Exit 109 To Host Poetry Slam, Debut 2025 Magazine
By: Autumn Byrd
Students are invited to share their original poems Thursday, April 17 at 6 p.m. in the Bonnie Auditorium, where literary talent among RU students will be highlighted. The poetry slam coincides with the launch party for Exit 109’s Literary Arts Magazine, where people will be able to receive a free copy of it that evening while enjoying refreshments.
Some students who have already submitted their work for the magazine are expected to be in attendance on Thursday night. “I’ve had some people email back and are already like, ‘Sounds awesome, can’t wait,’ and they’re excited about it,” said Wyatt Burdette, Editor-in-Chief for Exit 109.
Burdette enjoys listening to and creating poetry and spoken word, which made him both interested in joining Exit 109 and organizing a poetry slam. “I’m really excited to be a part of it,” said Burdette. “Being able to host an event like this is awesome.”
Aside from hosting, Burdette might share some of his own work to break the ice and hopes Exit 109 staff members and those who didn’t get a chance to submit to the magazine will as well.
Out of the hundreds of submissions, which included poetry, short stories and visual art, the final copy of the magazine has 126 pages. One of the submissions by April Joachim was used for the cover art. Throughout the magazine, there is a mix of visual art and writing prompts created by the staff for students to engage in.
Michael Marberry, a professor in the English department and advisor for Exit 109, helped Burdette with compiling submissions. “A lot of the submissions came from his poetry classes,” said Burdette. “A lot of the themes that I saw … were coming from some of his class prompts.”
In Marberry’s class, students write poems weekly and participate in poetry forums. Marberry also creates a word bank where students are encouraged to incorporate those words into their work. “It’s really great to get you to use words that you wouldn’t normally use,” said Burdette.
There is no deadline for signing up and participating in the poetry slam. Students can scan the QR code and input their information so they can be added to the list.
For those who are unable to make the event, Exit 109 will have tabling events in the Bonnie on April 24 and May 1 from 5-6 p.m. where they’ll be distributing free copies of the magazine.
