http://i-am.rutgers.edu/2014/09/huntington-poetry-club/
I’ll tell you the first thing that doesn’t come to mind when one names Rutgers University: a school of hipsters. Because it’s generally not that small kind of liberal arts school filled with “effortlessly cool”, urban, bohemian people… aka hipsters. A shame, isn’t it? Move to the East Village, Greenpoint, or even better yet, Williamsburg, and you won’t have that problem- I promise.
The cool thing about all these places is how much these natives don’t give a fuck about what anyone else thinks and just go as they please. They don’t judge or criticize because they have better things to do (well, most). And just when you thought Rutgers was just a B1G 10 school, it’s more than that- it’s filled with the most diverse people one can ever imagine, with one group identifying themselves as talented, creative, artistic and inventive individuals. Where do these people unite? Well I’m glad you asked. They come together at this small, almost secretive, underground layer called The Huntington Poetry Club.
When first getting to The Huntington Poetry Club, I had to walk through this compelling alley way that only added to the excitement of the whole event. What’s beyond this pathway? I kept walking. As soon as I made it to the end where it suddenly got bright again into a backyard, I saw people. Different people. Interesting people. The “hard to find around here” type of people. My friend and I looked at each other as if we’ve been re-born again, forming these wide, embarrassing smiles across our foolish faces. “We found our home,” my friend said. Standing in front of the pathway for a good five minutes, frozen and observing what surrounds us with googly eyes as if seeing the world for the first time, we realize that maybe it’s not the greatest idea to make a creepy and weird first impression. So we continue and walk into the house and down the stairs into this underground, cave-like basement, lit up with christmas lights all around the room. At this point I’m in awe. “Where are we?” I ask my friend. She doesn’t even respond, her eyes just get wider and that was enough of a response.
http://i-am.rutgers.edu/2014/09/huntington-poetry-club/
From open mics of poems to song covers and singing, I feel like I have finally found the place I’ve been looking for here at Rutgers. Open mics are where you find all of the missing creative and artistic people. They all come together to express emotional heartbreaks, angry rants, comedic monologues, impressive raps, and just about anything else that may relate to you.
What’s so great about The Huntington Poetry Club is how open and friendly the people are. If you’ve been to a frat party here, you have definitely been guilty of judging others on their outfit, personality, looks, etc and vice versa. Look- we’re humans. We judge and are often judged by others. However, why focus on the negatives; what does it do for you? How does that help you grow as a person? I mean, what I loved most about this club was how brutally honest everyone’s pieces were. From poems and songs about being gay and coming out, to getting dumped, having a loved one dying, etc. was just extremely powerful and moving. These people felt like they were in a comfortable enough environment to share their personal story. They weren’t afraid to express their true inner thoughts. And as the audience, we were just as accepting to hear what they had to say. It’s truly just a moving experience.
Don’t get me wrong, Rutgers is a great school filled with all different kinds of interesting people and clubs to check out. The Huntington Poetry Club is just one of many. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend stopping by and checking it out! It’s every other Wednesday starting at 9PM. It will be an enjoyable, fun, and enlightening experience to see what kind of talent this school holds. I promise you won’t regret it.
Alexa Carmona