Alice Vol. 3 No. 2

included headliners such as Kimberly
Casey, Willis and Hill. Attendance
started with just a couple friends and
classmates, but quickly rose to nearly
50 people. Anyone is welcome to
perform or watch.
“Anyone who self-identifies as an
artist or has work they want people
to observe, get critiqued or just to
stand in front of a crowd and do it –
we welcome everybody,” said Jessica
Tomlinson, a senior at The University
of Alabama and treasurer of ASAP.
The open mic nights will
continue in the spring semester, but
they also have some bigger events
planned starting with “The Blackout,”
an event involving six internationally
acclaimed poets and eight student
organizations to celebrate Black
History Month. ASAP students are
also planning a similar event for
Women’s History Month in March.
Then, in April, ASAP will put on a
weekly workshop similar to ASAP
Blitz in September leading up to a
poetry slam with a $1000 prize at the
end of the month. ASAP also hopes
to continue growing its membership,
which currently sits at 26 official
members. They love seeing more
people come together and bond
through poetry.
“Poetry is so important as
a means of expression, and the
community-building that happens
when people come together over
poetry is so beautiful,” Webster said.
“It’s been so awesome to see that grow
and be built within Tuscaloosa.”
Hill and Webster are also both
passionate about using poetry for
advocating. As ASAP continues
to grow they want to ensure they
remember to give back.
“It’s one thing to travel the
country and perform your own
poems,” Hill said. “It’s another thing
to be a facilitator and to be the person
that opens doors for other people to
perform their poetry.”
One way ASAP has plans to do
this is implementing workshops
for high school students. They also
believe in using poetry for activism,
and want to continue spreading their
art in efforts to encourage others to
pursue their own.
70 Alice Spring 2018