L.E.A.D. Hosts Poetry Night Featuring Desireé Dallagiacomo

Recently, Leadership Engagement and Development (L.E.A.D.) department hosted Bless the Mic, a poetry night including a performance by spoken word artist Desireé Dallagiacomo. Local performers at the event included staff, students and community members showcasing their singing, spoken word, poetry, rap or music talents to an audience of nearly 100 attendees.

“A lot of students have asked for an event like this. Instead of having to go to Dallas, they can hear great poetry right here in Commerce,” said Adalyn Burger, L.E.A.D.'s graduate assistant. “I think it's good for the community because it's a different type of entertainment we'd like to share with everyone.”

Spoken word is performance based poetry that focuses more on the delivery of the poem than the written word. Dallagiacomo, ranked third in the world at the Individual World Poetry Slam, speaks on controversial topics including body image, adversity and development. Her work has even caught the attention of the Huffington Post, which noted her thoughts on the portrayals of women in magazines marketed toward women.

“We want our students to have the opportunity to express themselves,” remarked Danielle Davis, the director of L.E.A.D. “Our students are talented and we want them to share their gifts with the community.”

The L.E.A.D. department plans to host similar events in the future. Find more information on L.E.A.D.