Poets, writers, and performers from across Knoxville explored identity tonight at “Knoxville Monologues.”
Sponsored by the Women’s Coordinating Council (WCC), a feminist student organization that is open to members of all genders, the event was created in hopes to share personal stories from Knoxville residents about their distinct experiences and perspectives.
Ezra Brown, a senior majoring in English, is a member of the WCC and co-chair of the event. He explained that the WCC chose identity as the event’s focus after searching for a topic that would be more inclusive and representative than that of the Council’s past monologue event, which was entitled “Vagina Monologues.”
“We went with identity and we meant that at any intersection—race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion. And we wanted pieces that were inspiring, uplifting,” said Brown.
The quaint, dimly lit coffeehouse provided a stage for the performances. As soft folk music murmured in the background, accompanied by the hum of coffee machines, speakers performed pieces which investigated a diverse group of topics like sexuality, gender identification, and race.
The audience, seated in chairs arranged in a semi-circle around the stage, appeared deeply engaged with the speakers; at several moments during particularly emotional performances, one could glance in either direction to find audience members’ eyes welling over with tears.
However, the event was not without comic relief — including a moment from Brown’s own monologue.
“Tonight I realized that I don’t know how to snap,” Brown said after the performance of one rather serious poem. This remark was met with great laughter from the audience.
Whether performed in a melancholy or humorous tone, each piece read at Knoxville Monologues somehow tackled the broad topic of identity. Each performer interpreted the topic differently.
“I think identity truly is just the way we move within the socially constructed reality in which we exist,” said Brown, who performed a piece written by Alexander Emery that told the story of life and aspirations for the future as a transgender man living in the modern age.
“We as humans have constructed ideas around gender and race, and while they are constructed, they have very real implications,” Brown continued.
Emma Vieser, a UT student and fellow WCC member, performed a serious poem as well.
“Identity is who you are, so I feel like that in and of itself is important,” said Vieser after the performances. “To say who you are and be able to use words and tell people what that means I think is super important.”
Vieser attributes their creative inspiration to past classes and professors as well as their own experiences.
“A lot of it comes from my life; the poem I read was about me and my life,” said Vieser.
The event certainly demonstrated collective diversity and identity. The WCC hopes to play a large role in encouraging diversity at UT through artistic and thought-provoking events such as Knoxville Monologues.
