On the night of the Poetry Rodeo on March 14, students arrived excited yet nervous to perform their own poetry with professional poety Ellyn Maybe’s band. With over 30 people attending the Cafe in the Beit Midrahs, 12 performers came up, sharing works of sadness and loneliness to happiness and humor.

“My poems just come to me in the moment,” said sophomore Natalie Dahan. “Writing poems are a good way to let everything out, like to get over a fight. My poems are always written from real things that happened to me, because if it’s fake, to me, it’s pointless.”

The English Department organized the Poetry Rodeo to give students an outlet for creative writing. Students attended a poetry workshop during lunch and fifth period a few weeks before the event where a professional poet known on stage as Ellyn Maybe, helped them come up with ideas, gave them tips on how to hook the audience and played some of her work.

“She’s a true inspiration to me,” said Mrs. Frankel, who used to attend open mic nights where Maybe would perform, and arranged the poet to come support the Poetry Rodeo.

Maybe created an unordinary band that combines poetry with music. While she reads her works the band plays to match her tone and wording, which helps to bring more emotion into the piece.

Maybe told students at the event that she was always, and still is, nervous when she read her poems. She would always write the word “maybe” next to her name when signing up to perform. Her cousin, Harlan Steinberg, and his friends started to perform along-side with her, and the Ellen Maybe Band was created.

Maybe opened up the Poetry Rodeo with her poem, “Picasso,” which was inspired by the paintings in the Los Angeles County Art Museum. In it, she talks about the importance of being herself and never changing for anyone.

After a few more poems, the stage was then open to the audience to share their poetry. Senior Leah Katz, wrote a monologue from the point of view of a child who felt shut out from life. She brought tears into the audience’s eyes, and captivated their attention into the story she created.

Senior Yonah Nimmer presented a short poem he had written about the event, bringing laughter to the crowd as he described the Rodeo through his eyes.

“I wasn’t nervous at all when performing,” said Yonah. “I came up with my poem in fifteen minutes.”

“They were awesome!” said Maybe. “It was all so touching, beautiful, and very inspirational.”

For writers who want to get more into poetry, Maybe suggests to “just write,” explaining that writers don’t have to be talented to write poetry and that students should “allow their emotions to come out on paper.”