What the heck is poetry?

Poets Braeden Etienne and Melissa Brizuela met during a month-long spoken word workshop in Winter 2021 and both became featured performers at Hillside Festival in 2022. They were invited back to perform at Hillside’s 40th anniversary this year and are confronted by their imposter syndrome. Again. 

These unlikely collaborators will come together to re-explore one poem each from their debut performances. Braeden and Melissa swap poems and voice each other's work to demonstrate to listeners that HOW you perform a poem can be just as powerful as WHAT you say in it

They will shed light on how poetry is more than words written or said, but a constant act of creation in pursuit of truth.  

 Will revisiting and revising their past work get them any closer to believing they’re poets? Even though the mounting evidence suggests they already are? 

Listeners will be guided through an easy-to-adapt poetry exercise to help demonstrate that everyone is an artist.

They will demystify the pretentious cloud around poetry with candid conversations about the rewards of play, creativity and joy inherent in giving poetry a try.