of poetry."
If all goes as planned, Ms. Sheridan and Mr. Segal will host a public poetry reading in the spring to showcase the children’s writing.
"I’m excited to see how kids respond to this," Ms. Sheridan says. "I want (the society) to give them that spark of discovery, show them something new. I want them to do this because they love it."
Mr. Segal agrees, saying there is a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment that comes with completing a poem even if it does make you cringe more than a decade later.
"I have a particular affinity to poetry and what you can achieve with so little," he says, adding his pirate poem brings back more good memories than bad. "It takes a real effort to really achieve something with poetry. But when you do, it’s really tremendous."
Mayhem Poetry Slam will be held at Cotsen Children’s Library, 1 Washington
Road, Princeton, Sept. 30, 2-3 p.m. Free admission. Biweekly meetings for the
Cotsen Poets’ Society begin at the library Oct. 12, 4-5 p.m. For information,
call (609) 258-2697. Mayhem Poets on the Web: www.mayhempoets.com

