Three minutes and thirty-nine seconds. That’s all you have. Three minutes and thirty-nine seconds for five hundred youth, across the globe, to tell their story.

In five days, fifty teams met in Chicago in early August. They were carrying on a tradition sixteen years strong, that reaches all lengths of creative genius. The Brave New Voices international youth poetry festival is a beautiful combination of contemporary slam poetry and youth orientated activism. This five day festival is writing intensive, performance demanding, and above all else, life changing. For young people spanning continents, from South Africa, to Philadelphia, to the United Kingdom, it is a remedy for the soul – where connections are made and voices are heard.

For Iowa, it was their first year ever competing. Six young poets from the metro competed to represent Iowa for the very first time. Along with these six poets came three entourage poets who served for support and social media direction. Nine native Iowans made home in Chicago this summer to set the record straight that Midwestern poetry is something to be reckoned with. Big name cities such as New York and San Francisco often get the attention, but the summer of 2013 the team from Iowa demanded the recognition they rightfully deserved.

So, to bring it back to its roots, here are some personal accounts describing these poets’ experience in Chicago this summer. Although it is a competition, something preached in every spare moment, is that is isn’t about about points. Its about the poetry.

Senior Leah Waughtal, our personal Slam champion of the Iowa BNV recounts her experience.

“Brave New Voices appears on the surface to be oriented around a competition, but in reality it is more about youth connection and creating dialog about topics that need to be discussed. I was introduced to a girl from Phoenix, a few kids from Philadelphia, and a young girl from Cape Town in one meeting.

We were prompted to discuss heavy topics like rape culture, the issues of a binary sexuality, and the fact that we are all just victims of each other. It was moving and so incredibly honest.

People I had never met before were comfortable to share their opinions and tackle concepts that are difficult to talk about. In the opening ceremony alone, we were asked to speak peace.With its origin in Chicago, a city torn apart by gang violence, as a group of five hundred youth, it became our soul purpose to spread peace. And not just within the city limits, but back to our homes, all over the world.”

Junior Hatte Kelley, our personal Slam runner-up in the Iowa BNV team, expresses her focus after BNV.

What I am really keyed in on since returning from Brave New Voices is finding the Iowa voices that have yet to find the courage to begin slam poetry or haven’t even heard of it yet. I will be searching every corner of North High and Central Academy for undiscovered poets and exposing slam culture to the teenagers of Des Moines. My Central Academy English teacher, Mrs. Catie Miller, has proposed an opportunity for me to expose the students of Central Academy to slam culture with poetry workshops. Even you, reader, could be a poet no matter what your preconceptions or dispositions are. Being human alone means you can be a poet. I am very excited to expand the family.”

Mia Windsor, a Junior of Roosevelt, took a moment to tell us about what it was like to meet up with youth from across the world.

“For me, meeting new people from around the world was really amazing and a great experience to get to work and interact with them. I made a lot of new friends and I still keep in touch with them after BNV. I have a lot of new inspiration and new perspectives from the the groups we were around. It amazed me how much poetry meant to people and the stories that they told. BNV brought everyone together and it was just a big family at the end of the trip.”

Freshman Torianna Buttrey expressed the communal feeling of BNV.

“Everyone was so open and happy and willing to talk to you. You could walk up to a complete stranger, hug them, and have and conversation as if you’d known them for years. Everyone was selfless and non-judgmental. Everyone gave off inspiring vibes and were very warm.”

Freshman Julio Delgadillo spoke on the mechanics of the competition and what it was like while there.

“Being at BNV was a pressurized moment, knowing the best poets of the world are here, in the same footsteps I’m in. It was the first time to ever speak my truth in front if an audience at a Brave New Voices Competition.

It was a nerve racking experience, not knowing what to expect from BNV. Having to be judged, but keeping in mind that I had to stand up for the city of Des Moines. I stepped up, faced my fear, and dropped Iowa knowledge on BNV, proudly.”

This past summer was a whirlwind. This students not only represented Iowa for the first time but overcame many of their own fears. But it isn’t over. This is not the end. This spring will be the second annual teen poetry slam, and we will need an entire new group of students to compete for these spots. Six spots that will completely change their lives. On another note, our first Share the Mic will be on October 11 and we would love to see you there!(It will be hosted at Drake University, and you can find more information at www.rundsm.org)

Not to mention, this coming January we will also see a teen summit take place for all students to get together and discuss challenging issues such as gender identity and gun violence. A requirement of this summit is your voice! The ever important voice of the youth of our community who have been told so many times that their voice doesn’t matter to the point where they actually believe it! So please, we plead, come share your voice!

This article is written by Junior Hatte Kelley & Senior Leah Waughtal. They are full time poets, and part time partiers. They like tea, doctor who, good lyrics and loud music. #CuratorsOfCreativeGenius