Convocation: Sarah Kay

Sarah Kay, known for her spoken word poetry, is the founder and co-director of Project V.O.I.C.E., a group dedicated to using spoken word as an inspirational tool.  A graduate of Brown University, Kay began performing poetry at the Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan’s East Village at the age of 14.  She was the youngest person competing in the National Poetry Slam that year, and the next year made her television debut performing on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam.  She has performed at events and venues such as the Lincoln Center, the Tribecca Film Festival, the United Nations, and a widely acclaimed talk and performance at the 2011 TED Conference.  Teaching poetry and self-expression at schools across the United States, Kay founded Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression) to encourage people, particularly teenagers, to use spoken word as an instrument through which they can explore and better understand their culture, their society, and ultimately themselves.  V.O.I.C.E. brings together performance, writing, and a supportive environment to inspire youth to recognize that their views are significant, valid, and necessary.  Kay shows how this ancient art form has been reborn in an era dominated by social media in her presentation titled "The Art of Storytelling in a Digital World."