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<\/a>The power of words<\/strong><\/p>\n Camosun student Morgan Purvis has recently been named Victoria\u2019s Youth Poet Laureate for 2014. Last year was the pilot for the program and the City of Victoria Youth Council, who organizes the program, is very excited to see what Purvis, an already well-established poet within the community, will bring to the position.<\/p>\n The goal of the program is to get young people that would otherwise not have access to that scene involved in poetry, as well as supporting youth arts in general, according to Kluane Buser-Rivet, youth council coordinator for the City of Victoria Youth Council.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we talk to youth we find that the challenges, in relation to the arts, are the lack of accessible spaces to showcase their art and a lack of financial support for their work.\u201d says Buser-Rivet. \u201cThrough this project we are addressing both of these issues, by providing funding for the Youth Poet Laureate, but also providing established spaces to present poetry, and also have access to the resources that the Youth Council has, in terms of organizing events and projects.\u201d<\/p>\n Purvis is thrilled with the prospects of her new position as Youth Poet Laureate and can\u2019t wait to start organizing projects and events.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year it has private sponsorship,\u201d says Purvis. \u201cI get an honorarium and an operating budget, and I get to do projects that are meaningful to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Purvis has big plans for her year as the Youth Poet Laureate. In October, Victoria will be the host city of the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, a national event that will be bringing poets together from all across the country. Within the event, Purvis plans on making sure the youth voice is well represented.<\/p>\n \u201cMy idea is to have a day of youth programming; to have a showcase of national talent of youth in spoken word,\u201d she explains. \u201dI\u2019m also planning on going to the youth correctional facility, to some youth poetry slams there. I\u2019ve done it before and really loved the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n As the Youth Poet Laureate, Purvis will have a handful of responsibilities, including presenting at Victoria City Council and Youth Council meetings. Purvis has already begun to think about the issues she wants to address in front of these groups.<\/p>\n \u201cEducational funding cuts and child poverty, in BC particularly, are really serious problems,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s a part of me that looks at being the Youth Poet Laureate and thinks that I have to work as an advocate, and I have a duty to write about these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other hand, Purvis says she doesn\u2019t like the idea of tokenizing youth even further.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m also just a poet, and I have things to talk about, like falling in love, and war, and other youth do, too. And so it\u2019s hard for me to know whether the issue should be, \u2018Youth are real artists, take us seriously!\u2019 or, \u2018Don\u2019t you dare under-educate us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Purvis believes that the written word has the power to bring about positive change on a community level and feels that spoken-word poetry is especially effective as a writing genre.<\/p>\n \u201cI think of it as typical, awareness-raising activism,\u201d she says,\u201d because for a lot of poets it\u2019s not that different from a poster campaign or a rally. It\u2019s a media plug, it\u2019s whatever you want it to be. What makes spoken word different is that it\u2019s really hard to fake it. You\u2019re interacting with an audience in a real moment.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The written word as a tool<\/strong><\/p>\n Besides the basic act of self-expression, through the ages the written word has been an important form of activism. And while video campaigns or online petitions may appear to have a more direct effect, it\u2019s the written word that can resonate with people and affect true change.<\/p>\n Camosun College Student Society Women\u2019s Director Daphne Shaed recently won a writing competition put on by the Association of Canadian College and University Ombudsperson (ACCUO) for students that have a focus in social justice work.<\/p>\n Shaed was recognized as a strong contender for the competition by Camosun\u2019s ombudsperson, Carter McDonald, after she gave a memorable speech at the ACCUO\u2019s conference last year.<\/p>\n \u201cI sent in my essay on the final day, on the deadline. I actually wrote it the morning of, just right of the top of my head,\u201d says Shaed. \u201cI honestly didn\u2019t think I had a chance. It was all the colleges and universities across the country, and I thought, \u2018Well, there\u2019s going to be hundreds of entries and I\u2019m not likely to win this.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps Shaed was able to craft a winning essay with such ease because she\u2019s so passionate and committed to the activism work that she does.<\/p>\n \u201cI do that dialogue so often that it wasn\u2019t really much for me to write about it,\u201d she says. \u201dIf someone had given me new subject matter and told me to write about that, I\u2019d really have to think about it\u00c9 but because I know this subject so intimately and so well, I was just able to hit the keyboard in one run and say, \u2018Here it is, here\u2019s what I think.\u2019<\/p>\n Shaed\u2019s endeavors in social justice work are numerous. On top of being Camosun\u2019s Women\u2019s Director, she\u2019s also the outreach coordinator for the Students of Colour Collective within the University of Victoria\u2019s Student Society, as well as working as an advocate for transgender women worldwide.<\/p>\n With the type of advocacy work that Shaed does, being clear and concise is very important. She explains that the writing has taught her to use a different approach in educating.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to tell people about my personal experience, and how I view the world, and how I think things are working, because it\u2019s about idea sharing,\u201d she says. \u201cAt the same time, I want there to be a very clear picture of what I\u2019m sharing. It\u2019s important that it\u2019s done that way, because I don\u2019t want my ideas to be taken or twisted and then used in the capacity to do harm. I\u2019m very conscious when I\u2019m writing; more so than when I\u2019m talking.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaed considers herself an orator and admits to feeling more comfortable going out, talking with people, and having a two-sided interaction, rather than relying on writing alone to get a point across.<\/p>\n \u201cWriting is not reciprocal,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s very one-sided, you\u2019re telling somebody something. You may be getting them to think about something, but everybody will practice the interpretation of what you write differently…\u201d<\/p>\n Because of this, Shaed feels that writing doesn\u2019t necessarily have the power to bring people together, and uses writing primarily to access an audience that doesn\u2019t have the ability to make it to a speaking event.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving speaking engagements brings people together because it puts people in the same room. And they\u2019re all listening, and you\u2019re having that back and forth, reciprocal relationship,\u201d she says. \u201cReading is an internal thing. We generally read by ourselves. We don\u2019t collectively read, and there\u2019s a different dynamic there.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Putting pen to paper<\/strong><\/p>\n Purvis and Shaed are full of advice for anyone who wants to start writing, or for those who are having a hard time getting their work heard.<\/p>\n For starters, Purvis is an active part of the spoken word scene and urges anyone who writes to go out and become a part of the community.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of the time young writers don\u2019t get taken very seriously,\u201d says Purvis. \u201cDon\u2019t let that stop you! You don\u2019t have to be a spoken word artist, you could be anybody… if you are having a hard time getting support for your work, come to an open mic. You\u2019ll get something.\u201d<\/p>\n Purvis also offers advice and personal insight into struggling with creativity and subject matter.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry about writing the right thing. This happens to me a lot,\u201d she says. \u201cI worry, \u2018Is my cause the right cause? Am I being justice-y enough? Or am I being beautiful enough? Am I being eloquent?\u2019 But the best things I have written have always been without trying to answer of my own questions. Don\u2019t force it.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Shaed stresses that if you are using your writing for advocacy or teaching, it\u2019s very important to be familiar with your subject matter.<\/p>\n \u201cKnow what you\u2019re talking about,\u201d says Shaed. \u201cAnd don\u2019t be afraid to say that you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about, either. There are a lot of times that I speculate on something and I don\u2019t really know… but I will say that I\u2019m speculating, which is okay to do. You don\u2019t need to know everything. It\u2019s okay to say, \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Shaed also says that it\u2019s important to keep some of what you write for yourself and to use writing as a form of self-care.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t publish everything. Never,\u201d she says. \u201cI write a lot, but I probably publish 10 percent of what I write. All the rest I keep to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Social media and writing: not mutually exclusive<\/strong><\/p>\n Camosun College writing professor Jodi Lundgren suggests that writing isn\u2019t being overpowered by the visual nature of communication; in fact, writing is being proliferated by the rise of social media.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s one replacing the other,\u201d says Lundgren. \u201cWe won\u2019t get as deep an understanding from just watching a short video clip about something as we would from reading about it. But those videos can spark interest and those who want to will go and research more deeply.\u201d<\/p>\n Lundgren also points out that our increased use of technology, and computers specifically, can be helpful in bringing people together and becoming more engaged with the written word.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodreads is a good example,\u201d she says. \u201cYou read a book and then you go onto Goodreads to see what everybody else thought. Then you chime in and give your own expression. So you\u2019re joining in to an online community through the book that you\u2019ve read.\u201d<\/p>\n Lundgren also says the most effective form of advocacy and awareness-raising is via the written word because it\u2019s the most effective way of connecting people on an emotional level.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, a video doesn\u2019t let you develop empathy the way you can with a person in writing,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can\u2019t get inside their head. It\u2019s one thing to watch somebody in pain, but to hear what the interior soundtrack was when they were going through that experience is going to be more powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daughter\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n A poem by Morgan Purvis<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n My hips know already how to rock her gentle<\/p>\n My fingers know how best to keep her clean<\/p>\n Being the oldest sister taught me the canonized bookwork of motherhood.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mary was no sexless doll<\/p>\n No toy of jealous macho Gawd<\/p>\n She was made purer in every bloody, dripping, squelching moment<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Picking up the lunch dishes in the sink, one by one<\/p>\n Cleaning them slowly, scrubbing every millimetre<\/p>\n The hum of the refrigerator<\/p>\n Breathing sweet lavender bubbles<\/p>\n Visceral gratitude for a moment of control<\/p>\n -likely the only one today<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On the day my daughter is born<\/p>\n I think I\u2019ll call her Eve<\/p>\n And I\u2019ll breath her scent so hungrily<\/p>\n Ahh that lingering cling of paradise<\/p>\n Sweet, like apples<\/p>\n Special, like a secret seed kept under the tongue<\/p>\n Hidden bits of eden we take with us from birth to grave<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Looking out the late afternoon window<\/p>\n Children squabbling in play<\/p>\n Laughing in discovery<\/p>\n Sobbing out whole seas in disappointments unbearable<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I spend 3 falls, 1 fight, 2 new dimensions, and a faerie visit<\/p>\n Washing this little pile of dishes<\/p>\n In silence<\/p>\n In reverence<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And I remember<\/p>\n The middle aged tequila soaked friends of my stepfather<\/p>\n Appraising my 15-year-old breasts and ignoring my mother<\/p>\n They were disguised as friendly family-men.<\/p>\n Costumes completed with real live wife-and-kids-accessories.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n the next day I painted my first giant rainbow vagina and taped it to my ceiling<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And now, good \u201cMan\u2019s men\u201d never ask me what I think anymore<\/p>\n Except when I catch them by surprise<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But don\u2019t worry, Evey. They are easily surprised by the works of God,<\/p>\n and you carry paradise under your tongue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the onset of Ted talks and viral Upworthy videos, many people are finding their inspiration online. These kinds of videos are becoming increasingly popular and are flooding social media. But this raises the question: what is happening to the written word? Is writing losing its effectiveness in provoking thought? Do people pay as much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,121],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-february-5-2014"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8542,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8540\/revisions\/8542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}