Kansas Students Share Healing Through Poetry Event

When words feel impossible, sometimes poetry can say everything.

Around 30 students gathered at Washburn University's Memorial Union on April 7 for Ichabods Speak Out, an annual open mic event where survivors share their experiences through poetry. The event has provided a safe space for healing and connection every April since 2017.

Dennis Etzel Jr., a senior English lecturer, and Jericho Hockett, a psychology professor, organize the gathering each year during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. They created the event to give students a supportive environment where they could express difficult experiences in their own unique ways.

Students shared powerful poems about surviving toxic relationships and trauma. Tyler Naquin, representing Sigma Lambda Gamma's Tau Zeta chapter, read a piece that included the line, "If you have to beg, then you are begging the wrong person." Another student shared, "I never wanted it, I never asked for it, but he said it was my gift."

The readings weren't just about pain. Many poems moved toward hope and healing, showing the journey beyond trauma.

Remington Beard-Alvarado, a junior psychology major, reminded attendees that no one experiences trauma the same way and there's no perfect way to be a survivor. Her message was simple: survivors aren't alone, and campus support is available.

Why This Inspires

The event went beyond poetry readings. Organizations like the Young Women's Christian Association and Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity set up booths offering real resources including counseling information, hotline numbers, and support materials.

Frances Knudsen, a junior psychology major attending her first Ichabods Speak Out, said the poems helped her understand what survivors experience. She particularly appreciated how several pieces acknowledged trauma but ended with empowerment and hope for healing.

Students could take breaks whenever needed, reinforcing that self-care comes first. Organizers distributed copies of "Kansas Speaks Out: Poems in the Age of Me, Too," a collection celebrating survivor voices.

Beard-Alvarado offered advice for anyone hesitant to share their story: "Your own journey is going to run its course, taking care of yourself is the most important thing. Find those resources that you can lean on and those people that you can lean on as well."

The event closed with a reminder that no need is too small for support.