He speaks with fiery passion and strength. He speaks ofinspiration. Words of persistence and motivation hit his audiencelike bricks. He is the people’s poet.
Kirk Nugent’s open mic program wowed the intimate crowdTuesday night in the Hughes-Trigg varsity, presented by theLiterary Festival Committee of SMU’s Program Council.
Nugent, author of The Unpopular Truth, performed eight originalpoems ranging from politics, love and his childhood in Kingston,Jamaica.
“Don’t you dare die with your greatness buriedwithin you,” said Nugent, during his presentation, which wasmade up of poetry and anecdotes from his rough beginnings to hishappy life he now shares with his son.
The audience, who was mostly made up of students, was veryreceptive.
“It was overwhelming,” said freshman AlyssaPettigrew. “I needed an inspiration and listening to himhelped.”
Kirk Nugent grew up in Kingston, Jamaica and came to the UnitedStates when he was 15-years-old. After working several unsatisfyingsales jobs, he quit to pursue his real dream to become a poet, hesays.
Nugent says after losing his furniture, apartment and having histruck stolen, he finally got a break performing a poem in NewYork’s Central Park for an AIDS benefit.
Since then he has been touring the world spreading hismotivational speech to anyone who will listen.
“I have seen the world because of poetry,” he said.”I love who I have become.”
When he speaks at colleges and universities, he says theaudience is usually intimate. “They’re receptive andopenminded,” he said. “They lean in to listen and Iknow I have hit a nerve.”
And what advice does he have for students who aren’t doingwhat they really want to do? “Too many people live to pleasetheir parents,” he said, “you may have lots of moneybut you will end up miserable and living for the check.”
Kirk Nugent has been a recipient of the Association For thePromotion of Campus Activities 2004 Performing Artist of the Year,and Campus Awards 2003 Spoken Word Artist of the Year.
For more information about his book of poetry, visitwww.kirknugent.com.
