Youth Speak

Forget clichés about the banalities of teenage poetry. Each year, young creative minds at Paseo Arts Academy (4747 Flora, 816-418-2275) impress hundreds with their original spoken-word and musical expressions during an event called Coffee House. “Many students choose to use the platform as a means to tell the people in attendance, or perhaps those in our city, about their own experience in this world,” organizer Chris Odam says. “The show does not have a theme but leaves people inspired by the gumption of these young thinkers to confront the world through their poetry.” The mic will also be open to nonstudents. The performance begins at 7 p.m. in the school’s recital hall. Admission for adults is a $5 donation; for students it’s $3.

Fri., March 13, 2009