There were two things that I discovered—and fell in love with—my first semester at Utah State. First? Aggie Radio. The second? PoBev. These two wonderful parts of USU would come to shape my college experience. But PoBev seems to have lost its way.
PoBev stands for “Poetry and a Beverage”. A name so great, I am upset I didn’t come up with it myself. Once a month, the artistic and social gather in the TSC International Lounge to listen to carefully prepared poems and performances. Most are great, and I do enjoy myself. I tried my hand at reciting a poem of mine a couple of PoBevs back, and though I was terrified, I enjoyed the rush and the feel of it. Usually I quietly enjoy my time in the audience.
The first problem comes with the people not being quiet. I get it—there are free drinks and treats at PoBev, so it attracts a crowd. Though the people who set up the event try their best at putting up sound partitions, it’s often to no avail. People are putting themselves in a vulnerable position by getting up on stage. The least we, as peers, can do is give them some respect by not being obnoxious and loud. It gets to such a point where the performer can’t be heard over the masses talking in the back.
The second comes from the lack of poetry. I understand that doing covers of songs can be fun, and some covers are quite amazing, but where is the original content? I see PoBev as a creative outlet for people to voice their opinion. Slam poetry, and poetry in general, is an expression of thought. Where did our original thought go as a student body? What happened to getting on a stage and challenging the ideas of others? What happened to getting on stage and challenging our own ideas?
The endless acoustic covers of songs don’t let us advance in critical thinking. Our voices seem to be controlled by the latest pop culture trend. I do think “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift is a great song, but when I got to PoBev I would much rather hear a student voice their opinion in a creative fashion that causes me to think and reflect.
There is one man I have consistently seen do just that. If anyone has gone to recent PoBevs, they should remember Trey. There have been times where Trey was the only person to get up and recite a original poem, and it is magical. He puts raw emotion into what he writes, and presents that emotion on stage. He thinks, he reflects, he feels and he translates all of that to the audience.
Thank you Trey, for keeping to the idea of Free Verse, Slam-Tastic, wonderful poetry alive.
And now I leave you with the words of Watsky.
Caution: Language!
Yaaaaaassssss. Put the “Po” back in “Po Bev”! Some covers/original songs can be cool, I guess, but I want to hear more cool poetry. Especially slam. That shiz is crazy.
I totally agree on both points. The noise is so rude and the lack of poetry is frustrating.