Lewis Coffeehouse showcases ballroom dance and slam poetry

"It's definitely been something I always look forward to," featured slam poet Iyeoka said about last night's third annual Coffeehouse in Lewis Hall. Organized by the Campus Violence Prevention Project, the Coffeehouse featured many different mediums of expression, including singing, ballroom dancing and slam poetry. "We really try to find engaging and fresh ways to get students to express themselves...and that's why we put it in the form of a coffeehouse," Campus Violence Prevention Project coordinator Elaine Theodore said. This year's theme was "The Truth," a phrase which encompassed truth about many different ideas including racism, violence, romance, sex and homophobia. According to Theodore, the coffeehouse was an opportunity for students to express themselves in very different ways and relate their acts to the event's theme. "We wanted to open it up so performers can find their niche," she said. The star and headline event was international Def Poetry Jam slam performance poet Iyeoka, who described slam poetry as a combination of acting and creative writing. "Slam is a form of performance poetry. The slam aspect is competition; random judges are selected from the audience and they score the performances," she said. She has been a performer in all three coffeehouses organized by the Campus Violence Prevention Project and continues to return because of the "amazing audience." "A lot of my work has to do with violence prevention," she added. The coffeehouse also showcased different posters created by the Tufts Alcohol and Drug Program as well as Campus Violence Prevention Project. - Pranai Cheroo