Women & Gender Studies’ Open Mic: Revolutionary Love

Naomi Kim | Writer

Many know love as the emotion that connects two people together, but realistically, that’s not the only kind of love there is.

On Feb. 2, LCCC hosted an open mic event to discuss the topic of “revolutionary love,” inspired by a topic covered in the Women & Gender Studies class. Participants included students, faculty, and staff.

Anney Ryan, Associate Professor of English, was the advisor for the event and described the purpose behind the open mic.

“We’re gonna focus on love not as this romantic thing that you give to somebody or that you get from somebody else, but that revolutionary love is something anybody can do for their community,” she said.

The event involved reading works out loud that connected to the idea of revolutionary love. Submissions ranged from published poems by renowned authors, to works created by the attendees for this event.

Tonisha Taylor, the Dean of Humanities, Social sciences and Inclusion, attended the event and described her intentions behind sharing a work of her own.

“We just don’t function well in isolation as humans… I see the importance of having people who have your back, and having other peoples’ backs,” she said.

Taylor said her favorite part of the event was making a poem on the fly and being inspired by the people who came.

This was Ryan’s first event revolving around revolutionary love, and she mentions that ideas and plans for another event in April are in discussion.