Inside Out Poetry Program Youth in Photo

“I’m excited to share my voice, my writing, and my passion to express issues other people are afraid to talk about. I’m hoping that people who are afraid to share their voice will see me sharing mine and be inspired.”

Eldric Laron, one of InsideOut’s 2018 Detroit Youth Poet Ambassadors and a two-time member of our Detroit Youth Poetry Slam Team, is a leader in our Citywide Poets program. He sat down with us to explore the changes he has seen in himself and his writing since becoming a program participant.

“InsideOut has helped me become a much better writer and performer. It helped me experience new things and read more – before I started at InsideOut I wasn’t much of a reader, now I am. I feel like I’ve learned a lot communicating with other poets and my coaches at InsideOut. Events like Scratch the Page attract Detroit artists who are doing really amazing things, and being surrounded by that creativity and having the opportunity to share my poetry has been a huge confidence builder for me.”

For Eldric, writing and sharing his work have brought him through times of adversity:

“Writing is a powerful coping mechanism, and right now for people my age, any age actually, our voice is our only weapon. I’ve seen myself and many of my friends grow so much from InsideOut. Anybody who’s passionate about making art should do it.”

His experiences with InsideOut have encouraged him to be a leader and an example for other youth who want to share their voice too:

“I really didn’t think I could pursue writing before I joined InsideOut, but it really opened my eyes. Now more than ever I’m inspired to keep pursuing music and publishing my writing. I’m excited to share my voice, my writing, and my passion to express issues other people are afraid to talk about. I’m hoping that people who are afraid to share their voice will see me sharing mine and be inspired. Higher work is worth it.”

Eastside, Detroit Shooting

1-year-old grazed by a bullet on the head, mother shot in the leg,

    none were life-threatening.

Death isn’t the only thing that can threaten a life.

Whether grazed or punctured,

all bullets carry burdens.

A baby’s skin is an excuse for how the bullet landed.

Seven cases dropped in the street, left for those

who could have been born here with a bullet

whistling down its path. Or a cell with more numbers

than the calculation of its worth. Tell me,

when is a situation life-threatening?

Is it when they’re actually dead?

Or when the bullet becomes the only meal

able to digest? Do you not think a mother’s grief

is worse than death?

When a mother can’t sleep at night knowing

not all deaths make the news.

 

Read about Eldric in Model D.