Say More Poetic Society
Irvington’s Say More Poetic Society aims to leverage spoken word and oral history to record the lived experiences of residents and activists, strengthening community ties through shared memory and creative expression.
The Say More Poetic Society uses the power of spoken word and poetry to explore Black history and local arts, celebrating figures like James Baldwin and local “poetry slam” masters. They are participating in the program to build staff capacity in storytelling and digital curation, moving from traditional archives toward active, co-created digital and oral histories.
The Society’s project will create a comprehensive digital archive repository and a community yearbook by collecting oral histories, photo collections, and scanned artifacts across four pillars: local businesses, faith institutions, family life, and civic organizations.
