June Jordan

We have come a long way since I was a UC Berkeley student, and yet, there’s still much more we need to do to adequately represent the people of California.

When you walk into UC Berkeley’s Poetry for the People, or P4P, class (African American Studies 156AC) you are walking into a revolutionary landscape that has cultivated and nurtured young student poets since its 1991 conception.

The festival will celebrate its fifth year on May 4 and 5 in Downtown Berkeley, its home since the beginning.

The use of poetry as a political tool proves fitting at an institution widely recognized for a commitment to academic excellence and revolutionary ideals.

The Open Mic — co-hosted by the English Undergraduate Association and Students of Color Emerging in English — fostered an evening of artistic expression.

Poet and UC Berkeley alumna Alicia Zakon, even on the eve of publication, admits embarrassment is still the strongest emotion she has toward her own verse. It is very probable that readers will feel the same way.