Roxanna Azari
Forest Hills, N.Y.
English, Women's Studies
OUTSPOKEN: ROXY'S STORY
Spoken word artist Roxy makes a lasting impression whenever she performs her poetry, especially "Seen Not Heard," which touches upon sexism and her Iranian heritage.
POETIC JUSTICE: "It was written in response to a man who told me and my friends in the movie theatres in New York City that ‘women are supposed to be seen not heard.' I compare this incident to another incident in Iran when another man told me and my cousin that our pants were too far above our ankles. I intertwine these two experiences of being a woman in different countries to point out that sexism is still prevalent no matter what part of the world one comes from. I wrote this piece to address the struggle of being a woman in the world today."
RHYME AND REASON: Roxy, who founded a Wheaton poetry club called iSpeak, has been writing poetry since she was 7 and has deep roots in the art form. "My grandmother is an amazing poet. She used to write all the time and I used to just listen to her. She would write in Farsi and although I am fluent in the language, the poetry was very hard to understand. But with time, I was able to understand little by little."
POETRY IN MOTION: In 2006, Roxy won two major poetry slams, beating out more than 500 others. "Spoken word is written from the heart. There are no restrictions; you make your piece what you want it to be. It gives me space to break rules and write outside the margins that often restrain my thoughts."