Balkisa Abdikadir is rarely at a loss for words. The 15-year-old sophomore talks at top speed, and often excitedly. But last Wednesday evening at the Young Writers Project office in Burlington, Balkisa simply stared at the poem she had written, titled "Home.""When you crave something, what's another word for it?" she asked. "'Hunger,''long,''thirst'?" offered Denise Casey, jotting down the synonyms. On the other side of the room, Lena Ginawi belted out the first two verses of "The Star-Spangled Banner." As her voice dropped to a low hum, her fellow poets — Hawa Adam and Kiran Waqar — took over and performed a piece they had composed called "American Dream." All this time, Rajnii Eddins watched his mentees through the digital camera he was holding. In their poem, Hawa and Kiran express gratitude to their parents for "fighting tooth and nail" to help them achieve success. But they also write about their struggle to maintain "two worlds in one body." Balkisa, Lena, Hawa and Kiran, four 15- and 16-year-olds who call themselves Muslim Girls Making Change, will represent Vermont in this summer's annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, a conference and competition for youth. This is the first time since 2003 that the Green Mountain State will send a team to the competition, which takes place July 12 to 16 in Washington, D.C. The YWP is sponsoring the team; Eddins, a veteran slam poet, and Casey, a spoken-word artist, are helping the girls get ready for the event. Youth slam poetry has the power to "unlock kids who have struggles and want to voice their struggles," said Geoffrey Gevalt, founder and executive director of the YWP, a Burlington-based nonprofit that runs an online writing community for youth. Such poems may also make the audience "uncomfortable" and encourage listeners to "think about something in a different way," he added. Gevalt is proud that four first-generation Muslim Americans will represent Vermont, a predominantly white and ethnically homogenous state, at a time when that population has been the subject of contentious national discourse. "We're breaking down stereotypes," he said. Eddins agrees. "The intersection of their identities resonates with today's times," he said. Although the girls formed their slam poetry team a little more than a month ago, they've known one another for years through school and gatherings at the Islamic Society of Vermont. Muslim Girls Making…
Balkisa Abdikadir is rarely at a loss for words. The 15-year-old sophomore talks at top speed, and often excitedly. But last Wednesday evening at the Young Writers Project office in Burlington, Balkisa simply stared at the poem she had written, titled "Home.""When you crave something, what's another word for it?" she asked. "'Hunger,''long,''thirst'?" offered Denise Casey, jotting down the synonyms. On the other side of the room, Lena Ginawi belted out the first two verses of "The Star-Spangled Banner." As her voice dropped to a low hum, her fellow poets — Hawa Adam and Kiran Waqar — took over and performed a piece they had composed called "American Dream." All this time, Rajnii Eddins watched his mentees through the digital camera he was holding. In their poem, Hawa and Kiran express gratitude to their parents for "fighting tooth and nail" to help them achieve success. But they also write about their struggle to maintain "two worlds in one body." Balkisa, Lena, Hawa and Kiran, four 15- and 16-year-olds who call themselves Muslim Girls Making Change, will represent Vermont in this summer's annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, a conference and competition for youth. This is the first time since 2003 that the Green Mountain State will send a team to the competition, which takes place July 12 to 16 in Washington, D.C. The YWP is sponsoring the team; Eddins, a veteran slam poet, and Casey, a spoken-word artist, are helping the girls get ready for the event. Youth slam poetry has the power to "unlock kids who have struggles and want to voice their struggles," said Geoffrey Gevalt, founder and executive director of the YWP, a Burlington-based nonprofit that runs an online writing community for youth. Such poems may also make the audience "uncomfortable" and encourage listeners to "think about something in a different way," he added. Gevalt is proud that four first-generation Muslim Americans will represent Vermont, a predominantly white and ethnically homogenous state, at a time when that population has been the subject of contentious national discourse. "We're breaking down stereotypes," he said. Eddins agrees. "The intersection of their identities resonates with today's times," he said. Although the girls formed their slam poetry team a little more than a month ago, they've known one another for years through school and gatherings at the Islamic Society of Vermont. Muslim Girls Making…