Background:

Jenny Pisani is a Staten Island Technical High School and Macaulay Alumni. Ms. Pisani discovered her love for writing and poetry during her Arts in New York City Seminar Class. She lived in Cambodia for several years where she engaged in more poetry writings and open mic performances and would ultimately lead to her publishing Alchemy, a book containing a collection of her poems. Additionally, through her work as a Peace Corps Volunteer, she has aided Cambodian medical students in learning English. Since then, she has moved back home and is currently a teaching artist.

Feelings/Takeaway:

Hearing Jenny’s story and message that there is no clear path in life and that we can make the opportunities for ourselves  really stood out. I think that often times the Arts scare us because we never see a stable future in connection to it, but Jenny set the idea that where there is a will, there is a way. She also shared interesting  information about how poetry was created in Cambodia- about how poetry was initially written by monks and sounded like a chant when performed. In addition to learning about the way culture affects the creation of poetry, her performance of her poem depicted how the performance of a poem is distinct from the reading of a poem- each a different form of art. Because when poetry is performed, the expression and movements, the timing and breath, the rhythm and rhyme, are all attributes that are taken into account by poets when performing. She also touched on another key idea which is the importance of understanding the value and time creating when crafting the art and that it was okay to be compensated monetarily- although she herself sometimes feels mild discomfort in doing so. This was really significant because while artists may not always be making art and seeking monetary compensation in return, being given/ offered money for their art/skills does not taint the quality of the work being produced. Everyone has to earn their livelihood somehow , and the art created should not feel tainted due to capital associated with it. All in all, I really enjoyed meeting Jenny and listening to her live performance of her poem and understanding the different aspects of poetry.