Students and guest speaker perform original pieces at Unplugged
Silma Berrada, senior, performs one of her pieces.
On Thursday, May 31, Homestead had its annual Unplugged event where students and a guest speaker performed spoken words, songs and other forms of writing. This event was hosted by Mrs. Angelina Cicero, English teacher. Before the event began, both Soliloquy Literary Magazine issues from the 2017-2018 school year were distributed to the audience.
Many Homestead students had the courage to stand before their peers and perform pieces they have written.
Gwen Cain, senior, wrote a satirical piece about how she cannot write poetry because she struggles to come up with the words and phrases that make it beautiful; she appreciates people who have this ability.
Gabi Martin, sophomore, expressed the fears she faces as she transitions through life including trust issues and body image.
Erin Lipkowitz, senior, delivered an interpretation of the song “Liability” by Lorde.
Eliza Imbrie, senior, performed a piece titled “The Stage” where she expressed a stream of consciousness that runs through one’s mind as they perform.
Clara Huskin, senior, shared a piece about science and art because of her interest and fascination in both. “Society conforms us to believe we are made for one thing. That if you are good at art, you are not good at science or vise versa. It’s our intuition, our gut instincts, that make the world more beautiful, not the voices that tell us what we should and should not be. Beauty stems from you,” Huskin said.
Bella Scaffidi, senior, shared the reality of the modeling industry and all of the expectations that come along with it.
Talia Eiseman, Emma Rachum and Julius Wilkerson, seniors, performed a piece about youths voices being silent amidst global issues in the face of controversy. “We chose to write about this because its a major issue that our generation faces today,” Wilkerson said.
John Sellars, junior, expressed how technology has taken over so much so that humans need it for instant gratification.
Will Slawson, senior, performed a piece about the death of a close friend. “I wrote a piece for the first soliloquy that even though it has been praised, I believe it relays a very entitled theme and encourages egocentric mindsets. With the excerpt I read tonight I sought to rectify a poem written out of emotion with a sequl written out of wisdom,” Slawson said.
Silma Berrada, senior, shared a poem about the racism she faces as a black woman and the history of slavery.
Timmaya Paris, freshman, sang “The Sweetest Things” by Lauren Hill.
Ajanae Dawkins, the guest speaker, is from a suburb of Detroit and has been writing poetry since she was very young. She recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison where she majored in English and researched neurobiology. “In my research I learned that children who have experienced trauma are more likely to experience trauma again later in life. Trauma is inherited,” Dawkins said.
Dawkins performed pieces surrounding topics of inequality, heartbreak, upbringing, and significant figures: Viola Davis and Huey P Newton.
Kate Price is a junior and this is her first year apart of the advanced publications staff. Kate is a major coffee lover and spends the majority of her...
Sasha Shapsis is a senior at Homestead, and this is her third year on Advanced Publications. In room 405, she’s busy indexing yearbook, taking photos,...
