Remarks for Sigma Kappa Delta, Psi Alpha Chapter's Poetry Night, "Sprouts in Spring"

Odessa can be an ornery town, wanting to combat anything which even feels impractical. Doubling down on crankiness as if that ever fixed anything. And I think it is important, before we begin reading aloud, before we begin hearing from each other, to note that there will be widespread agreement on one proposition should we pose it. If you ask everyone here what's going on when someone says they're opposed to you finding your voice, everyone will immediately know what's up. They know that preventing others from speaking is power. They know that silence can be manipulated into consent and obedience. Odessa can be a bit too quiet about power, but a very refreshing thing about this town is that it recognizes its reality.

So yeah. I like to think we're here to find our voices by listening to others find theirs. There's a lot at stake but we don't need to worry about that. We're gathering, we're creating community, this is already a blossoming. "Sprouts in Spring" if you will. Some might ask what it is we do besides reading and writing. I think that's plenty, but I know it directly correlates with giving to others. Building community is funny like that. When I was at the national convention for Sigma Kappa Delta recently, all of us chapter advisors spoke about the amount of service our various chapters do. It's quite considerable: promoting literacy, making sure kids have a safe space to trick or treat on Halloween, spotlighting local artists, etc. The national organization will put together a master list of what every chapter is doing so that if any legislator says money going to an English Honor Society is a waste, we can shoot right back with "who is going to do all of this service."

For now, it suffices to say that we invite voices, we hear voices, in order to know what we need.