Project Voice

By Emmaline Rogers

Phil Kaye and Elizabeth Acevedo bring Project VOICE to St. Mary’s, speaking in chapel and leading poetry workshops for students.  ​

     Project VOICE, a group of award-winning performers and poet teachers, is coming to St. Mary’s on January 30 and 31. As part of the Orgill Speaker Series, they will perform for the Upper School on Monday during chapel. Also on Monday and Tuesday during O period, poets Phil Kaye and Elizabeth Acevedo will be leading two hour-long workshops in order to help students find their voice through the spoken word.
   Library Director, Mrs. Evans, describes Kaye and Acevedo as “entertaining, energetic, dynamic performers.” Kaye is the co-director of Project Voice and has performed and taught in 10 different countries. While a student at Brown University, he was the coordinator of Space in Prisons for the Arts and Creative Expression (SPACE) and led poetry workshops in maximum security prisons. Acevedo is a National Poetry Slam Champion and has had her poetry published in numerous literary magazines. Her chapbook called Beastgirl and Other Origin Myths was published in 2016 by YesYesBooks and was a finalist for the publisher’s Vinyl 45 Contest.
     According to Mrs. Evans, these speakers are a good match for the Orgill Speaker Series which this year is focusing on “finding empathy and listening to each other’s stories.” In these workshops, emphasis will be placed on learning from others stories, rather than just listening to them.
     These workshops are for everyone. They are for those who have trouble with words, those who feel confident in their speech, and “for students who don’t feel like they’re Sabrina Spence,” laughs Ms. Evans.